Month: March 2021

As the world was already combating different economic, religious and geographical issues, a virus swiftly crept in and helped us realize what matters. Health undoubtedly is the only wealth we have. With the second wave on the door, people are now fully aware what immunity exactly stands for. With World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending herbal ways to fuel our immunities, we are now adjusting the focus of our lenses toward Nutraceutical industry in a different and modern ways. Preventive care rather than curative care is now establishing all over world.

Understanding Nutraceutical in Global Terms:

Being relatively new entrant in the field of health, Nutraceuticals is always merged with different streams of knowledge such as Pharmaceuticals, Food or even Traditional Medicines (Ayurveda). The line between Nutraceuticals and these streams is so blurred that it is always difficult to differentiate. Let us take an example of Tryptophan; it is present in milk as a nutrient and when the dose exceeds its activity can be drug-like. It is used as pre-cursor of Serotonin to treat patients of insomnia.

Basically all over world, the definition of Nutraceutical is based on two aspects: first is its origin and second is its health benefit. Now let us see nomenclature of nutraceuticals in various countries. The United States describes them as “Dietary Supplements,” in Canada they’re notified as “Natural Health Products” and in Japan those are listed as “Foods for Special Health Use (FOSHU)”.

The Indian definition (as per the Food Safety and Security Act, 2006-FSSA) is as follows:

Foods which are specially processed or formulated to satisfy particular dietary requirements which exist because of a particular physical or physiological condition or specific diseases and disorders and which are presented as such, wherein the composition of these foodstuffs must differ significantly from the composition of ordinary foods of comparable nature, if such ordinary foods exist, and may contain one or more of the following ingredients, namely:

1. plants or botanicals or their parts in the form of powder, concentrate or extract in water, ethyl alcohol or hydro alcoholic extract, single or in combination;
2. minerals or vitamins or proteins or metals or their compounds or amino acids (in amounts not exceeding the Recommended Daily Allowance for Indians) or enzymes (within permissible limits);
3. substances from animal origin;
4. a dietary substance for use by human beings to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake

In 2016, FSSAI has also differentiated definition of Nutraceutical from Health Supplements, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food under section 22.

Indian Nutraceutical Industry: Roots from Ayurveda, Stems of Nutraceuticals:

India has a rich heritage of herbal, Ayurvedic medicines and spices that can stand the country’s nutraceutical industry in a good way for expansion and progress. The herbal segment is likely to contribute 30 % of the dietary supplements market in India, expected to grow CAGR of 20 % from 2015 to 2023.

Source: Interlink Knowledge Cell  

Fig. 1.1 Ayurveda- Pharma-Nutra Coexistence

Today India’s Government is devoted in providing a critical thrust to Ayurveda, Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals, and Homeopathy. Primarily driven by key players like Dabur, Himalaya and the Baidyanath group, the industry has also seen relatively new, increasingly dominant entrants such as Patanjali. They play a crucial role in popularising Ayurveda and giving the sector a boost.

The Ancient Ayurvedic practices, Pharmaceuticals, and Nutraceuticals co-existence has been the cornerstone of India’s wellness (Fig 1.1). The industry has a distinct opportunity to propel the global acceptance of this co-existence.

Market Size:

Global Nutraceuticals market is poised to grow by USD 180.38 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 9% during the forecast period, according to Technavio report.

Before Pandemic, India’s Nutraceutical market was worth USD 5 bn in 2019 and held only a 2% share of the global Nutraceuticals market. According to the research, the consumption level of nutraceuticals in India was 37% in the pre-COVID-19 days; this consumption rate will surely rise in the coming months or years as there is an increasing demand for preventive measures and also consumers are adopting a ‘pathy-agnostic’ attitude.

Out of this dietary supplements comprise almost 63 % of market share amounting to USD 3.16 bn and remaining 37% of the market share equivalents to USD 1.82 bn is captured by functional foods and beverages as shown in figure 1.2.

Source: Assocham Report 2019

Fig. 1.2 Indian Nutraceutical Market Size in Rupees K Cr (2019)

During the COVID-19 period, India has taught the world importance of Ayurveda and other medicinal plants like Ashwagandha. India has shown the world evidence-based Nutraceuticals, which are modernizing through current evidence gathering methodologies.

Top Indications in India:

1. Immunity Building: This area definitely will make a huge amount of money in 2021, as being all-equipped for any uncertainty like Covid-19 is what we have learnt this year. Looking at current situation of ‘Prevention is better than cure’, supplements like Amul’s ‘Haldi Dudh’, Dabur’s products like Chawanprash, Giloy Ghanvati, Amla juice, Giloy-Tulsi-Neem juice, Ashwagandha, have reported a strong growth and will continue to grow in upcoming years. According to reportlinker.com, Indian immunity boosting packaged products market is projected to reach USD 347 mn by FY 2026 owing to increasing consciousness and focus towards preventive health.

The Ingredients like Vit D, Vit. C, Zinc. Curcumin, Selenium and Probiotics have seen surge in market demand. Along with these, other ingredients like Asthaxanthin, Polyphenols from pomegranate, Glutathione and extracts of Indian spices like Ginger and Garlic and are also considered to be important ingredients to build immunity.

2. Cognition: The Global Brain Health Supplements Market is anticipated to reach USD 5,813 mn by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2017 to 2023. Nowadays, this segment is gaining popularity among many people due to rise in willingness to enhance brain functions, surge in number of self-directed consumers, and increased awareness among the students about brain health supplements. We can expect a good business in these area from the supplements containing ingredients like ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, curcumin, lion’s mane, Bacopa monnieri, acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha GPC, citicoline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), huperzine A, etc. Looking at evolving mindsets and health consciousness in people, contribution of above discussed segments will have a substantial impact on growth of Indian Nutra industry.
3. Stress Management: Stress a major culprit in everyone’s life, not only physical but also mental stress. Ashwagandha, widely known as Indian ginseng, which has been used in Ayurvedic medicines for centuries. Rhodiola, also known as Golden Root, is an adoptogenic herb and used for energy enhancement, to reduce stress and to deal with fatigue.
4. Gut Health: Since our digestion is associated with overall health of human body, gut health is very important foundation in managing the various lifestyle diseases. Probiotics are the live beneficial bacteria which internally cover our digestive tract and aid digestion of food and absorption of nutrient. Probiotics build our immunity system and help synthesizing essential vitamins. Factors like excessive stress and overdose of some antibiotic can kill these good bacteria and compromises the gut health. To avoid all this, probiotics such as yogurt, kefir, idli, paneer and fermented soyabeans are rich sources of probiotics. Having this in our daily diet help fighting obesity symptoms, immunity problems and various cardiovascular diseases. Vit. Bs, Vit. C, and Vit. D are some essential vitamins in maintaining the gut health. As B vitamins are water soluble, they can’t be stored in body cells and need to supply externally. Vit. B1, B3, B6, biotin and Vit. B12 can be gained regularly with having a diet rich in fish, poultry, meat, and dairy products, as well as leafy greens and beans.
5. Nutrients in Skin Health: Healthy skin reflects the status of our entire body, healthy skin-healthy body! If right nutrient is supplied, it will not only make your skin healthy but also it makes you look younger which further boosts our self-confidence. Discussed below are some dietary supplements essential in maintaining skin health.

Vitamins are highly essential for our body and unavoidable part of our daily diet. Variety of vitamins carry out variety of bodily functions. Our skin also requires sufficient quantity of vitamins to be healthier and younger. Vitamins C, E, A, K, and B complex are some skin benefiting vitamins should be there in our meal. L-ascorbic acid is a good source of Vit. C. It can penetrate our skin and serve the antioxidant properties and benefits of Vit. C. Vitamin A is required for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue so it should also be provided through diet.

What lies ahead?

With growing importance of naturally derived ingredients, scientific understanding of plant extracts and globally evolving regulations, a budding export market is opening up for Indian Nutraceuticals. Coupled with this, products innovated as per consumer preferences; creative packaging and innovative delivery systems have already started gaining market share.

India having heritage of Ayurveda, ethnopharmacological advantage, technological skills from pharmaceutical industry, rich availability of raw availability, increase in technology access like nanotechnology, reverse pharmacology knowledge have skills to bring quality and safe products to the world.

Looking at all these satisfactory reasons, it’s not wrong to state that the future of Indian Nutraceutical sector in upcoming years would be as Glorious as our Pharmaceutical sector. Let’s just simply rely on our royal heritage of herbal medicines to work efficiently in this field and see the magic happening.

The article is written by Dr. Smarta and is published by Pharma Times.

“Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women.” – Michelle Obama

I think, this single sentence is enough to portray woman’s stance as a family member and as a citizen of any country she is living in. There would not be deeper explanation of how important her health is. Women are keys in maintaining healthy families, access the health system more than men, both for themselves and on behalf of their children. Many become pregnant and give birth, then typically become their child’s primary caregiver, a role that greatly influences household health overall. No doubt, during all this, they undergo significant health events, they surely require Extra-pro-nutrients to fulfil their body demands. Every point in women’s lifespan asks for different nutrition and attitude toward it. No matter what her age is, it’s important to be aware of how one’s needs evolve.

With evolving world, woman is also evolving. While running behind kids and family, she is also fulfilling her financial and social responsibilities very efficiently. In the race of highlighting her identity, for ages, modern woman is facing many health issues which is the greatest concern for her as well as for the society.

Source: Interlink knowledge cell

Img. 1.1 Top 3 health issues which women should take care of

Stress a major culprit in everyone’s life, women are at the peak of it. Not only physical but also mental stress. With increasing demand of women in various industries, her stress is proportionally increasing. Women are more prone toward heart diseases and diabetes than men, which is the risk factor arising due sleep problems, anxiety, mood disturbances (due to hormonal changes), depression, etc. Being engaged in number of responsibilities, many women struggle with eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly, talking to friends or a mental health professional, and engaging in relaxation techniques and meditation. Due to this reason, it’s important to get accompanied with some nutrients while living in this competitive world.

Ashwagandha, widely known as Indian ginseng, which has been used in Ayurvedic medicines for centuries. If women take some powdered Ashwagandha accompanied with milk, it can help her with fighting both physical and mental stress. Same as Ashwagandha, Rhodiola is an adoptogenic herb, also known as Golden Root, is used for energy enhancement, to improve mood, and most critically, to reduce stress.

Along with all the above nutrients, women can focus on intaking a good amount of Vit. B complex rich food, magnesium supplements, and valerian root powder. All these are proven to help fighting with stressors and improve quality of life.

Heart disorder is one of the major concerns and women are most susceptible to it. Increased blood cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension are the underlying disorders arise with it. Thyroid is also one of the major reasons stimulating heart disorders in women. To fight with this, women should have EPA, DHA and flavonoids rich foods, which are great antioxidants. A higher intake of folate, polyphenols rich diet, ascorbate, tocopherol, minerals (selenium, magnesium) which are capable of scavenging free radicals and reducing bad cholesterol, can improve overall cardiovascular health.

Anaemia and women make an unbreakable bond if proper nutrients are not supplied. Menstruating and loosing plenty amount of iron every month, women are majorly vulnerable to iron deficiency anaemia. Adolescent girls, women at childbearing age and pregnant women are always at the high risk. Having a diet containing a good amount of iron along with a source of Vit. C which increases absorption of iron can help preventing anaemia at all the stages of women’s life. Beans, lenticles, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fortified breakfast cereals, baked potatoes, chicken, etc are some of the easily available natural sources of iron which can maintain levels of iron balanced in women’s body.

Nutrition for girls in childhood and early teenage

Calcium in early teenage: It’s true that calcium is the nutrient which is important for women in all ages, but it’s still more important for girls during adolescence and early adulthood as this is the age when their bones absorb maximum amount of calcium. RDA for girls in age of 9 to 18 is 1300 mg a day which can be fulfilled by having low-fat dairy products such as Milk, yogurt, cheese and vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage, etc. Consuming adequate amounts of calcium along with vitamin D can encourage healthy bone growth and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life.

Nutrition for women in 20-30s and pregnancy

20-30s is the whole roller-coaster in any woman’s life where major changes are happening including the most important i.e., Pregnancy. Having a life (or lives) in their bellies and making a whole human out of it is not an easy task to handle. Lots of hormonal changes, mood swings and variety of body changes happen during this phase, no doubt her body and mind will demand for more and advanced nutrition. Even if she is not pregnant, 20-30s is the phase which requires proper attention in terms of nutrition to avoid future health problems

Folate & other essential vitamins: A very important nutrient which is must in these years as it is responsible for DNA replication and it helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the foetus. Most doctors recommend women take a supplement containing folic acid or folate before trying to get pregnant to help reduce the risk of these complications. spina bifida and anencephaly in foetus are some neuronal defects associated with folate deficiency.  Many of our foods, particularly cereals, are fortified with folic & leafy vegetables are best source of folate. RDA of folate during pregnancy is 600 mcg.

Omega 3s and choline: Omega 3s, healthy oils, especially EPA and DHA,  have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, the number one killer of women. They help building healthy brain and nerve cells and also can help prevent preterm births. They are also highly anti-inflammatory and are found in foods like fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds.  Taking omega-3s regularly can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety and can even make skin look better by reducing acne and wrinkles. The recommended total amount of omega-3s per day for women is 1.1 grams per day which can be fulfilled by diet and recommended supplements. Increased risk of neural tube defects in foetus is one of the major consequences of low choline uptake by pregnant women. It’s easy to get enough choline from our diet as eggs, milk, peanuts are excellent source of Choline.

Nutrition for women in their 40s and beyond:

Managing decreasing hormone levels as well as maintaining bone health, heart diseases and autoimmune diseases are some of the biggest concerns for women at this phase.

After menopause, estrogen production declines and bone breakdown accelerates, increasing the risk of developing osteoporosis. Women between the ages of 40 and 70 need 1200 mg of calcium and 600 IU of Vitamin D a day. Because the skin becomes less efficient at converting sunlight to vitamin D as we age, low levels of vitamin D have been linked to multiple diseases from breast cancer to diabetes and high blood pressure. Vitamin D is also critically important for helping maintain bone health.

Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, known to have many anti-inflammatory benefits. Women at this stage require supplements to support brain and joint health, curcumin can help with it. Alzheimer’s disease, one of the biggest enemies at this age can be prevented with this magical phytochemical. Curcumin is especially powerful for menopause because it is a phytoestrogen, meaning it can act as an estrogen in the body. This can help alleviate common menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep disorders, by slowing the decrease in estrogen. RDA of curcumin in this age is 1.4mg per pound of body weight.

women’s control over resources and their ability to make decisions, is crucial. Combining nutrition-specific interventions with measures for empowerment of women is essential. Improvement in health services of women, prevention of early age marriage and conception, completion of secondary education, enhancement in purchasing power of women, reduction of work drudgery and elimination of domestic violence deserve special attention. A range of programme platforms dealing with health, education and empowerment of women could be strategically used for effectively reaching out women’s health and helping them to build a better and healthier society.

With the second wave on the door, people are now fully aware what immunity exactly stands for. With WHO recommending herbal ways to fuel our immunities, we are now adjusting the focus of our lenses toward Nutraceutical industry in a different and modern way. Preventive care rather than curative care is now establishing in the Indians’ mindsets. Amidst pandemic, immunity has become a topmost concern and consumers’ reliance on Nutraceuticals has increased. This shifting consumer behaviour toward Nutrition which will definitely be the story changing script for Indian Nutra industry in 2021.

Nutraceuticals market is poised to grow by USD 180.38 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 9% during the forecast period, according to Technavio report. Prebiotics and probiotics sector is expected to contribute maximum over the forecast period owing to the increasing usage of probiotics as a primary ingredient among majority of food manufacturing companies.4 areas of growth for 2021 nutraceuticals:
1. Probiotics: According to the report by Knowledge sourcing.com, Indian Probiotics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.56% to reach a market size of US$ 961.856 million in 2025 from US$ 448.456 million in 2019. This growth is fuelled by factors such as increasing health consciousness for healthy living, rising awareness of preventive and natural healthcare treatments, growth in functional food industry, growing obese population and adoption of probiotics in paediatric healthcare. Mother dairy as a major player in probiotics followed by Amul, Danone Yakult, Nestle, Tablets India, Dr Reddy Laboratories, Unique Biotech, Zeus Biotech, etc. are expected to make a big business in 2021.
2. Immunity building ingredients: This area definitely will make a huge amount of money in 2021, as being all-equipped for any uncertainty like Covid-19 is what we have learnt this year. Looking at current situation of ‘Prevention is better than cure’, supplements like Amul’s ‘Haldi Dudh’, Dabur’s products like Chawanprash, Giloy Ghanvati, Amla juice, Giloy-Tulsi-Neem juice, Ashwagandha, etc have reported a strong growth and will continue to grow in upcoming years. According to reportlinker.com, Indian immunity boosting packaged products market is projected to reach $ 347 million by FY 2026 owing to increasing consciousness and focus towards preventive health.
3. Vitamins & Minerals Supplements (VMS): Number of new launches are taking place in this segment of Nutraceutical market in recent years. Exposure to direct sunlight is rare because of lockdown, which might result in increased demand of Vit. D supplements in 2021. Vit. C, B & B12 are proven to have Immunity-boosting properties will occupy the Nutra market along with Vit. A, Multivitamin supplements and essential minerals like manganese, calcium, iron, zinc, etc. Nutraceutical gummies, which were once considered a health supplement for kids, is now making significant moves into the adult VMS category.

Img. 1.1 Four areas of growth for 2021 Nutraceuticals

4. Cognition related products: The Global Brain Health Supplements Market is anticipated to reach $5,813 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2017 to 2023. Nowadays, this segment is gaining popularity among many people due to rise in willingness to enhance brain functions, surge in number of self-directed consumers, and increased awareness among the students about brain health supplements. We can expect a good business in these area from the supplements containing ingredients like ginseng, ginkgo biloba, curcumin, lion’s mane, bacopa monnieri, acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha GPC, citicoline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), huperzine A, etc.
Looking at evolving mindsets and health consciousness in people, contribution of above discussed segments will have a substantial impact on growth of Indian Nutra industry.
Now, let’s have a look at the reasons behind people’s evolving mindset toward Nutra industry:
In countries like U.S., China, and India, awareness regarding calorie reduction and weight loss is on the peak. These countries are expected to promote the application of nutraceuticals and in-turn will be witnessing the growth in this area.
Growing trend among consumers to alter dietary habits as improper diet results in increased expenditure on pharmaceuticals.
Malnutrition and undernutrition are some of the major causes which are weakening Indian’s health status. The Indian government and private stakeholders have been undertaking several measures in the recent years to improve the nutritional status in the country, as a result helping Nutra sector to grow.
Key Nutraceutical players like Dabur, Himalaya and the Baidyanath group are showing-off a rich heritage in herbal and Ayurvedic medicines of India for ages. New and increasingly dominant entrants such as Patanjali are also playing a crucial role in popularising Ayurveda and giving the sector a boost.
Our land has an ability to grow botanicals under very controlled conditions to meet organic and other claims, we also know how to produce superior ingredients from these botanicals and robust clinical research industry. With abundant availability of ingredients, expert agricultural research infrastructure and a growing number of qualified individuals in the field, India is well poised to be a leader in the nutraceutical ingredient space.
We are ‘Pharmacy of the world’ and are well equipped to produce high-quality and low-cost generic drugs. Our manufacturing expertise and excellence hold good for Nutra sector as well. Many of the Nutra-technologies are same as of pharma technologies, no doubt we are going to lead Nutra-manufacturing too. Low cost-high quality manufacturing will help us to highlight our identity in the finished product space.
The rise and evolution of wellness focused diets, such as keto and paleo, are driving food producers to cater their products in this direction.
To reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and develop the quality of intestinal microflora, probiotics and omega-3 are highly used in yogurt and fish oils. This is further projected to fuel the market growth of the nutraceutical products over the coming years.
Another major factor in propelling the growth of this sector is ‘Evolving treatment protocol’. Healthcare practitioners are making nutraceuticals part of their treatment regime to improve outcomes. Pharma-Nutrition is emerging as a vital field in our health sector.
Busy lifestyles sometimes never let us sit and have our balanced meal, making a window for nutraceuticals to meet our daily nutritional needs.
Considering the side-effects of prescription drugs, and the failure of modern treatments in delivering safe results, consumers nowadays are shifting to nutraceuticals.
Nutraceuticals are no longer just the part of preventive and curative regimen but also are employed for losing weight, make the hair grow better, or to get glowing skin. Also combating diseases like thyroid, nail disorders, diabetes, arthritis, etc.
Rise in disposable income, increasing consumer awareness about health issues, rapid urbanization, positive outlook towards medical nutrition owing to the increasing weight management programs, along with cardiovascular diseases, is anticipated to propel the demand for nutraceuticals.
Increasing costs of hospitalisation and access to information have helped consumers to look at health supplements and nutraceuticals in a broader way.
Looking at all these satisfactory reasons, it’s not wrong to state that the future of Indian Nutraceutical sector in upcoming years would be as Glorious as our Pharmaceutical sector. Let’s just simply rely on our royal heritage of herbal medicines to work efficiently in this field and see the magic happening.
The article is written by Dr. Smarta and published by Saffron media.