Theracurmin
Theracurmin is curcumin that has been reduced in particle size to nanoparticles (very small). They are emulsified with polysaccharides derived from gum ghatti so they much better absorbed than regular curcumin.
The company says Theracurmin is the most bioavailable form of curcumin available – and stays available longer than even other ‘enhanced’ products’.
Their claims may be accurate for there are 17+ original papers linked to Theracurmin and the evidence is compelling! Trials have shown that Theracurmin is about 40x blood levels and 27x higher AUC (more bioavailable) than regular curcumin powder. Really exciting is that it has a half-life of 13 (+/-3) hours. This is wonderful for fighting inflammation.
Theracurmin® compared to competitors. They don’t state who “Product B” and “Product M” are but if we had to guess, our bet is that it’s BioPerine and Meriva (more on that last brand in a minute).
Ideal in beverages – Theracurmin is also easily dissolved and stays dissolved in water (regular curcumin, which is relatively insoluble in water). This makes it ideal in beverages, especially useful for people who have troubles swallowing pills.
It proved very stable in light irradiation tests, meaning it’s probably OK when stored in transparent and translucent bottles. Lastly, it proved largely stable when exposed to heat of 95°C and 120°C (203°F and 248°F). That means it holds up in pasteurization (but not yet tested for typical hotter cooking temperatures.
(Longvida – Now, in a match-up of Theracurmin versus Longvida, which is best? For brain disease, we’d still have to give it to Longvida since it does have clinical support to cross the blood-brain barrier. However, Theracurmin may do the same, it just hasn’t been tested for that yet.
In regard to the chronic inflammation effect and to anti-cancer properties, we think the Theracurmin is superior. This is especially true in higher dosages.)
Meriva (20% curcumin, 80% phospholipids)
Meriva (sometines also called Phytosome) was developed by Indena S.p.A., a 90+ year old privately owned Italian company. The added proprietary ingredient, which they call Phytosome (thus, the separate name), is used as a means to increase absorption of curcumin.
The Meriva claims can be summed up pretty easily. It is simply curcumin + phospholipids. The phospholipids are soy-derived, which different than those in Longvida.
Press releases by the company describe a 29x (2,900%) increase in total curcuminoid absorption. “Total” is a key word because, as mentioned above in the Theracurcumin section, there are 2 additional curuminoids besides the curcumin usually mentioned. (These other 2 are desmethoxycurcumin and bis-desmethoxycurcumin.)
Published in 2011, this double blind study speaks for itself:
“Remarkably, phospholipid formulation increased the absorption of demethoxylated curcuminoids much more than that of curcumin, with significant differences in plasma curcuminoid profile between Meriva and its corresponding unformulated curcuminoid mixture. Thus, the major plasma curcuminoid after administration of Meriva was not curcumin, but demethoxycurcumin, a more potent analogue in many in vitro anti-inflammatory assays. The improved absorption, and possibly also a better plasma curcuminoid profile, might underlie the clinical efficacy of Meriva at doses significantly lower than unformulated curcuminoid mixtures. (bold emphasis added)”(13)
This is a major reason for our addition of Meriva to Theracurmin. They come at inflammation from different angles to make a stronger supplement.
So Who’s The Winner?
For Curcumin Bioavailability, Theracurmin is the clear winner. The enhanced absorption of others with piperine (i.e. BioPerine) is trivial compared to what nano-particle size (i.e. Theracurmin) can accomplish. Presumably this is why Longvida doesn’t even include piperine… that was a first generation supplement.
For the Complete Package of Curcuminoids, Meriva, with its phospholipids, adds the rest of a concentrated power enhanced curcumin anti-inflammatory.
The winner is a combination of both
added to the other 4 nutrients
in Infla-Mazing.