For the best curcumin supplement on the market look for other ingredients that boost absorption. These supplements are very powerful at fighting inflammation.
Would you take something called diferuloylmethane? It sounds deadly, right? Well it turns out that it’s one of the healthiest things on the planet.
Diferuloylmethane is better known as curcumin. And curcumin is one of over 100 compounds in the spice, turmeric.
Don’t have time to make turmeric shots every day? And are you not a big fan of traditional Indian food, which includes tons of turmeric spice? Then consider taking the best curcumin supplement.
Best curcumin supplement benefits
Of the many dozens of therapeutic compounds in turmeric, perhaps most popular is curcumin. For good reason. That’s because curcumin is very effective at lowering blood sugar. At least according to this study and several others.
Among its several clinically-proven benefits, curcumin is chemoprotective. That means it can be an effective natural compound that may reverse, suppress, or prevent cancer progression.
Also, curcuin is a powerful anti-inflammatory. In fact, according to this study, curcumin is just as effective in fighting inflammation as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Moreover, curcumin has a dual action benefit on fighting disease. First, it triggers your body’s antioxidants to spring into action, according to this study. Second, the saffron-colored flavoring agent is itself an antioxidant.
The next major benefit of curcumin is it can enhance brain function. It prevents the decrease of a specific hormone. And this reduction of this specific hormone has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The next major selling point about taking the best curcumin supplement: it may protect your heart. In fact, curcumin may be as beneficial for your heart as both exercise and cardioprotective drugs.
Best curcumin supplement with black pepper
However, not all curcumin supplements are equal. That, of course, is true of any vitamin, mineral, or any compound extract.
The key ingredient to look for in a supplement, besides curcumin, obviously, is black pepper. Why black pepper? It’s not to enhance the spiciness of curcumin or turmeric (remember: curcumin is but one of over 100 compounds in turmeric spice).
Rather, black pepper should be included because it increases the absorption of curcumin exponentially.
Curcumin, by itself, is actually poorly absorbed by the body. But by adding black pepper, the absorption factor increases by over 1,000 percent.
The best curcumin supplement may not actually have black pepper listed as an ingredient. Instead, the botanical name for black pepper will be in the ingredients list. Therefore, look for piperine on the label.
Best turmeric supplement for inflammation
If you want to reap the benefits of the best curcumin supplement, especially to fight inflammation, look for a product that contains a high amount of curcuminoids. Curcuminoids are the active components of curcumin.
But the best turmeric supplement for inflammation might not be a turmeric supplement after all. That’s because even though curcumin is the most potent compound in turmeric, it only constitutes about 5% of turmeric’s total compounds.
In light of this, some natural health experts such as Dr. Andrew Weil recommend taking a whole turmeric extract. This is especially true if you’re fighting an inflammatory condition such as arthritis.
If you have an autoimmune disorder, your own immune system attacks itself. Certain anti-inflammatory supplements may offer relief.
Dr. Weil again recommends whole turmeric extract instead of isolated curcumin for autoimmune disorders. Dr. Weil’s recommendation is 400-600 mg of turmeric extract a few times per day to fight inflammation.
In just the last 25 years or so, there have been over 3,000 studies on turmeric. In light of this fact, maybe Dr. Weil is correct in suggesting that the best supplement is actually a turmeric extract. And the best curcumin supplements contain not only the curcuminoid, cumin, but dozens of others.
Perhaps the best curcumin supplement review comes from ConsumerLab. In an article from 2011, ConsumerLab reports a shocking truth about curcumin supplements. Their finding: two out of ten turmeric products provided only a small amount of curcuminoid compounds.
In other words, 20% of turmeric supplements deliver less than 15% of the compounds advertised on the product bottle! (Unfortunately, you need to be a member of the website in order to see which curcumin supplements passed ConsumerLab’s rigorous testing. But CL offers a 14-day trial if you want to see the brands of curcumin they recommend.)
Enhancers in the best curcumin supplements
According to ConsumerLab, curcumin supplements typically have enhancers. These enhancers are additional ingredients in the formula.
Using auxiliary ingredients can improve the absorption. This makes the supplement more potent. Thus, a smaller dose is necessary; you get more bang for your buck.
The most common types of enhancers are emulsifying agents such as lecithin or oil. Black pepper extract in the case of curcumin is an enzyme inhibitor.
Enzyme inhibitors are another type of supplement enhancer. By inhibiting enzymes, these ingredients prevent the breakdown of the supplement before it reaches your gut.
Bioperine is a registered proprietary ingredient that enhances the absorption of curcumin. Several brands buy Bioperine from the maker (Sabinsa Corporation, a company in India) and include it in their curcumin supplement. However, Bioperine itself does not contain any curcumin; it merely enhances its absorption.
Another branded ingredient in the best curcumin supplement may include Longvida. Unlike Bioperine, Longvida does include curcumin.
Longvida may be beneficial because it’s proven to cross the blood-brain barrier and remove harmful plaque in the brain that may cause Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, another specially-formulated ingredient in a best curcumin supplement is Theracurmin. Theracurmin also boosts the absorption rate of curcumin.
Finally, another branded ingredient in some curcumin supplements is Meriva. Meriva is an ingredient in Jarrow Formulas’ “Curcumin Phytosome.”
Meriva not only contain curcumin. It also includes green tea extract And ginkgo biloba as well. Jarrow consistently ranks as one of the most trusted brands of supplements.
Curcumin supplement side effects
A small percentage of people who take what they might think as the best curcumin supplement, may in fact experience nausea. Also, diarrhea and mild stomach distress is possible. But this is most likely when taking high doses of curcmin. Especially for a long time.
Furthermore, avoid turmeric compounds if you have gallstones. Any supplement, even if it’s all-natural, like curcumin, can interfere with prescription drugs. Tell your doctor if you take medication that you want to take a curcumin supplement.
And because many supplements in general are impure, make sure you do buy the best curcumin supplement. If you try to buy curcumin on the cheap, you may end up buying a product that has toxic ingredients.
In all likelihood, taking a curcumin supplement is safe. But if you have a certain medical condition, check with your doctor or other health professional.
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