Marine-Based Food as Drug: A Novel Approach to Fight Against Infectious Diseases

In the past few decades, the world has witnessed a rigorous search for different novel compounds of marine origin due to the massive applications of marine resources in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Their minimal growth needs and their immense biodiversity make them suitable for their wide applications. Marine environment is a taxonomically diverse ecosystem which is a rich source of biologically active natural products. Shift in consumer’s choice towards “green” alternatives has motivated the use of this sustainable marine culture which is environmentally friendly as well. Moreover, human beings and animals have grown resistance towards the conventional antibiotic drugs, which calls for development of new unconventional alternative drugs. This chapter deals with various marine sources and marine-based foods acting as drugs that have proved themselves as effective solutions towards several diseases, beside showing beneficial effects on human and even animal health. However, this area is still at its infancy and needs further and deeper digging to bring more marine sources into light that can pave a path towards betterment of human and animal life. The rate of progressive research in this field can assure a promising future of marine sources in the science of innovative food and drugs.