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Getting the most out of the foods you eat in order to stay healthy can seem like a challenge. Nutraceuticals can help to improve health and quality of life.
What Are Nutraceuticals?
A combination of the terms “nutrition” and “pharmaceuticals”, nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources that are purported to provide extra health and medicinal benefits, in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. They can be whole foods or derived from whole foods and are mainly used as a preventative health measure or treatment of a disease. They are even lauded for their therapeutic benefits becoming known for boosting energy, relieving anxiety, improving sleep and preventing chronic diseases and cancer. An increase in nutraceuticals is recommended by healthcare providers because of the health benefits offered. They can help with focus, weight gain or loss, depression, and other mental concerns sleep disorders, stress, abnormal heart rate and other seemingly common conditions. Nutraceuticals can actually help to improve every aspect of your life and can improve the body's capacity to deal with infections and viruses. It is still advised to make lifestyle changes that will help the body to absorb these nutraceuticals more efficiently though too. Implementing a healthy diet and exercise routine or stopping smoking or drinking alcohol can assist in getting the most out of using nutraceuticals. You may already be familiar with or use nutraceuticals without knowing. Oatmeal, fortified milk and citrus juices and probiotics are all examples of nutraceuticals. They can also come in different forms like dietary supplements, functional food, medical food and pharmaceuticals. Dietary supplements come from food products and contain vitamins, minerals, herbs or amino acids. Their forms can include pills, liquids, capsules or powders. Functional foods also come from food products but are enriched, fortified or enhanced and have health benefits. Medical foods are intended to be consumed under a physician’s care for managing a specific condition, where certain requirements are made necessary. Lastly, pharmaceuticals are derived from agricultural crops, plants or animals to make medical compounds. All of these are regulated to meet specific requirements as the term nutraceutical can sometimes be a tricky to define.Who Can Benefit From Nutraceuticals?
Both women and men can benefit from nutraceuticals, though there are typically more women than men who use them. Women tend to value nutraceuticals as an effective way to deal with menopause symptoms. However, men and women can use nutraceuticals to encourage bone health, prevent heart disease and arthritis. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in men in the U.S. Nutraceuticals such as antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids can specifically help stimulate heart health and help to lower high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Physicians will recommend supplements, prescription food, whole and enriched foods, and other supplements like pharmaceuticals that are made from animal and botanical sources. The human body requires healthy foods and vitamins in order to maintain a healthy state and a strong immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. There are so many health benefits that can come from using nutraceuticals. They can be used to prevent disease, better overall health, slow aging and support optimal bodily function. They can also be used to supplement where diets may fall short or are missing nutrients.
