Can Curcumin offer you a happy, healthy and pain-free body?
Curcumin supplement is becoming ever more popular for its well-researched benefits. The challenge for consumers, however, is that there are so many supplements available with "turmeric" and/or "curcumin" on the label, that it's hard to know what you should be looking for in a quality supplement.
So let's start from the beginning and discuss what curcumin is, the difference between curcumin and turmeric, the benefits of curcumin, and the potent curcumin c3 complex.
What is the difference between Turmeric and Curcumin?
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, a perennial plant of the ginger family. Curcumin contributes the yellow pigmentation to the turmeric and ginger roots. If you are not familiar with curcumin, you may already be consuming it in small doses when you eat your favourite curry.
Tumeric's scientific name is curcuma longa, and it grows in tropical regions of Asia. It has been used as a herbal remedy for numerous years, particularly in Indonesia, India, and China. Curcumin is a traditional Chinese medicine that is used to treat diseases that are associated with abdominal pain.
Furthermore, it was originally an ancient Hindu medicine that was used to treat swelling and sprains. Several stories suggest that curcumin was used as far as 10,000 years ago.
What is Bioperine ®?
BioPerine® is an extract obtained from the black pepper fruit which significantly enhances the bioavailability of various supplement nutrients. In layman's terms, this means it increases the absorption of nutrients in the body. If a curcumin or tumeric supplement does not contain BioPerine® then your body will not be optimising the effects of the active ingredient.
A study from 1998 sought to see the effect of using piperine (BioPerine®) enriched black pepper extract on the bioavailability of curcuminoids in the body. The conclusion was that piperine (BioPerine®) increases the absorption of curcumin in both animals and humans when taken orally, at doses which do not cause adverse side effects. In fact, the bioavailability of curcumin when combined with piperine (BioPerine®) increased by 2000% in humans. [7]
This graph clearly shows the enhanced absorption of curcumin when combined with BioPerine®.
Is Curcumin Safe to Take Daily?
In a word, yes. There is some evidence to suggest it can cause people to experience stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, or diarrhoea, but this is quite rare. A study on the 'Safety and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin: a component of tumeric (Curcuma longa)' provides a systematic review of the literature on the safety and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin. It concluded that curcumin has been demonstrated to be safe in six human trials and has shown anti-inflammatory activity. [8]
What is Curcumin C3 Complex ®?
Not all curcumin supplements are made equal. Curcumin C3 Complex from Love Life Supplements is a specially formulated curcumin blend. The name C3 Complex makes reference to its three main chemical compounds:
- Curcumin
- Demethoxycurcumin
- Bisdemethoxycurcumin
Perhaps better understood as a "super anti-oxidant" C3 Complex provides optimal protection and integrity to biological systems.[1] Curcumin C3 Complex® has been subject to many clinical trials because it is a trusted and valued resource, many of which are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This really sets it apart from other curcumin supplements and provides a host of documented evidence to its health benefits.
So, can Curcumin C3 Complex offer you a happy, healthy and pain-free body? It just might! In comparison with other supplements, Curcumin C3 has undergone many clinical trials and, although the effects may differ slightly between individuals, there is very strong evidence to suggest that Curcumin C3 is a bio-protectant offering increased anti-oxidant effect, unrivalled anti-inflammatory support and great immune enhancement.
What are the benefits of Curcumin?
As mentioned above, the three main reported benefits for curcumin C3 are:
- Antioxidant Effect
- Anti–Inflammatory Support
- Immune Support
Antioxidant Effect of Curcumin
Curcumin can hunt down free radicals and rid them from our bodies. It may also prevent the formation of free radicals in the first place. For the science students among you, you may be interested in the details of the study below, which showed that curcumin acted as an antioxidant.
A 10-week randomised study set out to observe the effect of curcumin supplementation on overall oxidative stress and circulating levels of anti-ox LDL and anti-Hsp27 in obese individuals.
The patients were randomised to receive either curcuminoids (1 g/day) or a placebo for 30 days. The curcumin supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in serum PAB (P=0.044) over this time. This is first cross-over trial on curcumin which showed the effect on pro-oxidant – antioxidant status. Also the result of the study shows that curcumin mitigates oxidative stress. [2]
Another study investigated the efficacy of short-term supplementation with curcuminoids (plus piperine - also called Bioperine - for enhanced bioavailability) in alleviating systemic oxidative stress, clinical symptoms and improvement in health-related quality of life. This also concluded that curcumin C3 supplementation was found to mitigate oxidative stress, decreasing symptoms and improving health-related quality of life. [3]
Anti-inflammatory Support
Curcumin has natural anti-inflammatory properties and there have been a series of trials in this area. A study in 2014 looked at whether dietary supplementation with a bioavailability-boosted preparation of curcuminoids helped relieve symptoms in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
There was a decrease in pain and improved physical function in the trial group. A range of measures was used to test the effectiveness of the curcuminoids and the placebo. The results of this study showed a marked improvement in all the assessed measures. The study therefore concluded that curcuminoids are a safe and effective alternative treatment for osteoarthritis. [4]
Immune Support
We're going to get a bit technical again, so bear with us. In our bodies, white blood cells are responsible for fighting infection and responding to illness.
There are many different types of white blood cell, including T cells, B cells, macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells.
In the last two decades, curcumin has been shown to be a potent immunomodulating agent.
These agents help stimulate or suppress the immune system and help the body fight cancer, infection, or other diseases. Specific immunomodulating agents affect specific parts of the immune system. For example, monoclonal antibodies have been used in cancer treatments.
So as an immunomodulating agent, curcumin may have an effect on the activation of different types of white blood cells. Interestingly also, curcumin at low doses can also improve antibody response.
A report called '"Spicing up" of the immune system by curcumin' [5] suggests that curcumin's reported beneficial effects in patients suffering from arthritis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer might be due in part to its ability to modulate the immune system.
There are also many other research areas where curcumin C3 has been used.
These include:
These include:
- Colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and anti-cancer potentials
- Immunological mechanism in Alzheimer's disease
- Treatment of alcoholic hepatitis
- Use of curcuminoids in cystic fibrosis
- Free radical trapping properties of curcuminoids
Our Best Curcumin Supplements
At Love Life Supplements we are committed to bringing you the absolute highest quality supplements at the best possible value, and our Curcumin products are no exception. Curcumin 95 + Bioperine is a solid formula at an incredible price, whilst Curcumin 95 Advanced is our advanced formula with added Vitamin D, tomato and ginger for overall health.
References & Further reading
[2](25) Curcuminoids modulate pro-oxidant antioxidant balance but not the immune response to heat shock protein 27 and oxidized LDL in obese Individuals.
Phytother Res 2013; 27(12): 1883-8
[3] 32) Effects of Curcuminoids-Piperine Combination on Systemic Oxidative Stress, Clinical Symptoms and Quality of Life in Subjects with Chronic Pulmonary Complications Due to Sulfur Mustard: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
J Diet Suppl. 2014; DOI:10.3109/19390211.2014.952865
[4] (28) Curcuminoid Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Phytother Res 2014; doi 10.1002/ptr. 5174
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24853120
[7] (1) Influence of Piperine on the Pharmacokinetics of Curcumin in Animals and Human Volunteers.
Planta Med. 1998; 64(4): 353-6
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