What is it?
The benefits of curcumin
Curcumin is a natural molecule found in the rhizome of the turmeric. On the one hand, it is the pigment that gives it its yellow-orange color. On the other hand, it is the active ingredient responsible for its medicinal properties.
Curcumin notably exerts an anti-inflammatory action. Thus, it fights chronic inflammatory diseases (arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease…). It also improves the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
As a polyphenolic pigment, it is also a powerful antioxidant as shown by this study. It neutralizes free radicals responsible for cellular aging while stimulating the body’s antioxidant enzymes. It also has anti-cancer potential.
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Finally, curcumin is recognized for beneficial effects on mental well-being. It acts as a natural anti-stress agent to reduce anxiety and fight depression. Moreover, as shown by this study, it increases serotonin and dopamine levels.
Piperine, a cofactor
If you’re looking for a curcumin-based dietary supplement, you’ll find that it is often combined with piperine. This natural alkaloid is derived from black pepper. It is responsible for the pungency and for triggering sneezing.
But piperine is not just an active ingredient. It is also used as a cofactor in the formulation of dietary supplements.
Cofactors help improve the absorption of an active ingredient, i.e., its ability to cross membranes and reach the intestine.
However, some molecules, including curcumin, have low absorption capacity and cannot pass through the intestinal mucosa. Insoluble in water, they often have a molecular weight that is too high.
To address this problem, it is combined with a cofactor: piperine. In this 1998 study, it resulted in better absorption of curcumin in our bodies, up to 20 times greater.
So combining them seems to be the best way to enjoy the benefits of curcumin. But is that really the case?
What results from combining curcumin and piperine?
Limited effectiveness
Since the 1998 study, very few researchers have been able to observe such significant results. Studies often show limited effectiveness of the curcumin/piperine combination.
If using piperine as a cofactor does indeed increase curcumin bioavailability, the rate of improvement is often less than 10%. Far from the 2000 % achieved by Professor Shoba.
Potential risks
Researchers have also highlighted the potential risks of this combination. The results of this study show that piperine can promote increased intestinal permeability. In that case, the intestine allows unwanted substances such as heavy metals to pass through.
However, these results should be put into perspective, as they were obtained in rats and at high doses. No other study has confirmed this side effect.
How to get the most benefit from curcumin?
For optimal curcumin absorption, the dietary supplement should have a ratio of 1 mg of piperine per 100 mg of curcumin.
However, this is rarely the case, the price per kilogram of piperine being very high. And manufacturers often do not indicate its content.
Some also include vectorized curcumin. It is not combined with piperine but is attached to a vector to increase its absorption. In this study, this technique showed greater absorption than a conventional curcumin/piperine combination.
It is also sometimes encapsulated in a fatty carrier because curcumin is liposoluble. It can thus be transported and cross the intestinal barrier.
