Perspective Chapter: Nutraceuticals as a Therapeutic Promise in Healthy Aging and Neurocognitive Disorders

Abstract

The world is facing a rapid population ageing. Noncommunicable disorders (NCDs) form the bulk of present-day morbidity. Besides dealing with neurodegeneration and neurocognitive disorders, modern-day therapeutics have also geared toward healthy ageing and preventive approaches. Several chemical substances belonging to classes of natural dietary origin display protective properties against some age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative ones. These compounds, known as nutraceuticals, differ structurally, acting on different pathways. There has been a paradigm shift in the understanding of dementias toward neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, immunomodulation, and gut-brain axis dysregulation. This offers promise for the nutraceuticals as a novel approach in the field of neurocognitive disorders and healthy ageing. However, the collective evidence is still evolving and as of yet not robust enough for nutraceuticals to be a part of clinical guidelines. The other caveats are lack of subjective understanding of use, and individual constituents of a product showing differential effects, which lead to ambiguous outcomes in clinical trials. This chapter critically looks at the role of various nutraceuticals in promoting healthy aging and management of neurodegenerative conditions (especially Alzheimer’s disease). The evidence so far is highlighted with the challenges in their use and future directions of research.