What is a Nutraceutical?

Are you confused about nutraceuticals in your horse’s diet? Learn more from our equine nutrition expert.
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What is a Neutraceutical?
Typically, the term nutraceutical is used for supplements and applied to products derived from foods but believed to provide additional health benefits beyond those of the basic essential nutrients. | Photo: The Horse Staff
Q: Occasionally I hear the term nutraceutical. Often it seems to be in relation to joint supplements but I’ve also hear it used to describe supplements in general. What does it actually mean?

A: Stephen DeFelice, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation Medicine, coined the term nutraceutical in 1989. The blending of two words, “nutrient” (defined as a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life) and “pharmaceutical” (defined as a medicinal drug), was originally used for human supplements, but the term has become very broadly applied and crossed over in to the field of animal supplements. DeFelice’s original definition was “a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease.”

Typically, the term nutraceutical is used for supplements and applied to products derived from foods but believed to provide additional health benefits beyond those of the basic essential nutrients. The goal being to improve general well-being and potentially control symptoms or clinical signs, and possibly even prevent unfavorable conditions. So in the horse world, joint supplements are an obvious choice for this terminology; we feed ingredients such as glucosamine and chondroitin derived from what are considered food sources with the aim of improving joint function.

In theory, this all sounds fabulous. However, the term has no regulatory definition and, as you’ve pointed out, can mean different things to different people. This leaves the door open for consumer confusion, because in reality “nutraceutical” is more of a marketing term than anything else. Often consumers have the false perception that “all natural medicines must be good”; however, this isn’t always the case

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Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

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