Nutraceuticals: Are They Medicine or Food?

The answer? They're both.

In recent years, there has been a boom of nutraceuticals in the US. Derived from the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceuticals,” nutraceuticals are medicinal compounds or products derived from food and sold in medicinal form. In addition to their nutritional value, they also carry specific health and medicinal benefits that can help prevent diseases. An example is lycopene, which is extracted from tomatoes and helps prevent cancer.

The description of nutraceuticals often depends on how they are sold or marketed, as they come in different types. They can be sold as dietary supplements, or as isolated drugs or botanicals, such as ginseng and gingko biloba. Nutraceuticals can also be marketed as “functional foods.” These come with constituents or vitamins that provide additional benefits not usually offered by the food alone. This could be in the form of processed food and drink like milk fortified with Vitamin D, or eggs enhanced with Omega-3.

More and more people are becoming concerned with their health, and part of maintaining health is to have a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals. The use of nutraceuticals aims to achieve that balance, in a relatively modern and more proactive way. These products are found in local supermarkets and come at an affordable price. Why, then, would anyone still opt to get sick and spend thousands on medicines if they can spend less on food supplements and remain healthy?