Turmeric? The right dose is vital for results
CURCUMIN is a minor compound of turmeric, the Indian spice widely used in curries. Thousands of published studies have already shown curcumin's exciting capacity to benefit those with a range of health conditions. But until now it has been difficult to enable the human body to absorb the large volumes required. A 45g supermarket jar of ground turmeric is less than 2 per cent curcumin, which means It contains less than 19 of the active ingredient. So a whole jar of turmeric would not contain even one daily curcumin dose. Not only that, but studies have shown that most people cannot absorb enough curcumin in Its natural form to benefit, which means that simple curcumin tablets might not work However, there has now been a major step forward in harnessing the unique power of curcumin. The discovery of a way to standardise the dose and boost the body's absorption of the compound has brought new hope that curcumin's therapeutic properties can at last be delivered In a reliable way with every tablet. It follows more than a decade of research Internationally by scientists working In university laboratories. They were looking bra way of boosting curcumin absorption, and succeeded In combining It with plant-based phospholiplds from soy beans. Phospholipids are a class of fat that is a major component of all cell membranes — and studies have shown that combining them with curcumin will produce a 29-told increase in its uptake. The supplement. now available to British consumers. has excited the interest of researchers trying to find a reliable and measured dose to demonstrate the properties of curcumin. The product is manufactured to pharmaceutical grade and there are now further studies under way to demonstrate its benefits. 'We are very excited by the level of interest from scientists.' said Alf Lindberg. a former secretary to the committee of the Nobel Prize in medicine and a chief scientific officer to the manufacturers. At last, we think we have a way to deliver a reliable. regular dose of this compound. We're hopng the latest trials will give definitive proof of the benefits of the supplement.'