Phytopharmaceuticals & Their Role In Human Health

Nutraceuticals and functional foods on an average are globally becoming giant players in health sector. In a survey, it was reported that in year 2010 alone, there was a huge market growth of nutraceuticals and food supplements. Phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and functional foods have the potential to substantially reduce the expensive, high-tech, disease treatment approaches particularly common in developed countries. Charu Gupta and Dhan Prakash from Amity Institute for Herbal Research & Studies explores the world of Phytopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals in this article.

- Charu Gupta & Dhan Prakash

A popular Hippocratic Oath states that “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. This oath truly illustrates the importance of nutraceuticals and functional foods in today’s sedentary lifestyle. With the increase in the consumption of junk foods, there is a subsequent increase in lifestyle diseases like hypertension, obesity, diabetes etc. Functional foods and nutraceuticals have emerged out as an attractive natural alternative especially in European countries including US.

Today’s consumers have become more health conscious and are aware of the side effects of the allopathic medicines. They look out for a healthier and natural option in the form of functional foods, dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. The major advantage of consuming these food supplements are that they just not only take care of the person’s normal recommended dietary allowance (RDA) balance but also serve as a mechanism for performance enhancement and disease prevention (FICCI). Consumers prefer natural non GMO (genetically modified organism) and organic foods, beverages and nutritional health supplements.

Phytopharmaceuticals plays a key role in the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods, prevention or treatment of several diseases and maintenance of good general health in human.