Ever since the first turmeric supplement came onto the market, there has been a constant push on the part of supplement manufacturers both big and small to make the best product possible.
The biggest issue with a turmeric supplement to consider is how well it is absorbed and used by the body.
This measure is called bioavailability and determines how useful the main ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is at doing what it's supposed to do inside of you. Namely, reducing inflammation, protecting your nervous system and helping to prevent chronic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Generally, curcumin has a low bioavailability which means that the majority of what we swallow is pushed out of the digestive system with very little entering the blood stream. Even so, studies suggest that the small amount that does remain in the bloodstream is still sufficient to trigger cell death in cancer cells and "old" cells.
One of the ways that bioavailability is increased in a turmeric supplement is by combining it with fat. Curcumin is not water soluble but is fat soluble and pairing it with a high quality fat increases absorption in the stomach. Some good options include fish oil, lecithin, dark chocolate (85% or higher), flaxseed oil, almond butter (or any high quality nut butter except peanut which is a highly inflammatory food) or coconut milk.
Another synergistic option that you can combine with your turmeric supplement is quercitin, a compound found in apples, onions, grapes, citrus fruit and more, which inhibits the enzymes that deactivate curcumin.
A major discovery was that heating your turmeric or the fat that you consume with your turmeric supplement increases bioavailability significantly (up to 12x). Even though heat increases the bioavailability of curcumin, it has no significant degradation effects on the compound.
One thing that supplement manufacturers have begun doing is coupling curcumin with piperine. Piperine is a chemical found in black pepper that has been shown to increase curcumin absorption by up to 2000%!
With all of these different delivery mechanisms, it's important that you choose a supplement that avoids turmeric side effects, meets strict standards of quality and bioavailability. You've read the information in this article and my hope is that it empowers you to choose the turmeric supplement that is best for you and has the greatest effect on increasing your health and happiness while keeping inflammatory diseases and chronic conditions far at bay.
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