Learn what makes turmeric supplements most effective
In recent years, the bitter, peppery spice called turmeric has gained a lot of popularity for its many health benefits. While Indian folk medicine has incorporated turmeric for hundreds if not thousands of years, modern scientists have also confirmed the spice’s medicinal value, especially as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic agent.
For example, turmeric has been shown to:
- Reduce the risk of heart attack in bypass patients
- Prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes in prediabetic individuals
- Kill cancer cells
- Shrink tumors
- Boost the effects of chemotherapy
- Repair stem cells in the brain
- Relieve joint pain
- Protect the liver and kidneys
- And more
The only trouble is, you would have to eat huge amounts of turmeric in order to get enough of the active compounds (collectively known as curcumin) that are responsible for the spice’s good work.
Curcumin is Not Very Bioavailable
In powdered form, curcumin is not water-soluble, which means it is hard to digest. Most of the undissolved particles will be too large to get absorbed through the intestinal wall and will be excreted rather than used by the body.
So How Can You Get Enough Curcumin?
Eating large amounts of curcumin is one way to overcome the bioavailability challenge and make sure enough curcuminoids get into your system to deliver health benefits. While curcumin is safe in large doses, this is not the most practical approach to the problem.
What you really want to do is find a supplement that is formulated to make curcumin more bioavailable. For example, curcumin is sometimes combined with piperine, a compound from black pepper that makes it more accessible to the body. Combining curcumin with a natural phospholipid is also a viable strategy. This will create a complex that can be readily absorbed by cell walls and will stay in circulation longer than curcumin alone. In one study, researchers found that a curcumin-phospholipid complex increased overall bioavailability by 236 percent.
How to Choose a Curcumin Supplement
Because the nutritional supplement industry is not regulated, not all curcumin or turmeric supplements will contain what’s promised on the label. Therefore your first move should be to find a product that has been third-party tested for potency and purity. Next, make sure your curcumin supplement contains some sort of agent that will make it more bioavailable.
Renew Youth’s Curcumax Pro with phospholipid complex meets both requirements. This curcumin supplement is specially formulated to protect your joints, but it will also deliver other benefits associated with turmeric.