Nutraceuticals, a combination of natural nutrients with pharmaceuticals has been introduced in a concerted effort to combat the increasing prevalence of nutrient deficiency.

Addressing participants at the QNET health and wellness stakeholder information session, a nutritionist and lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Justina Owusu emphasised the importance of transparency in the manufacturing of food supplements.

She highlighted alarming statistics indicating that as of 2017, a staggering 53.8 per cent of non-pregnant women were deficient in folic acid, a crucial nutrient for overall health and development.

Dr Owusu urged manufacturers to maintain integrity and accuracy in labeling the content of their products, ensuring consumers have access to truthful information about supplement composition.

"Some producers or manufacturers don't provide sufficient transparency. Ideally, a supplement should not contain a drug and if you are going to have a drug in there, you have to let consumers be aware so that people will know whether they want to buy Viagra or buy your product.

“So for those who are also in the manufacturing scheme from the herbal industry and stuff, if you are going to add paracetamol to a herbal supplement and sell it to us, please let us go and buy our paracetamol. Please be truthful to Ghanaians and everyone so that we know that this is the value of what we are buying," she stressed.

On his side, Dr Frank Marful-Sau emphasised the necessity of nutraceuticals, derived from natural foods, to support individuals struggling to maintain a balanced diet due to various reasons.

He stated that unlike traditional pharmaceutical drugs or synthetic nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals aim to bridge the gap between nutritional requirements and dietary intake.

“So like I said, it can be from fat polyphenols, it can be from antioxidants, it can be from any herbal extracts to put together so that's what we call the nutraceuticals.

“So nutraceuticals are just from the demand from health seekers, people who want anything natural as possible without having a lot of chemicals in their body. So that is the need for some of these things.”

Dr Marful-Sau emphasised the importance of healthy eating, stating that it is crucial because the development of nutraceuticals often arises from the fact that people may not be consuming adequate nutrition through their diets.

“So if you eat well, it helps you to get some of these nutrients. Then again, there are certain things that we do to our food that in the long run, we are not able to derive the benefits that we want from these foods. But like we caution that in all these things you need to look at the product labeling, need to make sure where it is coming from and you should consult with your health professional,” he added.

QNET, commemorating International World Health Day on April 7, urged Ghanaians to prioritise health and wellness, emphasizing holistic well-being beyond mere disease absence.