Targeted nutrition: The future of Cardiology and Oncology 

 
Nutrition has been a quiet part of medicine for decades. It was thought to be important, but it was mostly seen as supportive care instead of a clinical tool. That story is changing quickly these days. A new generation of evidence is putting targeted nutrition at the center of disease prevention, management, and recovery in the fields of oncology and cardiology. Nutraceuticals, an industry that has known for a long time how bioactive compounds can heal, are at the center of this change. 
 
India is in a great position to lead this discussion. Cardiovascular diseases cause almost 28% of all deaths in the country, and cancer cases are expected to rise to over 1.5 million a year by 2025. This makes it more important than ever to look beyond traditional medicines. Science has already answered the question of whether nutrition is important for chronic disease. The real question is: how exactly can we use it? 
 
The Change from General Wellness to Clinical Precision 
 
The first wave of nutraceuticals focused on broad supplementation, such as multivitamins, omega-3s, and general antioxidants. These products were useful, but they also led people to think that nutrition was only for “overall health” rather than for treating a specific illness. That view is changing, and the nutraceutical industry is a key player in making that change happen. 
 
On the other hand, targeted nutrition is based on precision. It means figuring out what specific nutritional deficiencies, metabolic markers, or disease-stage needs a person has and then coming up with ways to help them. In oncology, this may involve tackling cachexia—the significant muscle atrophy associated with cancer—by using leucine-enriched protein formulations and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have been clinically demonstrated to maintain lean mass. In cardiology, it might mean using plant sterols, berberine, or Coenzyme Q10 in therapeutic doses to treat problems with lipid profiles, inflammation in the arteries, or mitochondrial dysfunction. 
 
This is not taking supplements just for the sake of it. It is nutritional medicine that is targeted, backed by evidence, and becoming more and more a part of clinical workflows. 
 
What the Evidence Is Saying 
 
The research environment has significantly evolved. In oncology, investigations into curcumin’s anti-inflammatory and apoptosis-inducing characteristics have garnered considerable attention, especially within colorectal and breast cancer research. Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, has shown potential to regulate cancer cell signalling pathways. At the same time, immunonutrition, which is the targeted use of nutrients like glutamine, arginine, and zinc to help the immune system work better during chemotherapy, is becoming more popular in nutrition protocols for surgery and cancer treatment around the world. 
 
The evidence is even stronger in cardiology. There is a lot of evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can lower triglycerides. Newer studies on high-dose EPA supplementation have also shown that it can lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in people who are already at high risk. Magnesium deficiency, which is common in India because we eat a lot of processed foods, is becoming more and more linked to arrhythmias, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Fixing it with specific nutraceutical protocols is both affordable and useful in the medical field. 
 
What links these findings is not just the effectiveness of certain compounds; it’s the idea that nutrition can be a powerful biological modifier when used correctly. And that’s the chance the nutraceutical industry needs to take. 
 
What the Nutraceutical Industry Does: More Than Just Supplements 
 
For the nutraceutical industry to really live up to its promises in cancer and heart disease, it needs to make a big jump from focusing on consumer health to being clinically credible. This means that things need to change on a number of fronts at the same time. 
 
The first is the science of making things. Nutraceutical products for specific diseases must be based on bioavailability, not just ingredients. Curcumin in its natural state is not very well absorbed. Curcumin that is bound to phospholipids or encapsulated in nanoparticles is a whole different story. The same goes for omega-3s: the source, concentration, and whether they are in triglyceride or ethyl ester form all affect the clinical outcome. We need to put money into delivery technologies that make our products work at a level that the medical community can trust. 
 
The second is to make sure it works in real life. The time of relying only on traditional use or animal studies is over. Oncologists and cardiologists need data from randomised controlled trials, dose-response studies, and safety profiles before they can use any treatment. The nutraceutical industry must finance and disseminate rigorous clinical research — not merely as a regulatory obligation, but as a sincere dedication to scientific accountability. 
 
The third, and maybe the most important, is getting doctors involved. Oncologists and cardiologists need to support targeted nutrition for it to grow. That means making structured medical education programs, giving doctors summaries of the evidence that don’t take up too much of their time, and making collaborative models where nutritionists, nutraceutical companies, and doctors work together to make patient protocols. India is already seeing this change in a few tertiary care facilities. The job of the industry is to speed it up. 
 
Personalisation: The Next Big Thing 
 
Personalisation is probably the most interesting part of this conversation. Genomics, metabolomics, and microbiome research are making it possible to map a person’s nutritional needs with incredible detail. For example, we now know that patients with certain genetic variants process folate or vitamin D in different ways, which means that their risk profiles for cardiovascular disease are also different. We are starting to learn how gut microbiota affects how well chemotherapy works and how certain pre- and probiotic treatments can change those results. 
 
This is a huge chance for the nutraceutical industry. The future is not one omega-3 capsule that everyone can buy. Instead, it is a personalised lipid-support plan for a 55-year-old man with diabetes and a family history of coronary artery disease, tailored to his genotype and given with his statin. That isn’t a story from science fiction. It’s where the field is going, and the companies that invest in diagnostic and data infrastructure to make this happen now will shape the next 10 years of the industry. 
 
A Call to Lead, Not Follow 
 
By 2030, the global nutraceutical market is expected to be worth more than $700 billion. But the size of the market doesn’t make it clinically relevant by itself. The industry must now show that it can sit at the same table as oncologists, cardiologists, and health policymakers—not as a supplement vendor, but as a real contributor to therapeutic outcomes. 
 
India possesses the patient demographic, scientific expertise, and native botanical heritage to substantiate this case convincingly. Our traditional knowledge systems have clues that modern clinical science is just starting to confirm. For example, ashwagandha can change cortisol levels, and arjuna bark may protect the heart. The aim is to create a nutraceutical industry that is rooted in this heritage and meets global scientific standards simultaneously. 
 
Targeted nutrition is not a fad. It is the next step in the development of preventive and integrative medicine. In oncology and cardiology, where the stakes are life and death, and the treatment burden is huge, this is a real chance to change the course of many patients’ lives. The nutraceutical industry needs to be ready for that moment, with the science, rigour, and willingness to work together to earn its place in the clinic. 
 
Drugs alone will not shape the future of medicine. Targeted nutrition is ready to be included in the prescription. 
 

About the Author: Amit Srivastava started Nutrify Today, a platform in India that aims to improve people’s understanding of nutrition science and nutraceuticals. He has a lot of experience in clinical nutrition, industry development, and health communication, and he wants nutraceuticals to be used in mainstream healthcare based on evidence.