Curcumin - the Spice of Life

The main component of curry powder, tumeric or curcumin, curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice often found in curry powder can differ when it comes to herbal potency and therapeutic value. That’s not to say some benefit will not be obtain from eating a generous portion of curry, or even raw turmeric root or the powdered spice, but for therapeutic benefit, supplements should be standardized extracts and should come from three forms called curcuminoids.

The following information will help you compare labels on products you may be considering for your own use. If nothing measures up, you can order the assayed and patented product sold under the Designs for Health label manufactured specifically for healthcare professionals called Curcumin C3 Complex at Willner Chemists that uses the Sabinsa patented form No. 5,861,415. (800-633-1106)

Just be sure when checking labels there are the three curcuminoids included and the percent listed is 95. I’ve check Hans/iherb site and it appears the Jarrow 95 has the right numbers although I see no reference to using the patented extract by Sabinsa.

[www.curcuminoids.com]

I’m going to this extent to provide info on the Sabinsa product because of their research on the remarkable properties and health-giving benefits of curcumin/C3. Don’t spend your money on cheap substitutes that may not deliver if you are intent on correcting a specific condition.

[www.npicenter.com]
[www.npicenter.com]
[www.sabinsa.com]
[www.sabinsa.com]
[www.curcuminoids.com]


Studies show that a combination of scientifically-extracted forms of curcumin…called curcuminoids and specifically: Curcumin, Bisdemethoxy curcumin, and Demethoxy curcumin bisdemethoxy not only scavenges and neutralizes harmful existing free radicals; it also prevents their formation in the first place. These interactive antioxidants are proven to protect and strengthen vulnerable organs such as the colon, liver and heart. In addition, these standardized substances give the body powerful, natural tools to better control and diminish systemic inflammation.

The naturally occurring turmeric root powder contains only 5-7% curcumin, whilethe C3 Curcumin Complex extract is concentrated to contain 95% curcuminoids,among which Curcumin represents the majority, 70% of the total extract. This means supplementing C3 Curcumin Complex would be far more therapeutic than simply adding turmeric to food.

The crystalline structure of curcumin renders it difficult to absorb in the GI tract, similar to CoQ10. The C3 complex has lecithin to enhance absorbability and it is recommended to be taken with meals that contain a healthy fat or Omega 3 fish oils.

Curcumin shows excellent safety. It has been demonstrated to be safe in six human trials and hasdemonstrated anti-inflammatory activity.1

Curcumin was shown to be more effective than certain NSAIDs in reducing inflammation and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis15 or post-operative trauma.2 It has a better cardiovascular safety profile than aspirin because itdoes not inhibit the arterial protective factor prostacyclin like aspirin does.3 Curcumin acts on the mother compound NF Kappa beta. By suppressing this inflammatory marker, curcumin has a domino effect of reducing the entire cascade of inflammatory compoundsthat would be produced thereafter.

Curcumin has an advantage over pharmacological anti-inflammatory agents because it is a powerful antioxidant so itcan also reduce COX expression along with being a COX 1 and COX 2 inhibitor. Where NSAIDS are known to have potential GI side-effects such as GI bleeding, curcumin was shown in one study to heal GI injury caused by the NSAID indomethacin4. Amazingly, curcumin and resveratrol have been proven to be even stronger antiinflammatories than ibuprofen and aspirin.

Other benefits of curcumin
• Lowers histamine and improves allergies 5,6
• May be helpful for autoimmune conditions 7, 8, 9
• Curcumin and vitamin D3 can act in synergy 10
• Has anti-microbial activities.11, 12,13
• GI Protection - may benefit ulcer, proctitis (inflammation of the rectum common in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's
disease) and reduce leaky gut syndrome.4, 14
• Antiviral6 Epstein Barr 23 and HIV virus 12 24
• Antibacterial, antiparasitic11

Cardiovascular Protection- may lower total cholesterol, fibrinogen and platelet aggregation, while increasing HDL and decreasing
lipid peroxidation. 15,16,17, 3

Brain Protection- Curcumin pretreatment reduced brain damage following ischemia/stroke 18 and from heavy alcohol intake.19
Curcumin reduced development and severity of Alzeimer's disease in animal models by reducing plaque aggregation and plaque induced oxidative stress and was even capable of dissociating existing plaque.17 Its chelating ability for iron and copper ions is also believed to play a beneficial role in reducing progression of the disease.20

Liver Protection- Curcumin pretreatment was shown to reduce the liver damage induced by alcohol 21 and aflatoxin 22 (the fungal toxin often found along with peanuts/peanut butter).

Dosage: There is no upper level of toxicity established for turmeric or curcumin. A range of 200-1200mg/day was used for various applications with significant benefits. The effective dose may depend on the severity of inflammation.

One factor that affects inflammation and proliferation is the AA/EPA ratio in cell membranes. The higher the AA/EPA ratio the higher the demand for the inhibition of COX and LOX enzymes, so a higher dose of curcumin may be necessary.

Interactions: Patients on blood thinning therapy10, with gall stones (stimulates bile flow), ulcers, GI inflammatory conditions (although beneficial in most cases) should be monitored closely. Not recommended during pregnancy. Inhibits various P450 enzymes.23

Inhibits growth of lactobacillus 11 so supplementation with probiotics is recommended.

Beware of Impurities in Curcumin

A recent publication of Consumer Labs reports that their testing of curcumin (tumeric) found several brands contaminated with lead and several lacking curcumin content as labeled.

This is the lead-in paragraph:

"Turmeric supplements have become increasingly popular due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. But ConsumerLab.com found a product to contain 18.7 mcg of lead in a daily serving — the highest amount it has ever reported. Another well-known brand was contaminated with 8.3 mcg of lead. These amounts are well above those to which people are normally exposed and should be avoided.

On top of that, two other products provided only 11.5% and 49.5%, respectively, of expected curcumin compounds. A fifth product did not specify the part of the plant used — a FDA labeling requirement. Only eight products passed testing.

The worst brand was NSI® Nutraceutical® Sciences Institute Superior™ Turmeric Curcuma Longa and contained 18l70 mcg of lead in two capsules – the suggested serving. As an example, the State of California – the only state to regulate lead in supplements – requires a warning label on any product containing over .05 mcg per day. (NSI is the ‘house brand’ of VitaCost – online supplement supplier - my comment)

Lead contamination in the body is particularly troubling. With the imports from off shore, heavy metal contamination of foods and product is of growing concern. So it pays to buy from a company that says they manufacture to Good Manufacturing Practices and assay their product as received in raw material and as finished product. These are difficult to find. Do your homework online and learn what you can about the quality of the curcumin you are taking.

The other brands named were Solgar® Standardize Full Potency™ Turmeric Root – (lead content)

Ageless Cures Curcumin C3 Complex – curcumin content below labeled
Physician Formulas, Inc. Curcumin & Turmeric - same
Vibrant Health® Maximized Turmeric- label infraction – source plant not listed

As I scanned down the label ingredients of the 14 products tested, I noted that New Chapter Tumeric Force was the only brand that included Maltodextrin as an additive to the turmeric preparation.

The Jarrow 95 product was not among those that CL tested.

Jackie

References:
Designs for Health C3 product data sheet

1)Chainani-Wu N.. Safety and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin: a component of turmeric (Curcuma longa). J Altern Complement Med. 2003 Feb;9(1):161-8.
2) Satoskar RR, Shah SJ, Evaluation of anti-inflammatory property of curcumin (diferuloyl methane) in patients with postoperative inflammation. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol.
1986 Dec;24(12):651-4.
3)Srivastava V, et al. Effect of Curcumin on Platelet Aggregation and Vascular Prostacyclin Synthesis. Arzneim Forsch/Drug Res. 1986;36:715-17.
4)Swarnakar S, Ganguly K.Curcumin regulates expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases 9 and 2 during prevention and healing of indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer. J
Biol Chem. 2005 Mar 11;280(10):9409-15. Epub 2004 Dec 22
5). Suzuki M, Nakamura T. Elucidation of anti-allergic activities of curcumin-related compounds with a special reference to their anti-oxidative activities. Biol Pharm Bull. 2005
Aug;28(8):1438-43
6). Kobayashi T, Hashimoto S Curcumin inhibition of Dermatophagoides farinea-induced interleukin-5 (IL-5) and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)
production by lymphocytes from bronchial asthmatics. Biochem Pharmacol. 1997 Oct 1;54(7):819-24
7) Deodhar SD, et al. Preliminary Studies on Anti-Rheumatic Activity of Curcumin. Ind J Med Res. 1980;71:632.
8) Holt PR, Katz S Curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study. Dig Dis Sci. 2005 Nov;50(11):2191-3.
9). Natarajan C, Bright JJ Curcumin inhibits experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by blocking IL-12 signaling through Janus kinase-STAT pathway in T lymphocytes. J Immunol.
2002 Jun 15;168(12):6506-1329 Kim SY, Jung SH
10) Danilenko M, Studzinski GP.. Enhancement by other compounds of the anti-cancer activity of vitamin D(3) and its analogs. Exp Cell Res. 2004 Aug 15;298(2):339-58.
11) Araujo CC, Leon LL.Biological activities of Curcuma longa L. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2001 Jul;96(5):723-8.
12) Mazumder A, et al. Inhibition of Human Immunodefficiency Virus Type-I Integrase by Curcumin. Biochem. Pharmacol. 1995;49(11):1165-70.
13)Barthelemy S, et al. Curcumin and Curcumin Derivatives Inhibit Tat-mediated Transactivation of Type 1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Long Terminal Repeat. Res Virol.
Jan1998;149(1):43-52.
14)Holt PR, Katz S Curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study. Dig Dis Sci. 2005 Nov;50(11):2191-3.
15)Soni KB, et al. Effect of Oral Curcumin Administration on Serum Peroxides and Cholesterol Levels in Human Volunteers. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. Oct1992;36(4):273-75.
16)Miquel J, Bernd A, The curcuma antioxidants: pharmacological effects and prospects for future clinical use. A review. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2002 Feb;34(1):37-46.
17)Yang F, Lim GP. Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2005 Feb 18;280(7):5892-901. Epub 2004 Dec 7.
18)Wang Q, Sun AY, Neuroprotective mechanisms of curcumin against cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis and behavioral deficits. J Neurosci Res. 2005 Oct 1;82(1):138-48.
19) Rajakrishnan V, Viswanathan P Neuroprotective role of curcumin from curcuma longa on ethanol-induced brain damage. Phytother Res. 1999 Nov;13(7):571-4.
20)Baum L, Ng A. Curcumin interaction with copper and iron suggests one possible mechanism of action in Alzheimer's disease animal models. J Alzheimers Dis. 2004 Aug;6(4):367-77.
21)Rajakrishnan V, Jayadeep A, Changes in the prostaglandin levels in alcohol toxicity: effect of curcumin and N-acetylcysteine. J Nutr Biochem. 2000 Oct;11(10):509-14
22)Soni KB, Rajan A. Reversal of aflatoxin induced liver damage by turmeric and curcumin. Cancer Lett. 1992 Sep 30;66(2):115-21.
23)Thapliyal R, Maru GB. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 isozymes by curcumins in vitro and in vivo. Food Chem Toxicol. 2001 Jun;39(6):541-7.
23)Yadav VS, Mishra KP, Immunomodulatory effects of curcumin. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2005;27(3):485-97.
24) Barthelemy S, et al. Curcumin and Curcumin Derivatives Inhibit Tat-mediated Transactivation of Type 1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Long Terminal Repeat. Res Virol. Jan1998;149(1):43-52.

Couple of other studies:

Curcumin induces changes in expression of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis
Authors: Peschel D, Koerting R, Nass N.
Source: J Nutr Biochem. 2006 May 16
Abstract:
Curcuminoids, the yellow pigments of curcuma, exhibit anticarcinogenic, antioxidative and hypocholesterolemic activities. To understand the molecular basis for the hypocholesterolemic effects, we examined the effects of curcumin on hepatic gene expression, using the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 as a model system. Curcumin treatment caused an up to sevenfold, concentration-dependent increase in LDL-receptor mRNA, whereas mRNAs of the genes encoding the sterol biosynthetic enzymes HMG CoA reductase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase were only slightly increased at high curcumin concentrations where cell viability was reduced. Expression of the regulatory SREBP genes was moderately increased, whereas mRNAs of the PPARalpha target genes CD36/fatty acid translocase and fatty acid binding protein 1 were down-regulated. LXRalpha expression and accumulation of mRNA of the LXRalpha target gene ABCg1 were increased at low curcumin concentrations. Although curcumin strongly inhibited alkaline phosphatase activity, an activation of a retinoic acid response element reporter employing secreted alkaline phosphatase was observed. These changes in gene expression are consistent with the proposed hypocholesterolemic effect of curcumin.

Ingredient That Makes Curry Yellow Effective Against Melanoma Cells
Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice turmeric and a key
ingredient in yellow curry inhibits melanoma cell growth and stimulates tumor cell death, according to a new study. Published in the August 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also elucidates curcumin's intracellular mechanisms of action in this type of tumor.

As well as showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has
been shown to have anti-cancer properties. In other tumors, it has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and stimulate apoptosis, an intracellular mechanism for cells of all types to "kill" themselves. To evaluate the compound's efficacy in melanoma, researchers led by Razelle
Kurzrock, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston treated three melanoma cell lines with curcumin at different doses
and for different duration.

Results show that curcumin treatment decreased cell viability in all three
cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, curcumin induced apoptosis in tumor cells at high concentrations for short periods of time and low concentrations for long periods of time - a new finding in the study of curcumin.

Curcumin was found to suppress two specific proteins normally part of an
intracellular pathway that prevents apoptosis when stimulated. Curcumin
partially inhibited NF-êB and strongly inhibited its upstream stimulator
and another independent inhibitor of apoptosis, IKK. However, it did not
suppress two other signaling pathways associated with melanomas and tumor proliferation, B-Raf/MEK/ERK and Akt pathways.

"Based on our studies, we conclude the curcumin is a potent suppressor of
cell viability and inducer of apoptosis in melanoma cell lines," said the
authors, adding "Future investigation to determine the effects of curcumin
in animal models of melanoma and clinical trials are planned."

"Curcumin-Induced Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects in Melanoma
Cells Are Associated with Suppression of IêB Kinase and Nuclear Factor êB Activity and Are Independent of the B-Raf/Mitogen-Activated/Extracellular Signal-Regulated Protein Kinase Pathway and the Akt Pathway"
Doris R. Siwak, Shishir Shishodia, Bharat B. Aggarwal, Razelle Kurzrock
CANCER
Published Online: July 11, 2005 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21216)
Print Issue Date: August 15, 2005

"Spicing Up" of the Immune System by Curcumin
Jagetia GC, Aggarwal BB. Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice often found in curry powder. Traditionally known for its an antiinflammatory effects, curcumin has been shown in the last two decades to be a potent immunomodulatory agent that can modulate the activation of T cells, B cells, macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. Curcumin can also downregulate the expression of various proinflammatory cytokines including TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and chemokines, most likely through inactivation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB.

Interestingly, however, curcumin at low doses can also enhance antibody responses. This suggests that curcumin's reported beneficial effects in 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. Together, these findings warrant further consideration of curcumin as a therapy for immune disorders. PMID: 17211725 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Hello Jackie, thanks very much for this report. I have been taking the Doctor's Best curcumin from Hans' vitamin store. The label reads Turmeric Root [curcuma longa] [curcumin C3 complex] 527 mg supplying 500 mg total curcuminoids. Also there is some bioperine in there too, as is common in Doctors Best products. Label recommends 1-3 caps a day with food.

I have been experimenting with it as a substitute for the more expensive zyflamend. When taking 2 caps twice a day, it was helpful with the "normal" arthritic type aches and pains a person my age can expect, but recently i upped the dose to 3 caps twice a day and that has had a much better effect. Once this particular crop of twinges has been abated for a while, i think i will gradually reduce the dose and see if i can get along with less of it. When i reorder i will get the Jarrow brand and see if i can tell a difference.

You mention that it inhibits the growth of lactobacillus and that confirms my suspicion of it as the reason my usual dose of Ganeden Digestive Advantage for lactose intolerance has also had to be increased in order to maintain its effectiveness.

PeggyM

Peggy,

I just read the reviews on the Jarrow brand at the iHerb website. The last review mentioned that the capsules are "a little large but go down easily." Would that size be a problem for you?

[www.iherb.com]

Marian

Marian, i don't think so but will try them and see. The Doctor's Best brand Mg glycinate tabs i take are sure enough horsepill size, but they do go down all right.
PeggyM

Peggy - on the lactose intolerance - typically it is the lack of being able to produce the enzyme, lactase, that is the problem with this intolerance.... but if you notice a difference with lactobacillus - who am I to say?

However, if you have a food sensitivity to anything, including lactose, and persist to consume it, you risk doing damage to the intestine and continue to overtax the immune system...as was mentioned in the Heartburn series. And following along that line, this cascades down to other manifestations in the body such as arthritic pain etc. Often just giving up the foods to which one is intolerant is the best and most healthy approach as it corrects the problem at the source. Otherwise, all those issues mentioned in Heartburn series become a reality.

Jackie

Jackie, the idea with the whatzit i am taking for the lactose intolerance is that this particular brand of critter produces the lactase one is no longer producing for oneself. This bacterium is a transient in the gut, though, and needs to be reupped once a day to keep its population constant. Big improvement over taking lactase itself, which needs to be used with every lactose-containing food. Cost effective too.

I hear you on just stopping all sources of lactose, though. Have done so with the sole exception of a little canned milk in my organic coffee. [I was fed canned milk as a baby, so i like the taste of it. Persons without this background do not enjoy it at all, it seems. Each her own.] And sometimes i eat out, too, and the salad dressings used in restaurants often contain milk, apparently, judging from the result.

Thanks again for this excellent report, quite up to your usual standard.

PeggyM