Tag Archive for: antioxidant

Curcumin: Question 3

/in /by

Most super herbs and juices come from other countries—açai from Brazil and noni from Southeast Asia to Australia. Curcumin seems to have been used in India for hundreds of years. As we finish this look on questions we should ask about the latest and greatest nutrient, juice, or herb, this is most likely the simplest question of all. Here’s the obvious question: do the people where the herb is traditionally used live longer than we do in the U.S.?

I’ll stick with curcumin and India. Although our official life expectancy just decreased a couple of . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Curcumin: Question 1

/in /by

In April, I wrote about curcumin, the latest popular supplement proclaimed to fix what ails us; it’s an antioxidant, reduces inflammation, and may have other beneficial properties in treating cancer and improving memory. But over the holiday weekend, I thought about the questions that still need to be answered. The questions apply to just about any nutrient that’s purported to be the latest and greatest—juices such as açai or noni or powders such as moringa.

Let’s begin with antioxidant properties. Could the amounts used in supplements be too much? Curcumin is poorly absorbed; that’s . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

PQQ: The Bottom Line

/in /by

I’ve told you about PQQ this week because I’ve been asked about it so often. First I talked about the infomercial; the hype is tremendous if you spent the 30 minutes or so to watch it. There are actually a couple of different ads that essentially say the same thing. Then I showed you the research or rather lack of it. Why write anything more? Because there are things you should know about PQQ that I’m going to cover today.

PQQ is . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

PQQ: The Research

/in /by

PQQ was identified in the late 1970s, and since then there have been 796 studies of all types on PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone). The majority of those studies have been done in test tubes to determine exactly what PQQ is and what it does; those are necessary, but reveal little about its real impact on health. For that, you need clinical trials on human subjects.

There have been three studies done on humans (1,2,3); the total number of subjects has been less than 50. One study demonstrated that PQQ is absorbed when given as a supplement and had some . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Curcumin Research

/in /by

Curcumin is fast becoming one of the most researched phytonutrients in the world. As evidence, in 2000, there were about 100 papers published on curcumin; in 2015, there were 1,100 papers published. And in the first quarter of this year, there were over 400 papers published. Why all the attention on this yellow phytonutrient?

I mentioned the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities on Tuesday. The focus of a lot of research is for curcumin’s use as a potential cancer treatment and preventive for Alzheimer’s disease. Most of these are test-tube studies. Researchers are trying to examine . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Curcumin and Pepper

/in /by

I’m just back from Peoria, and there’s nothing like spending a couple of days with health-conscious people to yield some very interesting questions. This week, I’m going to examine one question in detail: is turmeric absorbed as effectively without pepper in the blend? A phytonutrient found in turmeric called curcumin is being extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. But pepper? I checked into it and here’s what I found.

In a study done in 1998, researchers examined the absorption of curcumin with and without piperine, the phytonutrient that provides the pungent smell . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.