How can any individual boost their immune response and build immunity? Nutraceuticals play an important role in increasing immunity and meeting additional nutrient requirements. Nutraceuticals are a blend of nutrition and pharmaceutical which help in providing protection against chronic diseases. Nutraceuticals have always been an important part of our diet but have gained prime importance due to the current pandemic situation. In this blog let's look in detail of the less spoken of - Nutraceuticals.
ABOUT NUTRACEUTICALS:
Nutraceuticals are regulated by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). These regulations cover eight categories of food.
It can be broadly classified into:
TYPES OF NUTRACEUTICALS:
Dietary supplements and vitamins: These usually include the various amino acids, enzymes, and herbs and are consumed most commonly as pills, tablets, gels, powders, capsules, and liquids. These provide the body with vital and essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, B, D, Calcium and Sodium ions, iron, etc. These constitute over 65% of the nutraceutical market.
Minerals: These are the next most important category of nutraceuticals. These are usually available as multivitamins and consumed along with food when the nutrient requirement is to be met.
Functional Foods/ Fortified Foods: These are ingredients from which benefits can be derived apart from their nutritional value. These are foods fortified with vitamins, minerals, fibers, and probiotics. Examples include fruits, nuts, oats, seeds, legumes, etc.
Fortified Bevarages: These are usually consumed by individuals who are conscious about fitness and maintaining their body shape. These include milk products such as soy milk, slimming milk, supplements for pregnancy, cereal drinks, fruit juices, etc. These are easy to consume and derive additional nutrients from.
THERAPEUTIC AREAS COVERED BY NUTRACEUTICALS:
Some of the therapeutic segments which are covered under nutraceuticals are listed below:
CONCLUSION AND INDIAN NUTRACEUTICAL MARKET:
The Indian nutraceutical market is expected to contribute 3.5% of the global market share and expected to grow to about $18 million by the end of 2025. Many factors have attracted foreign companies to the Indian market, some of which are as follows:
However further regulations are yet to be put into place to give the industry a boost.
