Pharmaceuticals to Nutraceuticals shift in Disease Prevention

Abstract

According to the Greek Hippocrates (~460-377 B.C.), generally regarded as the father of medicine, Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. A correct diet, in fact, was seen as essential to healthy living from the famous Galen also (~129 A.D.) and ancient Romans. They believed the medicine a combination of physical techniques using various tools and holistic medicine by the use of rituals and religious belief systems. Thus, the Latin expression for a full-course was ab ova usque mala (from egg to the apples). However, a correct diet was seen as essential to healthy living. Ancient Romans, therefore, could be considered the father of the modern Mediterranean diet, essentially based on cereals, legumes and fruits with the use of olive oil, fundamental not only to cooking but also to the Roman way of life, as it was used in preparations for bathing and grooming. As for ancient Romans, for ancient Chinese and Indians, food, exercise and way of living was considered at the base of medicine. Before taking a drug it is necessary to have a healthy food! Thus the necessity to combine pharmaceuticals and food bioactives in disease prevention and treatment.