SupplySide West: Look to the Past for Curcumin's Future

LAS VEGASTumeric, and its component curcumin, may be the anti-inflammatory "angel" the natural products industry has been looking for, according to Giovanni Appendino, pharmacy professor at Università del Piemonte Orientale. Appendino discussed emerging and established science behind the botanical, and its benefits for joint health and healthy aging in his presentation "Whats Next with the Science of Turmeric and Curcumin?" at SupplySide West on Nov. 15.

"Curcumin seems to be an intelligent and sustainable anti-inflammatory agent," Appendino told the SupplySide West education session attendees. Often, a first-line defense for inflammation are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but they often come with severe side effects over time, Appendino said.

The water-insoluble curcumin has established anti-inflammatory benefits, but its bioavailability can present problems, as Appendino explained, "Curcumin doesn't make friends easily." 

Instead, "Let's first listen to the people who have been using turmeric for thousands of years," Appendino said, referring to the Indian cuisine that has incorporated the spice for centuries. In curries, curcumin is often paired with milk, which contains lecithin.

He then detailed results from an Indena-sponsored study, published in Journal of Natural Products. In the randomized, double blind study, nine participants received either a soybean-based phospholipid-curcumin formulation (as Meriva, from Indena) or a non-formulated curcmin mixture (J. Nat. Prod. 2011. DOI: 10.1021/np1007262). Researchers found Meriva improved absorption 29-fold.

Moving forward, Appendino suggested curcmin be used not just after inflammation has already occurred, but before the issue arises. To illustrate, he offered this parable: If someone is going to jump off a cliff, should you build a fence at the edge or send an ambulance to the bottom?  "Curcumin has been waiting at the bottom of the cliff, but I think it should be used to build a fence," he said.