Bioactive Nutrients as Dietary Supplements and Therapeutic Agents

Nutraceutical, during recent decades, has emerged as a new term in the scientific literature. Synonymously used to the term nutraceuticals in literature are dietary supplements, bioactive nutrients, functional foods, etc. This book considers how nutraceutical substances are regulated in different countries; the physiological role of dietary fibers in relation to their claimed health benefits within the scope of functional foods, dietary supplements, and nutraceuticals; prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics as nutraceuticals; and the nature of a large number of phytochemicals as nutraceuticals. The book also touts fruits and vegetables as Nature's multinutraceutical capsules, as evidenced from their beneficial health effects emerging from epidemiological studies on such diseases as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, cancer, osteoporosis, rheumatism, diverticulitis, etc. In light of this, international launching of campaigns on health benefits as 'go for 2-5' daily servings of fruits and vegetables is also considered.