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Introduction: 

Nutraceuticals and nutrition foods, though popular in other parts of the world, was a new concept in India when FSSAI started functioning on 5th August, 2011. USA, Europe, Japan, China and other developed nations were the only consumer of Nutraceuticals and Health Supplements. It was used mostly by the health conscious consumers who are affluent also.
With passage of time, these products find acceptability among a larger chunk of the health conscious populations. Credit goes to the medical professionals and nutritionists who advocated consumption of nutraceuticals and nutrition products. FSSAI has also notified Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food Regulations,2016. Since the regulations was new not only to the Food Business Operators (FBOs) but also to the Food Safety Officers (FSOs), enforcement of the regulations was effective from 1st January ,2018.
While implementing the regulations, a number of short comings have been noticed and need of the regulatory reforms has been discussed.

Recommended Daily Allowance for Indians (RDAI): 

As per Section 22(1)(a)(II), foods for special dietary uses or functional foods or nutraceuticals or health supplements may contain 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 ). RDA is different for different countries. USFDA have both minimum and maximum RDA whereas in India, we have no maximum and minimum limits.
Indian Council of Medical Research submitted a report of the expert group in 2010 to update the nutrient requirements and dietary allowance for Indians. FSSAI also adopted the RDAI recommendations of the National Institute of Nutrition – Indian Council of Medical Research (NIN-ICMR), Hyderabad.
Quantity of nutrients added to the articles of food shall not exceed the RDAI as specified by the ICMR and in case such standards are not specified, the standards laid down by international food standards body, namely Codex Alimentarius Commission, shall apply.
A nutraceutical which is not provided in these regulations, shall be manufactured or sold in India only on prior approval of the FSSAI which shall be accompanied by documented history of usage of at least fifteen years in India, or thirty years in the country of origin.

Need for Regulatory reforms

In the last few years, there have been tremendous growth of Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals business all over the world. A number of new ingredients / products have been found to be very effective on health related issues. Also, the present level of RDAI of ICMR appears to be insufficient to give desired effect.
NIN – ICMR conducted study to revise the RDAI. Meanwhile, they have submitted a report on Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL) for vitamins and minerals. FSSAI also issued a circular on TUL. However, Section 22(1)(a)(II) of the FSS Act, prohibits the use of more than one RDAI, TUL is of no help unless the FSS Act is suitably amended .
FSSAI also notified 400 botanical ingredients in Schedule IV of the regulations, which can be used as an ingredient in health supplements and nutraceuticals. For approval of any ingredient which is not specified in Schedule IV, application along with fees of Rs 50,000/ plus safety studies and regulatory status to be submitted to the FSSAI. Since some of the ingredients/products do not have documented history of use of 30 years in the country of origin, these are not allowed by the FSSAI. Even if these are available, FSSAI insists clinical trial of these products on Indian population which is time consuming and costly affair for the food business operators.
During the present COVID-19 Pandemic situation, a number of health supplements and nutrition products have been found to be effective immunity booster in overseas countries. But these products are not allowed by the FSSAI as these products have ingredients with higher RDAI. As per existing ICMR guidelines, RDAI for vitamin C is 40mg and zinc is 12 mg whereas most of these immunity booster contain 500/1000 mg vitamin C and 50 mg zinc.

Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee Report:
Department – related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, presented 110th report on “Functioning of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ” on 9th August, 2018 to the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
As former Director, FSSAI, I was an invited member and submitted my suggestions, most of which were considered and included in the report. The committee learnt about Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals regulations of the FSSAI.
The committee recommended that FSSAI should systematically evaluate the performance of the FSS Act, it’s rules and regulations. Amendments required in the FSS Act were also recommended.

Proposed Amendments of the FSS Act
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, vide its public notice of September 23, 2020 invited comments and suggestions on the proposed FSS ( Amendment  ) Bill, 2020.
It has been suggested that under Section 22(1)(a)(II) of the FSS Act, “in amounts not exceeding the Recommended Daily Allowance for Indians” to be deleted and replaced with by TUL as now it is officially determined by NIN-ICMR too.
All derivatives, salts, chelates, esters and related forms of vitamins and minerals mentioned in Schedule I of the Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals regulations may be used. Methylcobalamin, L- Methylfolate shall be included under vitamins as well as in the respective Schedule I and Schedule VI.
There is an urgent need to amend the regulations, particularly to allow novel food/ingredient which will be manufactured under the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” programme. In a rapidly changing world, we should not wait for documented history of usage of at least fifteen years in India, or thirty years in the country of origin. This condition should be deleted.

Conclusion
Regulatory reforms is a continuous process. Procrastination in granting approval of novel food/ ingredient hampers the economy of the country. Scientific evolution should be encouraged to boost the Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals industry which offers enough scope not only for domestic markets but also export.

The article has been written by Mr. Pradip Chakraborty (Former Director of FSSAI) and published by Interlink Insight Vol 19 issue 2. 

About Author: Pradip Chakraborty, Former Director, FSSAI
Email: pradipchakraborty91@yahoo.com

With escalating awareness about Preventive care and health consciousness, Nutraceutical market is growing at a rapid pace in today’s world. The market worth more than $382.5 billion this year and it is expected to reach the market value of $722.4 billion by the end of 2025. Looking at the annual growth rate, in my opinion, Nutra market surely willmake impressive business in upcoming years.

Although the market is expected to strike gold in near future, the regulatory landscape of this sector is emerging as a ‘holding back factor’ for market’s growth. The Nutra regulatory system seem to evolve very slowly compared to the growing number of products being placed into the market. Looking at therisk of fake and unregulated product, market today is asking for strict regulation measures in this field. Being in the grey area between diet and drugs, it is important to clearly identify their specificity in view of their possible use and utility in the pharmaceutical arena.

Drawbacks in Nutra Regulatory framework:

1. No legally globalized definition:
The word ‘Nutraceuticals’ is coined by Stephen DeFeliceand according to him, Nutraceutical is “food or part of a food that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease”. This was the basic definition available for nutraceuticals but is every country following the same definition? Absolutely not! Canada refers to nutraceuticals as “natural health products” while the United States calls them “dietary supplements.” So, while setting up a Nutra-marketing campaign in any particular country, finding a right legal definition used in that country becomes a greatest concern to reaches the right audience and avoids confusion. CHART 1 is consisting of definitions of various nomenclatures of Nutraceuticals in some major countries.

2. No uniformity in Regulations:
The lack of shared legislations around the world creates a big confusion while marketing Nutraceutical products worldwide. Proper understanding about the regulations and active regulatory bodies is mandatory for effective marketing. For example, according to Dietary Supplement, Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in US, a dietary supplement should be “a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or other botanicals; a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of the ingredients listed above.” Likewise, in other countries, the formula requirements for the Nutraceutical product might be much different than stated above. Same goes for labelling requirements, they also should be properly studied for the respective country before marketing.

3. Unsubstantiated health claims:
Lack of safety, efficacy and scientific data are the main hurdles while obtaining health claim approval for Nutraceutical products. Nutraceuticals generally are tested only in invitro studies whose evidences are pretty unreliable to comment on thesafety of product. Nutraceuticals are lagging far behind in the field of In vivoresearch, which are obligatory to pass any health claim. Scarcity of regulations in this field to hold back the false claims is still worsening the condition of regulatory landscape.
So, while marketing any Nutraceutical, to protect the sales and credibility of the company, care has to be taken that it should not be marketed as a ‘drug’ (because drugs undergo heavy research and in vivo studies to achieve the health claim).

Country	Nomenclature for Nutraceuticals	Definition
US	Dietary supplements	A product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or other botanicals; a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of the ingredients listed above
European Union	food supplements	Food product whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet and which consists of a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances with nutritional effects or physiological, single or in combination, marketed in dosed formulations, such as capsules, tablets, tablets or pills, designed to be taken in small individual quantities measured
India	Foods for special dietary use or functional foods or nutraceuticals or health supplements	Each Nomenclature has different definition in FSSAI (Website: www.fssai.gov.in)
Canada	Natural Health Products	Substances such as probiotics, herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals, Homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines such as traditional Chinese medicines and other products like amino acids and essential fatty acids
Japan	Foods for Specified Health	foods containing ingredient with functions for health and officially approved to claim its physiological effects on the human body

             CHART 1

4. Lack of Good manufacturing practices:
According to Nutraceuticals World, recent FDA GMP inspections indicated that a good number of dietary supplement manufacturers are not fully compliant with GMPs. Noncompliance with the specifications for ingredients as well as for finished product were investigated. Common violation in this field is failure in verifying purity, identity, composition and strength standards of product batch. This is the major concern seen in the Nutraceutical sector for years.

Owing to all such regulatory deformities, full export potential of Nutraceutical sector cannot be achieved which could be a serious issue with respect to country’s economic status. Sanjaya Mariwala, founder-president of the Association of Herbal and Nutraceuticals Manufacturers of India said, “The governing ecosystem for nutraceuticals needs a serious rethink along with clarity on defining the scope of the sector and its product portfolio. The need of the hour is the creation of a comprehensive HSN [Harmonized System of Nomenclature] repository, with prompt resolution of grievances and export promotion initiatives by a centralised regulatory body, to give teeth to the sector.” He also added, “with limited attention being accorded, the sector’s full export potential cannot be achieved.”

Various countries do have some well-designed regulations for Nutraceuticals but lack of efficient implementation of these guidelines leading to fluctuating outcomes when compared with pharmaceutical sector.
Following are some of the suggestions if implemented can show some positive moves in regulatory framework of Nutraceutical:

• Globalization of guidelines: By executing a well-planned analysis ofexisting regulations employed in various countries and selecting the best approaches can achieve uniformity in regulatory framework worldwide. 
• Like Pharmacopeia, why not Nutracopeia? :An official publication containing a list of natural drugs with their effects, directions for use, tests, etc. can be generated to implement consistency in the regulatory field like pharmaceuticals. 
•  Implementation of transparency by governing bodies
• Risk assessment and verification technologies tied up with more solid inspections and stringent audits
• Like for pharmaceuticals, well-developed laboratories for effective testing and evaluation can be generated to maintain the standards of Nutraceuticals. 
• Internationalization of business to sustain the credibility of employed regulations. 
• Executing regular surveys to assess the degree of improvement 

A restructuring of the entire regulatory framework of Nutraceuticals is necessary to put forth their different purposes and universal definition.Also, to assess their specific role in the prevention and treatment of pathological conditions whichcan be proven by sound scientific and clinical data. A clear and shared regulation system that clearly indicates requirements for quality, efficacy, mechanism of action, safety and a better control can lead to higher quality productswhich could benefit potential consumers as well as the industry.
On the door of 2021, we can clearly see the bright future of life sciences industry ahead, but only when abide by updated regulations. Many more regulations are obliged to come with hidden procedural challenges for compliance. Manufacturers have to be awake with their eyes wide open while launching and marketing products in the presence of new and varying regulations. Keeping track of changing regulatory system is the only way to be updated and profited.
The article has been written by Dr. Smarta-CMD Interlink and published by Saffron Media.

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.