The key difference between dietary supplements and nutraceuticals is that dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbal products, or other ingestible preparations that are added to the diet to benefit human health, while nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources that are added to the diet to benefit human health.
Dietary supplements and nutraceuticals are dietary components that are claimed to have extra health benefits. Both these are extremely important in getting rid of certain nutritional deficiencies. However, nutraceuticals provide more benefits compared to dietary supplements.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Dietary Supplements
3. What are Nutraceuticals
4. Similarities – Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals
5. Dietary Supplements vs Nutraceuticals in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Dietary Supplements vs Nutraceuticals
What are Dietary Supplements?
Dietary supplements are any product that has more than one dietary ingredient supplementing a balanced diet in humans. Dietary supplements mainly include essential nutrients that people should get directly from the food but fail to do so in natural circumstances.
Some well-known examples of dietary supplements include vitamin D and calcium for strong bones, folic acid for pregnant women, vitamin B complex for the production of red blood cells, beta carotene to prevent heart conditions and improve brain functions, vitamin C, E, zinc, zeaxanthin, lutein, and copper to prevent various diseases, and vitamin K to prevent blood clotting. In addition, other macro and micronutrients can also be used as dietary supplements in products. However, dietary supplements can also cause adverse effects, including rashes, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe joint or muscle pain, slurred speech, and blood in the urine.
What are Nutraceuticals?
Nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources that offer additional health benefits to human health beyond the basic nutritional value found in foods. They are also called non-specific biological therapies and are used to promote the general well-being of people, control symptoms, and prevent malignant diseases. The term nutraceuticals was first coined by Stephen DeFelice, the founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine in Cranford, New Jersey, America, in 1989. This term was made by combining two words that are “nutrient” and “pharmaceutical”.
Nutraceuticals should be added to the diet while taking safety measures after knowing their constituents, bioavailability, and bioaccessibility. Moreover, there are two main categories of nutraceuticals; they are traditional and non-traditional nutraceuticals. Traditional nutraceuticals are derived directly from nature without changing their original forms. Some examples of traditional nutraceuticals include lycopene from tomatoes, Omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, etc. Phytochemicals, probiotics, and various enzymes also come under this category.
Non-traditional nutraceuticals are derived from biotechnologically designed crops. They may be derived from processed or recombinant food made by the application of biotechnological tools. One common example is fortified cereals. The side effects of nutraceuticals may include headache, dizziness, birth problems, elevated blood pressure, and digestion problems.
What are the Similarities Between Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals?
- Dietary supplements and nutraceuticals are dietary components that are claimed to have extra health benefits.
- These are extremely important in getting rid of certain nutritional deficiencies.
- They may cause side effects.
- Both these are available in the market for an affordable cost.
What is the Difference Between Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals?
Dietary supplements are any vitamins, minerals, herbal products, or other ingestible preparations that are added to the diet to benefit human health, while nutraceuticals are any products derived from food sources that are added to the diet to benefit human health. Thus, this is the key difference between dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, dietary supplements provide fewer benefits compared to nutraceuticals.
The below infographic presents the differences between dietary supplements and nutraceuticals in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Dietary Supplements vs Nutraceuticals
Dietary supplements and nutraceuticals are different dietary components that are claimed to have extra health benefits. They are also extremely important in getting rid of certain nutritional deficiencies and diseases. However, dietary supplements are any vitamins, minerals, herbal products, or other ingestible preparations that are added to the diet to benefit human health. Nutraceuticals are any products derived from food sources that are added to the diet to benefit human health. So, this summarizes the difference between dietary supplements and nutraceuticals.
Reference:
1. “Dietary Supplements.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
2. Nasri, Hamid, et al. “New Concepts in Nutraceuticals as Alternative for Pharmaceuticals.” International Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Medicines on the Table” (CC0) via Pexels