Nutraceuticals: From Research to Legal and Regulatory Affairs

In this chapter we define the term “nutraceutical” and its relevance to arthritic diseases, and summarize recent research on nutraceuticals for joint disorders, particularly osteoarthritis (OA). The nutraceutical industry is not regulated. Consequently there are concerns about the purity, labeling and advertising of nutraceuticals. Manufacturers of nutraceuticals have a duty to communicate the benefits of their products with supporting scientific and clinical evidence. Nutraceutical products should be clearly labelled and advertising campaigns should be truthful and well balanced. The public and the scientific community require greater transparency and uniformity of commercially produced nutraceuticals. Consumers need to be able to make an informed choice about nutraceuticals based on evidence. We advocate greater regulation and regular independent testing of these products in order to ensure uniformity and greater reliability. The intended audience for this article include clinicians, basic researchers, producers of nutraceuticals and functional foods and advertising and marketing companies worldwide, particularly multi-national companies requiring information on issues relating to nutraceutical regulation.

Keywords: Osteoarthritis (OA), nutraceutical, regulation, purity, labeling, advertising.