Not all curcumin is created equal.
Knowing how to identify high quality curcumin supplements is key to incorporating them into regimens for your patients, but first, you should understand the basic properties of curcumin itself and what makes it useful.
Turmeric, curcumin, and curcuminoids are related but they aren’t interchangeable terms. Turmeric is a yellow spice from the ginger family whose rhizome contains curcumin, the ingredient responsible for its healthy qualities. Curcuminoids are the active compounds within turmeric or curcumin. They are polyphenolic pigments and include curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, with curcumin being the most abundant of the three.
We’ll explain how this vital nutrient provides health benefits and how to identify quality supplements to use in your practice.
Nuclear Factor-Kappa B (NF-ĸB), found in a cell's cytoplasm, acts as a kind of switch that turns immune response up or down in the body at the cellular level. Inhibiting NF-ĸB can help maintain health over the years, despite rising health concerns. Curcuminoids, when bioavailability is high enough for absorption by the body, are shown to inhibit NF-ĸB.*
The curcuminoids found in curcumin can be used to support:
Curcumin also metabolizes at a high rate and it clears the system rapidly.*
Simply comparing amounts in curcumin supplements isn’t enough to determine their quality. The potency and the bioavailability are critical.
Curcumin is known to have poor oral absorption quality in the body, making it hard for it to get to blood levels high enough for the bioactivity properties to be effective. Therefore, the higher the bioavailability of a particular curcumin supplement, the more effective it will be.
To combat this issue, some companies have developed microencapsulation technology to help make absorption easier, such as Meriva®, a phytosome that encapsulates the curcumin molecules in lipids to make sure they get absorbed in the body.
The curcumin that’s in the turmeric powder you might cook with in the kitchen or pick up over the counter isn’t the same high-quality curcumin that has active compounds and curcuminoids that will benefit patients.
This kind of quality curcumin begins…at the beginning.
Prerequisite quality controls that begin as early as the growing stage factor into the overall quality and bioavailability of curcumin. Quality curcumin should be subjected to a number of procedures and controls when the material is in its raw form—that is, when it’s being grown, harvest, dried, and stored.
Even at these early stages, the biomass should be quarantined and monitored, and tests for microbiological and chemical analysis should be ordered. Potential contaminants, such as pesticides, aflatoxins, and heavy metals, need to be controlled.
Once the botanical raw material is released, it undergoes another set of controls during the processing and manufacturing stage.
Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), which are regulated and outlined by the FDA under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, require a certain level of quality assurance. This includes testing requirements to ensure testing is performed on every raw material used in a supplement. These tests determine its purity, potency, identity, and contaminants in order to make sure that the supplement meets the standards put in place.
CGMPs also provide a statistically valid method for substantiating label claims on the finished product, per the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. All of the prerequisite analyses should be well documented by the supplement manufacturer.
The level of quality control in the raw material stage may vary from company to company, so be sure to do your research. Indena® is one company that emphasizes early testing and controls before the material reaches the processing and manufacturing stage, with 30 protocols in place for ensuring high quality curcumin. All of these steps contribute to the efficacy of the curcumin you’ll get in a branded supplement like the one we offer.
When you’re adding curcumin to your practice and to a patient’s regimen you will want a high-quality supplement with the right curcuminoids present and the right amount of bioavailability. Research the company you’re buying from, and make sure you can identify what their quality controls and tests involve at every stage of production. Look for providers that boast cGMP certification, and find out if any recalls have ever been issued. This will help ensure your practice and your patients get the greatest benefits from this beneficial nutrient.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.