Curcumin is the brilliant orange pigment that offers turmeric root its coloration. Curcumin is essentially the most distinguished energetic compound in turmeric. Individuals have skilled super advantages from curcumin, from lowering irritation in order that strolling is much less painful, to bettering blood sugar readings, and even serving to with melancholy, and lowering threat of most cancers. Analysis reveals that curcumin is useful for joints, the center, the mind, the liver, and most each different organ. Nevertheless, curcumin has a tough time stepping into your bloodstream. In scientific phrases, curcumin bioavailability may be very low. The preliminary trials of curcumin concerned volunteers taking as a lot as 12 grams of curcumin a day, which is about 24 giant capsules. One of many limiting elements for these early trials was getting individuals to take that many capsules. And the absorption of ordinary purified curcumin was very, very low. Because of this, many firms and scientists have tried to provide you with methods to make curcumin extra bioavailable. And the comparisons are at all times made to straightforward curcumin. This initially made sense twenty years in the past, but it surely would not any longer.
The business’s give attention to evaluating dietary supplements to “commonplace curcumin” has muddied the waters, leaving customers confused about what actually issues: how a lot energetic, free curcumin reaches the blood. On this article, we’ll discover why the previous method to measuring curcumin bioavailability is flawed and I current a greater approach to consider curcumin dietary supplements, backed by a graph displaying blood ranges of free curcumin.
Why We Centered on Relative Bioavailability
Curcumin’s poor solubility in water and fast metabolism within the physique make it exhausting to soak up successfully. Early analysis confirmed that commonplace curcumin powder, when taken with water, resulted in virtually undetectable blood ranges of curcumin. As talked about above, scientists and producers rushed to develop enhanced formulations. To show their dietary supplements have been superior, firms started evaluating their merchandise to straightforward curcumin, reporting bioavailability will increase of seven, 27, and even 51 instances. These relative comparisons grew to become the business commonplace, however they’re deceptive. The baseline—commonplace curcumin taken with water—is artificially low, particularly since curcumin absorption improves considerably when consumed with fat or oils, which many research ignore. So, in fact, the brand new, improved complement appears higher than commonplace curcumin. Some sort of lipid molecule is constructed into the entire new formulations, which naturally will increase the absorption of curcumin. However how does it evaluate to different improved dietary supplements? Sadly, nobody ever examined that, or in the event that they did, it was by no means reported.
Why Free Curcumin within the Blood Issues
The important metric for curcumin’s effectiveness is just not what number of instances higher it’s than a poorly absorbed baseline, however how a lot free, unconjugated curcumin reaches the bloodstream. Free curcumin is the bioactive type that may cross cell membranes and exert its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective results. In distinction, conjugated curcumin, fashioned when the physique metabolizes curcumin for elimination, is much less energetic and cleared shortly from the physique. Some producers have begun measuring and reporting free curcumin ranges within the blood, offering a extra significant approach to assess a complement’s efficacy. This reporting has allowed us to make direct comparisons between the brand new, improved types of curcumin. We are able to evaluate precise blood ranges of free curcumin fairly than relative bioavailability. Shoppers can now evaluate merchandise based mostly on precise blood concentrations of the energetic compound, not inflated relative claims.
Evaluating Free Curcumin Ranges Throughout Dietary supplements
The graph proven right here, compiled from the reported outcomes of 5 completely different producers, illustrates blood ranges of free curcumin from their numerous dietary supplements. Model “A” has respectable ranges of free curcumin, but it surely took 1.9 grams, not simply 0.4 grams, to get to that stage. Curcumin taken with piperine (which is claimed to make absorption “approach higher” than commonplace curcumin) is a really small peak. Model “C”reveals up with a really small, broad peak, in the event you can name it that. And a couple of grams of Model “B” is barely above zero for the quantity of free curcumin within the blood. This producer reported picograms/ml of free curcumin fairly than nanograms/ml (1,000X increased) it was so low.
The graph above demonstrates that CurQfen™ stands out for delivering the very best ranges of free curcumin to the bloodstream, even when taken in small quantities. Not like many formulations, by which solely single-digit percentages of curcumin stay unconjugated, CurQfen™ achieves as much as 76% free curcumin within the blood, as proven in a 50-person bioavailability examine (Kumar et al., 2016). This makes it a pacesetter in offering the energetic type of curcumin that may successfully attain tissues and organs.
Conclusion: Concentrate on Blood Ranges, Not Relative Curcumin Bioavailability
For greater than twenty years, the business has been obsessive about evaluating curcumin dietary supplements to a flawed commonplace, giving relative bioavailability numbers. That has been a distraction. What actually issues is how a lot free curcumin will get into the blood and into the organs of the physique the place it might do nice issues. Absolute bioavailability is what’s vital. The information present that CurQfen™ excels in supplying superior ranges of free curcumin, making it a best choice for these looking for the compound’s full advantages.
The Energy of Efficient Curcumin Absorption
Analysis research completed particularly with the CurQfen™ type of curcumin present what is feasible when curcumin’s potential is absolutely realized. For instance, in a mouse mannequin of a number of sclerosis, CurQfen™ supported neuroprotection and remyelination (Ittiyavirah and Hema, 2019). In human trials, 500 mg of CurQfen™ twice every day diminished stress, anxiousness, and fatigue whereas boosting general well-being (Sudheeran et al., 2016). It additionally normalized arterial stiffness in younger overweight males, decreasing cardiovascular threat (Campbell et al., 2017). In sufferers with knee osteoarthritis, CurQfen™ almost doubled the development in strolling efficiency in comparison with glucosamine and chondroitin (Khanna et al., 2020). These outcomes spotlight the importance of selecting a curcumin complement that maximizes free curcumin within the blood, unlocking its full therapeutic energy.
