Nutraceutical mantra of 21st century by Mr Ganesh Kamath on International Nutraceutical Day

Mr Ganesh Kamath

The recent and ongoing outbreak of Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is a huge global challenge and everyone started opting for natural ways to build up their immunity and accepted the fact that "Prevention is better than cure". And to make this fact actual they've also started using "Food as their Preventive Medicine" as many people in the world are now confined to their homes, inclusion of easily accessible plants in the daily diet may help to strengthen the immune system.

Nutraceuticals include active phytochemicals isolated from plants in the form of dietary supplements and functional foods with medicinal properties.

These nutraceuticals include "immune-boosting" foods and nutrients such as zinc, vitamins, garlic, turmeric, ginger, selenium, etc. As modern drug discovery and development have stemmed from the application and evaluation of plants and natural products, nutraceuticals remain an important source of medicinal agents that may lead to novel treatment strategies.

Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council (ENAC®) put together a complete guide of such ingredients that are used as nutraceuticals in its inimitable ‘The Ultimate Compendium of Nutraceuticals, Edition 1'. Celebrating the International Nutraceutical Day, ENAC® has revealed the cover for this Compendium and the official launch is expected in the month of November. In conversation with Mr. Sandeep Gupta, he mentioned, "This is a must read for every academician, industry professionals, doctors, nutritionists, pharmacists, health professionals, health enthusiast, common consumers and literally everyone who wants to lead a healthier life" He said, "Everytime interacting with the Apex Regulator, the major gap and lack of reference from Industry is to represent the scientific information and evidence in a format, so why not present some facts through such compendium which might be very useful as reference point for some of Key Nutraceuticals. The entire focus in this compendium is on the Clinical Studies and Evidence for some of the very important Nutraceuticals which has evolved as most essential in management of People's Health in both Healthy State and with Underlying Medical Conditions which can be highly value adding, and can prevent multiple complications to a larger extent with consistency. These can subside the medical condition alongside mainline therapy and may also help to improve the condition of people's health in disease state".

The manufacturers of any nutraceutical products would be required to comply with the FSSAI regulatory requirements to ensure the product's safety, wholesomeness and truthfulness. Manufacturers of nutraceuticals are also well informed about the production cost & profit and they frequently launch new products into the market to expand the nutraceutical industry.

The manufacturers need to follow GHP (Good Hygiene Practice), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and also need to install Food Safety Management System in respect of safety, efficacy, and quality production of the products.

Several types of nutraceuticals have been isolated from foods and massive quantities are produced using biotechnology and genetic engineering tools which provide pharmaco-economic benefits. It is important that the customer feels that they are consuming daily food and not a medicine or supplement hence; palatability should be a priority of the manufacturer while formulating the product at the R&D level. Besides their nutritional aspects, the product should also provide tremendous health benefits.

Nutraceuticals have proven efficacy in numerous diseases, including cancer, rheumatism, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. The use of scientifically and medically approved nutraceuticals can improve health and prevent certain diseases, and some have exhibited the same efficacy as that of conventional pharmaceuticals. Generally, nutraceuticals have lower incidences of side effects, adverse effects, and drug interactions as compared to both complementary medicines and conventional pharmaceuticals. The safety of these nutraceuticals on consumers depends on the type, time, and quantity used.

Mr. Ganesh Kamath

Co-Founder and Director, ENAC® (Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council)
Director, Vital Nutraceuticals Pvt. Ltd
Co-Author, "Effect of Safed Musli, Grape Seed Extract and L-Arginine on Sexual Health" published in the International Journal of Advanced Research