Functional beverages: Special focus on anti-diabetic potential

In recent years, the concept of functional foods and beverages is fast capturing the world's attention. The market growth of functional foods and beverages has been tremendous over the last decade. The reason can be the increased demand for healthy options of food over medicines. Factors such as convenience to incorporate suitable bioactive substances, comparatively easier processing and handling, along with wide acceptance by the population, make functional beverages the most popular category in the functional foods segment. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease which is approaching to be the biggest global epidemic of the twenty-first century. Due to the increased cost of treatment and probable side effects of the synthetic drugs, the possibility of using natural anti-diabetic agents have been explored extensively nowadays. Numerous studies are being conducted, and the present review tries to cover novel herbal and fruit/vegetable-based anti-diabetic functional beverages, current researches, and limitations.

Practical applications

The concept of “food itself as medicine” is increasing and hence, the demand for functional foods. Functional beverages are a segment in the functional food industry which is comparatively easier to process, handle, and incorporate bioactive compounds. Beverages are a “go and grab product” and attract consumers’ demand. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder and the huge cost of treatment and management of diabetes is a drive for researchers to find alternatives using natural anti-diabetic agents like phytochemicals. Extensive studies are underway, and the present review attempts to cover various in vitro studies, in vivo models and clinical trials conducted to prove the hypoglycemic properties of novel herbal and fruit/vegetable-based functional beverages.