Chapter 7 Nutraceuticals and inflammation

The chronic state of inflammation is widely associated with number of pathologies including asthma, pneumonia, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic ailment, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. The conventional drug therapies including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids have certain limitations, mainly related to their adverse effects and high cost. In this regard, there is continued focus on alternative therapies, including plant-derived components to prevent or treat inflammatory conditions. Food bioactive ingredients showed promising health effects with favorable safety profile and relatively low cost. In recent decades, they are being extensively evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects, and further investigations on these bioactive ingredients will result in the development of effective and safe food supplement-based therapies for chronic inflammation. In this chapter, the immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory properties of dietary fibers, pre- biotics, probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and spice-derived bioactive components are reviewed.