Similarities Between Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

• Functional foods and nutraceuticals are two types of compounds with related functions.
• Therefore, their names are used interchangeably.
• Also, both have health-promoting, disease-preventing or medicinal properties.

Difference Between Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Definition

Functional foods refer to the foods with ingredients which gives that food health-promoting properties over and above its usual nutritional value while nutraceuticals refer to the foodstuff (as a fortified food or a dietary supplement) held to provide health or medical benefits in addition to its basic nutritional value. Thus, this is the fundamental difference between functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Correspondence

The main difference between functional foods and nutraceuticals is that the functional foods naturally contain bioactive compounds found in foods while nutraceuticals are the bioactive compounds found in fortified food, dietary supplements or herbal products.

Origin

Another difference between functional foods and nutraceuticals is their origins. Functional foods are natural while nutraceuticals can be either natural or synthetic and may be available as pills, capsules or liquids.

Type of Nutrients

The bioactive compounds in functional foods are different from the traditional nutrients while nutraceuticals include traditional nutrients. Hence, this is another difference between functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Examples

Grapes, strawberries, and apples are examples of functional foods while beta-carotene, lycopene, resveratrol, and ferulic acid are examples of nutraceuticals.

Conclusion

Functional foods are the naturally-occurring foods, which contain bioactive compounds including beta-carotene, lycopene, resveratrol, ferulic acid, etc. On the other hand, nutraceuticals are the bioactive compounds, which have proven health benefits. They are fortified in some foods or can be taken as dietary supplements or herbal products. Therefore, the main difference between functional foods and nutraceuticals is their correspondence.