Advances in Nutraceuticals
In the present review much effort has been devoted to present new concepts about nutraceuticals based on their diseases modifying indications.
Abstract
Nutraceuticals are products, other than nutrition which are also used as medicine. A nutraceutical product may be defined as a substance, which has physiological benefit or provides protection against chronic disease. Nutraceuticals may be used to improve health, delay the aging process, prevent chronic diseases, increase life expectancy, or support the structure or function of the body. Nowadays, nutraceuticals have received considerable interest due to potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic effects. Recent studies have shown promising results for these compounds in various compilations. In the present review much effort has been devoted to present new concepts about nutraceuticals based on their diseases modifying indications. Emphasis has been made to present herbal nutraceuticals effective on hard curative disorders related to oxidative stress including allergy, Alzheimer, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, eye, immune, inflammatory and Parkinson's diseases as well as obesity Advances in Nutraceuticals International Journal of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products (IJMPNP) Page 9 To present recent advances based on their diseases modifying indications. Emphasis has been made to present herbal nutraceuticals effective on hard curative disorders related to oxidative stress, including allergy, Alzheimer, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, eye, immune, inflammatory and Parkinson's diseases, as well as obesity (Shirzad et al., 2011). 1.1. History and Rediscovery of Nutrients as Nutraceuticals “Food may possess the ability to prevent diseases or treatment of ailment” this belief is couple of centuries old-proclaimed by our ancestors. The ancient writings and artworks of Egyptians, Romans, and Greek civilizations depicted the medicinal and spiritual applications of plants. The idea arose 3000 years ago when Hippocrates developed a relationship between food for health and therapeutic applications of it. The principal truth depicted in his statement that “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” is widely applied nowadays (Ahmad et al., 2013). Thus, from such finding, it could be believed that our nature and surroundings have much of the natural therapies to offer. One such finding presents the botanicals, which are in use from ancient times for the treatment of cancer. Similarly, there are many plant derived chemotherapies which consist of Vinca and Taxus brevifolia species to treat cancer and related problems. Furthermore, Bogdanov (2015) revealed that ginseng has been another such traditional drug which is in use from past 2000 years in China. It was from the time of Liang dynasty of China that the chemotherapy features of ginseng were discovered and applied even in today’s time. From the documented history, Egyptians identified the medicinal importance of coriander, fennel, juniper, cumin, garlic, turmeric, thyme, curry, and dried mint found in pyramids. The value of such medicinal sources was so high that even cinnamon was considered more precious in comparison to gold in Egypt. Due to the explored properties of plants, the Roman emperor Heliogabalus made use of cinnamon, clove, and pepper in meals which are used in cuisines and soft drinks until present time. In addition, there were many other plants and food additives identified such as honey and certain vitamins. Honey has always been given prime importance since ancient period. It was referred in Sumerians tablet writing as one of the remedies for health problems. According to Bible, the wise Solomon has said, “Eat honey, my son, because it is good” (Old Testament, proverb 24:13). With the illustration of properties possessed by honey, apitherapy has been developed as a separate medicinal branch related with medication properties provided by honey .It has promised to offer its action as a vasodilator, anti-allergic and antihypertensive agent. In addition, other than honey, the requirement of vitamin, iodine, etc., was also noticed by the ancient people. Another instance which explains the importance of the food and nutrients within is of the ancient crewmen. During the past few centuries, many crewmen on long voyages died of scurvy, the exploring facts revealed the absence of Vitamins B and C in the diet acting as antiscorbutic which was later ensured to be the part of the diet. In the same way, Goiter was found as the common problem due to deficiency of iodine in salt (Sarin et al., 2010). The health problems, thus, were identified and were dealt with the help of diet and healthy lifestyle; therefore, all these examples very clearly explain the requirement of a healthy diet and herbal components with the potential to serve the same. One of the surveys in United Kingdom, Germany, and France has concluded that the diet has more profound effects for healthy body and mind than exercise or genetic factors (Pandey et al., 2010). The above-mentioned findings motivate and direct the research toward a rediscovery of nutrients as nutraceuticals. The researchers in past 20 years have concluded that the diet plays a key role in the prophylaxis of chronic disorders atherosclerosis and cancer. The credible success in isolation of food components had been achieved precisely with the help of proper clinical and laboratory investigations to verify the efficacy (Shirwailar et al., 2011) 1.2. Categories of Nutraceuticals Nutraceuticals are non-specific biological therapies used to promote wellness, prevent malignant processes and control symptoms. These can be grouped into the following three broad categories 1) Substances with established nutritional functions, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids Nutrients 2) Herbs or botanical products as concentrates and extracts herbals 3) Reagents derived from other sources (e.g. pyruvate, chondroitin sulphate, steroid hormone precursors) serving specific functions, such as sports nutrition, weight-loss supplements and meal replacements – Dietary supplements (Hathcock 2001) Advances in Nutraceuticals International Journal of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products (IJMPNP) Page 10 1.2.1 Nutrients The most commonly known nutrients are antioxidant, water and fat-soluble vitamins. Many potential benefits have been attributed to antioxidant use in the form of dietary intake or supplementation (Mobarlan 1994). High dietary intake of vitamin E may prevent Parkinson’s disease, determined that the oxidized form of vitamin C, dehydroascorbic acid, readily crosses the blood brain barrier (Agus et al., 1997). These findings have implications for increasing the uptake of antioxidants in the central nervous system; thus, some feel that this has the potential for improving the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease found that the combination of vitamin E, C and beta carotene has been useful in reducing low density lipoprotein oxidation and subsequent atherosclerosis (Jialal and Fuller 1995) Vitamin supplement is associated with increased antibody titre response to both hepatitis B and tetanus vaccines as a result of macrophage and T cell stimulation (Klien et al., 2000). Those genetically predisposed to pancreatic cancer have low serum levels of selenium; thus, it is assumed that supplementation with selenium may help to prevent this condition (Mathew et al., 1996). Those suffering from asthma and skin cancer have also been evaluated with selenium for its potential use, although results have been inconclusive. L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that is a substrate for nitric oxide production demonstrated that supplementation of L-arginine improved exercise capacity in patients, who had angina (Ceremuzynski et al., 1997).