Nutra what? - Nutraceuticals 101

The term “nutraceutical” comes from combining the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical.”  The term’s inventor, Stephen L. DeFelice, MD, reports he coined the term ”to distinguish nutritional products that work clinically” from those that don’t, or, to denote “a food or parts of a food that have a clinical benefit both in the prevention and treatment of disease.”  The word, nutrition, of course, comes from the word “nutrient.”  Young (2016) defines nutrients as substances organisms can use to support life sustaining and optimizing repair processes and functions.  

Relative to quality, there are three grades of nutraceuticals: feed grade, food grade, and pharmaceutical grade.  Feed grade nutraceuticals are deemed not safe for human consumption. Mind Body Works provides evidence-based support and advice about food and pharmaceutical-grade nutraceuticals.

Pharmaceutical-grade nutrients have three important characteristics.  First, they contain more than 99% of the nutrient.  Second, they contain no excipients--binders, fillers, drug diluents, dyes or other substances.  Third, the strength of doses is essentially the same from batch to batch.  

In contrast, Food grade, or over the counter (OTC), nutrients, such as vitamins or minerals, can legally contain a variety of fillers, binders…excipients.  These include thousands of different substances such as cork by-products, FD&C dyes, and chemicals like sodium benzoate, dextrose and methycellulose, just to name a few.  

Sarris, et al, (2016) defines nutraceuticals as “standardized pharmaceutical-grade nutrients.” And, this is the definition of the term, “nutraceutical,” to which mindbodyworks.us subscribes.   We cordially invite you to let us help you meet your nutraceutical related self-health management activities.