The Protective Role of Nutraceuticals and Functional Food in Hyperlipidemia

Diets rich in fats and cholesterol are mainly responsible for the production of free radicals which contribute to the incidence of hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. Both of these are the major factors responsible for CVDs. Hyperlipidemia is characterized by elevated level of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and reduced level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum. The main role of diet is to provide ample amount of nutrients to meet the nutritional requirements of an individual. However, there are increasing scientific approaches helping the hypothesis that some food ingredients have beneficial effects over and above the provision of the basic nutrients. So in this chapter, the main focus is food categorized under nutraceutical and functional food and their various protective roles in the case of hyperlipidemia.