Nutraceuticals: a piece of history, present status and outlook

Abstract The term “nutraceutical” was coined in 1989 by the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (New York, US), to provide a name for this rapidly growing area of biomedical research. A nutraceutical was defined as any substance that may be considered a food or part of a food and provides medical or health benefits including the prevention and treatment of disease. Nutraceuticals may range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and diets to genetically engineered “designer” foods, herbal products and processed products such as cereals, soups and beverages. Doubtlessly, many of these products possess pertinent physiological functions and valuable biological activities. The ongoing research will lead to a new generation of foods, which will certainly cause the interface between food and drug to become increasingly permeable. The present accumulated knowledge about nutraceuticals represents undoubtedly a great challenge for nutritionists, physicians, food technologists and food chemists. Public health authorities consider prevention and treatment with nutraceuticals as a powerful instrument in maintaining health and to act against nutritionally induced acute and chronic diseases, thereby promoting optimal health, longevity and quality of life.