The Development of Nutraceuticals

The prevalence of lifestyle-related disease has been continuously on the increase with the western ization of diet in Japan. Recently, attention has been focused on the development of “Nutraceuti cals, ” which are beneficial foods for human health. The development and the effect of some nu traceuticals, based on clinical evidence, are reviewed in this report. 1) Dietary Fiber Drink: This beverage contains 7 g of water-soluble dietary fiber (Polydextrose) which improves the bowel movement of females with constipation. 2) Oligosaccharide Drink: This beverage contains 5 g of indigestible oligosacchareide (Lactosucrose) which increases the amount of intestinal bifidobacteria and leads to the improvement of the intestinal environment. 3) New Sports Drink: This beverage contains fructose an as energy source and antioxidant nutrient. We demonstrated that fructose did not suppress the oxidation of fat during exercise and that ingestion of β-carotene before/during ex ercise decreased the urinary 8-OHdG excretion which is a marker of oxidative DNA-base damage. 4) Protein Supplement: We found that it is more effective to administer amino acids immediately after exercise than later for protein synthesis in muscle tissue. We propose the effective timing of protein intake to develop the skeletal muscle tissue of athletes.