Nutraceuticals

Seeds hold an important place in the diet of an individual as well as in sports nutrition. They have excellent nutritional value and are non-conventional sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and many other important nutrients. They are also categorised under super foods or functional foods because they provide numerous health benefits in addition to providing nutrition and energy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of popular seeds that are added to athletes' diets or ordinary people's diets to enhance food's nutritional value. It focuses on their nutritional value, therapeutic value, and performance-enhancing attributes. Some of the trending seed supplements have been discussedin this review, including Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.), Flax seeds (Linum usitatissimum), Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita maxima), Quinoa seeds (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), Amaranth seeds (Amaranthus cruentus), Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum), Hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.). These are some of the healthiest seeds that can be supplemented in regular diet according to individual health goals. The therapeutic potential of these seeds are also discussed which helps prevent many diseases. The purpose of this review is to bring together the latest research on role of seeds as nutraceuticals, therapeutics and the benefits of using them as supplements as a part of daily dietary intake for individuals as well as athletes for improving their performance.

Moringa oleifera Lam.is a plant known for its nutrient content and medicinal values. The Miracle Plant, that is specially cultivated world over, has multifarious utility. The pharmaceutical and processed food industries are specially benefited by the usage of different elements of Moringa oleifera Lam, making significant impact in improving the nutraceutical, dietary and medicinal values of the supplements that are either derived or processed from leaves of the plant. When the composition of proximate principles of the dried M. oleifera Lam. leaves, obtained from four different areas of Ajmer, Rajasthan was compared, it gave a clear insight to the objective of the study initiated, showing that the leaves contained 7.51±0.82 gm of moisture (ranged from 6.37±0.01 to 8.22±0.01 gm) , 28.38±0.58 gm of protein (varied between 27.65±0.01 - 28.95±0.03) , 4.52±0.13 gm of fat (ranged from 4.36±0.00to 4.68±0.01gm ) , crude fibre 9.54±0.25 gm (ranged from 9.26±0.02to 9.83±0.03 gm ), 10.62±0.78 gm of ash (ranged from 9.87±0.00 to11.83±0.01gm), 48.77±1.29 gm of carbohydrate (ranged 46.89±0.78 to 49.84±0.13gm) and 351.39±4.65 kcal energy ( ranged from 345.04±0.80 to 357.18±0.71 kcal)respectively. The study also threw a light to the fact which reveals that an appreciable amount of nutrients is existing in dried M. oleifera Lam leaves, supplementing for proteins and fibres, showcasing the nutritional importance of the natural product, enhancing the possibilities of betterment of health care system and general life style of each individual in the country, together with cost effectiveness, in particular. In an overview, it is evident in the analysis, that the therapeutic composition of the leaves of M. oleifera is an undeniably worth the efforts put in assessing the same.