Dr Mercola Dr Mercola Curcumin Advanced 500mg

Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant that can also help you:

• Positively impact your good cholesterol levels
• Reduce inflammation and subsequent joint issues
• Support male prostate health
• Assist your gall bladder function
• Support postmenopausal health in women (along with exercise)

Plus, with this spice capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, curcumin’s potential as a neuro-protective nutrient and supporter of overall brain health is quite exciting.

You have many available options when searching for a turmeric/curcumin supplement. Don't make the mistake many could be making by just selecting the cheapest formula without scrutinising what's in it (and what's not).

That's why the Dr Mercola research team created a unique curcumin formula :

Curcumin Advanced:

• Utilises advanced technology to enhance bioavailability – Only a couple percent of curcumin is typically absorbed. Curcumin Advanced uses sustained-release technology and a self-emulsifying system to ensure the curcumin is highly bioavailable.
• Is sourced from raw turmeric material containing at least 95% curcuminoids
• Delivers three curcuminoids found in turmeric – Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid (active ingredient) in turmeric. But there are also two more, demethylated curcuminoids (demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin)
• Avoids unnecessary fillers, additives, and risky excipients – It makes little sense to have questionable, unnecessary ingredients in the formula.

Dr Mercola references a recently published study of 40 adults between the ages of 50 and 90 with mild memory lapses shows promising potential for curcumin for brain health.

Participants in the study received either 90 mg of a curcumin supplement twice a day for 18 months, or a placebo.

At the end of the study – and every six months afterwards – participants completed a standardised cognitive assessment. Thirty of the study subjects also underwent PET scans to look for signs of brain changes associated with memory loss.

The results? Those who received curcumin saw significant improvements in memory and concentration – a 28 percent improvement over the 18-month treatment period – and brain scans confirmed the positive benefits of curcumin.

How Bioavailability Issues Can Present a Daunting Challenge

Whether added in the food you eat or even in a supplement you might take, curcumin presents absorption challenges to your body.

Here are some of the basic issues with its bioavailability. Curcumin:

• Tends to be unstable at intestinal pH levels
• Presents a poor pharmaco-kinetic profile for absorbing it orally
• Has a tendency toward rapid elimination from your body

The bottom line with curcumin: it’s simply not easy for your body to absorb. A great deal of curcumin taken orally simply passes through your system without being absorbed. And the curcumin that does manage to get absorbed in your intestine can be quickly metabolised by the liver.

Just like curcumin’s bioavailability is challenging when consuming it in foods you eat, such is the case with supplementation as well.

In a quality test conducted a few years ago, an independent lab evaluated some turmeric/curcumin supplements and reported that:

• 20% of turmeric supplements delivered less than 15% of promised curcuminoid compounds
• Consumers need to carefully scrutinise turmeric or curcumin supplements to make sure they’re getting a quality product
• Because curcumin presents absorption challenges, certain specially-formulated products may offer greater bioavailability

So the quality of curcumin supplements is a very serious issue when choosing a curcumin supplement.

Dr Mercola spent about five years researching this phenomenal spice. With all the astounding advances in supplementation technology being made today, he is convinced that the bioavailability issue can be addressed, with this product.