A daily 1,000 mg dose of Sabinsa’s C3 Complex for eight weeks was associated with significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol, and increases in HDL cholesterol, according to findings published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
“Curcumin is so well known for addressing inflammation,” Shaheen Majeed, Sabinsa Marketing Director told NutraIngredients-USA, “but this research opens up a new direction in the already robust body of science on C3 Complex, which increases its value.”
The company’s C3 Complex is a mixture of three curcuminoids combined with piperine (Bioperine) to boost bioavailability.
“This study is the first trial investigating the efficacy and safety of adjunctive therapy with curcuminoids-piperine combination in patients with metabolic syndrome, receiving standard treatment,” he added. “The results of the trial supported the effectiveness of the adjunctive therapy with significant decrease in serum concentration LDL-C, non-HDL-C, total cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and elevation in serum concentration of HDL-C in patients in comparison to the standard therapy alone.
“The present study also highlighted the efficacy of use of co-administering BioPerine as a bioavailability enhancer.”
Mainstream
Curcumin/turmeric supplements finally tipped over into the mainstream last year. According to a report published in the American Botanical Council’s HerbalGram, sales of herbal dietary supplements with turmeric/curcumin as the primary ingredient grew by 26.2% in 2013 to take the top spot in the natural channel.
Sabinsa’s Majeed expects that growth to not only continue to quicken. “We have not lowered our forecasts for Curcumin,” he said, “and in fact have raised it significantly.
“There are some interesting formulas (combinations of Curcumin with other ingredients) that have yet to come out, even different types of dosage forms, and the functional food side for Curcumin has yet to grow.
“Consumers have not heard enough of Curcumin and there are still many marketing areas to be explored - this study is just one example, and we, as always, hope that science wins over hype.”
New science
Writing in Complementary Therapies in Medicine scientists from Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences in Iran, the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and the University of Western Australia reported the results of a randomized clinical trial with 100 people with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the C3 Complex supplements or placebo for eight weeks.
Results showed that the curcuminoids were more effective than placebo in decreasing total and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoprotein (a) levels, while HDL-cholesterol levels increased.
“This study is also more evidence of safety and efficacy of the C3 Complex and BioPerine combination, providing health benefits,” said Majeed.
“Essentially this study is saying that there is more to Curcumin than just antioxidant / anti-inflammatory benefits. Now how marketing companies using C3 Complex, which is the only curcumin this study applies to because of its unique, patented composition will leverage that remains to be seen. In this particular case, where cholesterol levels are concerned, one could look at heart healthy benefits of our Curcumin.”
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
The same researchers have also published additional data from the same clinical trial that further strengthened the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of the company’s C3 Complex.
Writing in Clinical Nutrition, the researchers reported that supplementation with the curcuminoid-piperine combination showed significant reductions in markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein or CRP) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde or MDA), compared with placebo.
The researchers also performed a meta-analysis of eight studies with 562 participants. Results of this supported the CRP-lowering activity of curcuminoids, they said.
“In view of the existing evidence, curcuminoids could be suggested as an effective supplement to be used for the management of MetS,” they wrote.
Source: Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Volume 22, Issue 5, Pages 851–857, doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.07.006
“Lipid-modifying effects of adjunctive therapy with curcuminoids–piperine combination in patients with metabolic syndrome: Results of a randomized controlled trial”
Authors: Y. Panahi, N. Khalili, M.S. Hosseini, M. Abbasinazari, A. Sahebkar
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2014.12.019
“Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcuminoid-Piperine Combination in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial and an Updated Meta-Analysis”
Authors: Y. Panahi, M.S. Hosseini, N. Khalili, E. Naimi, M. Majeed, A. Sahebkar