Improvement in Curcumin Bioavailability

Curcumin has the potential to transform medical practice.

Scientific studies reveal how curcumin functions to reduce risk for a range of age-related effects.^1-6

But curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream.⁷

In order to garner its benefits, better forms of curcumin are needed to enhance its bio-availability.

Improvements Began in the 1990s

Over the last three decades, different curcumin compounds were developed that are better absorbed compared to regular curcumin.

Before reaching the blood, curcumin undergoes changes in the digestive tract that decrease the amount of active curcuminoids. This deprives cells throughout the body of optimal effects.

A giant leap forward occurred with a new formulation of curcumin that protects against digestive changes.

Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric is a spice that has been used for thousands of years in South Asian cuisine.

Curcumin is the most biologically active compound in the turmeric plant.

Data about curcumin’s benefits motivated researchers to find better ways to deliver more active “free curcuminoids” into the bloodstream.

In the 1990s, this was accomplished by adding piperine, an extract that increased curcumin absorption by mildly irritating the stomach lining.

A decade or so later, this method was improved upon by adding turmeric oil to boost curcumin absorption about seven-fold.

A new patented curcumin has been developed that is better protected against changes in the intestines. It also absorbs far better than previous forms.

This enables more free curcuminoids to reach cells throughout the body.

Clinically Studied Improvements

To assess the efficacy of this novel curcumin, several clinical trials have measured its effects on age-related factors that shorten healthy lifespans.

Some highlights from human studies using this new curcumin include:^5,6,8-11

• Reduced fatigue, stress relief
• Improved quality-of-life scores
• Arterial protection
• Reduced homocysteine (30% lower)
• Increased HDL (34% higher)
• Improvement in liver enzymes (30% lower)
• Increased antioxidant enzymes (25% higher)
• Healthy inflammatory support (27% lower CRP and 15% lower IL-6)
• 45.5-fold increase in relative plasma bioavailability of free curcuminoids

What is the significance of these improvements? They represent potential reversal of several aging biomarkers.

These include reducing homocysteine, promoting arterial health, and improving inflammatory responses, along with increases in beneficial HDL cholesterol and quality-of-life scores.

These improvements correlate with published studies revealing curcumin’s potential to reduce the burden of age-related effects.

Delivering Curcumin to the Brain

Curcumin has demonstrated effects in preclinical and animal trials that have led scientists to speculate that it might help protect memory function^12-18 in humans.

The challenge up until now has been to deliver adequate quantities ofcurcuminoids to brain cells. The intestinal environment alters curcumin’s composition in a way that reduces its bioavailability.^7,8

Even after absorption into the blood, curcumin then needs to cross the blood-brain barrier to provide neurological benefits.

In a human study published in December 2020,¹⁹ oral administration of this curcumin formulation was found to influence brain waves in a manner consistent with penetration through the blood-brain barrier.

The scientists noted an improvement in audio and visual reaction times and working memory using this new patented curcumin. Unformulated curcumin did not appear to be effective.

These recent findings support research Life Extension® published 18 months ago revealing unique biological functions of this curcumin formulation.

Validating Tissue Penetration

To authenticate systemic bioavailability, an animal study measured free curcuminoids in heart, brain, kidney and other vital organs after supplementation with the new curcumin preparation.²⁰

This type of study would be impossible to conduct in people.

The findings reveal markedly higher tissue levels of free curcuminoids throughout the animal’s body using this novel formulation, compared to regular curcumin.²⁰

The study also showed that five hours after ingestion, more than 70% of total plasma curcuminoids were in the active form that can reach tissues.²⁰

To put this into human perspective, the graph on the previous page shows a 45.5-fold increase in plasmafree curcuminoids in people after ingesting this new curcumin.⁸

Both the human and animal data were obtained by comparing turmeric standardized to 95% curcuminoids, with this new highly bioavailable curcumin compound.

Taken together, these findings suggest this new curcumin formulation delivers systemic benefits that were previously unattainable.

Lower Curcumin Prices

The good news for consumers is that this patented form of curcumin competes in a free market.

Instead of costing more, like new pharmaceuticals do, Life Extension supporters obtain this improved curcumin at a reduced price compared to previous curcumin formulas.

For longer life,

William Faloon

References

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