A bioactive compound is a compound that has an effect on a living organism, tissue or cell, usually demonstrated by
basic research in vitro or
in vivo in the laboratory. While dietary
nutrient
A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...
s are essential to life, bioactive compounds have not been proved to be essential as the body can function without them or because their actions are obscured by nutrients fulfilling the function.
Bioactive compounds lack sufficient evidence of effect or safety, and consequently they are usually unregulated and may be sold as
dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
s.
Origin and examples
Bioactive compounds are commonly derived from
plants,
animal products, or can be synthetically produced. Examples of plant bioactive compounds are
carotenoid
Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic compound, organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and Fungus, fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpki ...
s,
polyphenols, or
phytosterols.
Examples in animal products are
fatty acid
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...
s found in milk and fish. Other examples are
flavonoid
Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans.
Chemically, flavonoids ...
s,
caffeine
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...
,
choline Choline is an essential nutrient for humans and many other animals. Choline occurs as a cation that forms various salts (X− in the depicted formula is an undefined counteranion). Humans are capable of some ''de novo synthesis'' of choline but ...
,
coenzyme Q
Coenzyme Q, also known as ubiquinone and marketed as CoQ10, is a coenzyme family that is ubiquitous in animals and most bacteria (hence the name ubiquinone). In humans, the most common form is coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone-10.
It is a 1,4-benzoq ...
,
creatine, dithiolthiones,
polysaccharides
Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with w ...
,
phytoestrogens,
glucosinolates, and
prebiotics.
[
]
In the diet
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements proposed a definition of bioactives in the context of human nutrition as "compounds that are constituents in foods and dietary supplements, other than those needed to meet basic human nutritional needs, which are responsible for changes in health status", although a range of other definitions are used. Traditionally, dietary recommendations, such as DRIs used in Canada and the United States, focused on deficiencies causing diseases, and therefore emphasized defined essential nutrients.[ ]Dietary fiber
Dietary fiber (in British English fibre) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical composition, and can be grouped generally by th ...
, for example, is a non-essential dietary component without a DRI, yet is commonly recommended for the diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
. Frameworks for developing DRIs for bioactive compounds have to establish an association with health, safety and non-toxicity.[
As of 2021, there are no dietary recommendations in North America or Europe for bioactives, except for fiber. However, there are ongoing discussions whether further bioactives should be included in future dietary guidelines.]
See also
* Phytochemistry
References
{{Reflist
Biomolecules by physiological function
Nutrition
Nutritional science