Term for compounds in foods that are not nutrients but have (potential) beneficial effects.
Coined in 1989 by Stephen DeFelice, this term is used to refer to either a food or portion of food (e.g., a vitamin, essential amino acid, etc.) that possesses medical or health benefits (to the organism that consumes that nutraceutical). For example, saponins (present in beans, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, alfalfa, clover, etc.) possess some cancerprevention properties.
Also sometimes called pharmafoods, functional foods, or designer foods, these are food products that have been designed to contain specific concentrations and/or proportions of certain nutrients (e.g., vitamins, amino acids, etc.) that are critical for good health.
The term nutraceutical has been used to identify food products and chemicals that potentially provide health benefits to the body aside from meeting daily requirements for normal health. Nutrients that can produce positive effects when provided at levels not usually obtainable from the diet are often considered nutraceuticals.
Any food component used for medicinal purposes. Examples include minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and hormones. Rules for the sale and promotion of these agents have been set forth in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
The substances present in food extend beyond their nutritional value, possessing remedial and preventive capabilities against ailments. These compounds possess the potential to curtail the onset of maladies and to act as a restorative agent in cases of affliction.