The modern lifestyle adopted by people today has dramatically influenced essential food habits.
Fast-food consumption has increased manifold leading to several diseases due to lack of nutrition. Obesity is recognized as a global issue. Heart disease is the primary cause of death in most developing countries worldwide, followed by cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and many others. The modern medicines and newer treatment approaches are burning a hole in consumers’ pocket, making them seek complementary or alternative beneficial products. The red tape of managed care makes nutraceuticals particularly appealing.
Nutraceutical is a term derived from ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceutical’, which means products isolated from dietary supplements, herbal products, and processed foods have nutritional value and can be used to prevent or cure ailments. Categories include dietary fibre, prebiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and other different types of herbal/natural foods that tackle major health problems that include obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol etc. Although nutraceuticals were consumed moderately by a decent number of populations in the past, its significance and medical evidence have made itself known only in recent years.
Need of nutraceuticals at the consumer level
Consumer demand:
- Conventional Foods – Nutraceuticals
- Health Foods – Functional Foods
Professional
- OTC Drugs – Nutraceuticals
- Prescription Drugs – Functional Foods
Nutraceutical has proved to be an effective, safer, and pocket friendly alternative over the newer modern medicine and treatment approach. Presently more than 470 nutraceutical food products are available in the market. Some nutraceuticals are being used as pharmaceuticals. A few others are consumed as additional supplements to improve quality of life. This may range from dietary supplements to genetically engineered foods, herbal products, and processed foods.
Nutraceutical has proved to be an effective, safer, and pocket friendly alternative over the newer modern medicine and treatment approach.
Factors influencing the consumer’s decision to get hold of nutraceuticals
- Perceived Health Benefits
- To be healthy
- Underlying condition
- No health benefits from taking nutraceuticals
- Effectiveness/Ineffectiveness
- Perceived Safety:
- Safer than natural sources
- Experience of awareness of side effects
- Reasonable Price
- Acceptable Taste
- Other barriers to taking nutraceuticals
- Reliant on supplement/Inconvenience
Supervising the above factors and implementing nutraceuticals to the lifestyle
- Nutraceuticals help in sustaining life and preventing illness.
- They also aid in long-term underlying conditions and provide relief.
- Consumers must ensure that they get information from trusted sources and avoid fake/non-sense claims.
- Consumers believe that different brands would give different results to different people depending upon their body metabolism and genetic variation. Hence educating consumers regarding these aspects through marketing techniques is very crucial.
- Consumers must ensure that nutraceuticals are safer to use and should optimise clinical evidence rather than unstructured misinformation.
- Nutraceutical products must be reasonable and pocket-friendly.
- Consumers must focus on health aspects rather than taste. However, producing formulations of user acceptance must be enforced.
In conclusion, Nutraceutical can and has been a dependable and effective adjunct to drugs that consumers may consider. Various products are available in different ranges suited according to the consumer’s needs. Nutraceutical industry is booming, and people should be more open to implementing it in one’s lives.
References:
Das L, Bhaumik E, Raychaudhuri U, Chakraborty R. Role of nutraceuticals in human health. Journal of food science and technology. 2012 Apr;49(2):173-83. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3550857/
Chanda S, Tiwari RK, Kumar A, Singh K. Nutraceuticals inspiring the current therapy for lifestyle diseases. Advances in pharmacological sciences. 2019 Jan 14;2019. https://www.hindawi. com/journals/aps/2019/6908716/
