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Living with arthritis or indeed, any form of chronic inflammation can be quite disconcerting and disruptive to one’s life.

Arthritis is an autoimmune and sometimes degenerative  condition, meaning that the symptoms generally worsen over time, characterized by inflammatory flares and typically running a chronic clinical course.

It is imperative therefore, to take very good care of yourself in order to as much as possible, relieve the pain, improve function, as well as successfully cope with the associated difficult emotions.

As a matter of fact, for people living with arthritis, experts recommend not only medication, but also non-drug treatments. Some of these methods include:

          1.) Dietary Modifications

          2.) Weight Loss

          3.) Physical Therapy

          4.) Complementary Therapies (like acupuncture, hot and cold therapy massage, etc.)

Of the recommended dietary changes, one which comes strongly recommended is turmeric (Curcuma longa).

Turmeric is a herb that has been in use for long in Ayurvedic medicine, which is a traditional system of treatment in India.

It predominantly contains curcuminoids, a class of compounds which may be of help in reducing pain from arthritis, as also improve cholesterol levels, and regulate blood sugar levels, among other benefits.

Research suggests that turmeric and its components are potentially able to alleviate arthritis inflammation and pain. [1][2]

Several studies suggest that curcumin may provide relief for some individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other inflammatory arthritic conditions. [3][4]

The drawback may be in the fact that Curcumin accounts for only about 3-5% of turmeric, which means that the individual with arthritis would need to ingest more of it than is available in the regular diet, hence the recommendation for dietary supplementation (95% Curcumin Extract is the standard).

These Curcumin supplements usually comprise of curcumin (diferuloylmethane), and other chemicals which are found naturally in turmeric, including demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, and these compounds are believed to possess potent anti-inflammatory properties.

How 95% Curcumin Extract Helps To Fight Inflammation:

A lot of studies have been cited which support the anti inflammatory effects of Curcumin. So how does it work?

          1. Curcumin Is An Antioxidant

Researchers suspect that certain types of inflammatory tissue injury including painful arthritis inflammation, are mediated by reactive free radicals in the body.  These free radicals lead to oxidative stress, which is also linked to inflammation. Therefore, foods like turmeric which are rich in antioxidants are great for neutralizing free radicals.

          2. Curcumin Acts As A TNF-Inhibitor

TNF is a protein produced by the immune system which contributes to inflammation. Curcumin may help to suppress the body’s response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF). [5] Research is still ongoing regarding Curcumin’s role in inhibiting TNF as this is as yet, not fully understood.

          3. Curcumin Acts As A COX Inhibitor

Typical drugs used in pain relief such as ibuprofen, (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) act by blocking the effects of COX-2 enzymes which influence inflammation that can result in pain. Curcumin posesses the chemical properties of a COX inhibitor and is able to provide reasonable pain relief. [6]

5 Ingredients To Pair With Curcumin Extract To Blast Away Arthritis Pain:

As much as curcumin holds a lot of promise as a therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of several disorders, its major drawback is its poor bioavailability, majorly due to its poor absorption, chemical instability, rapid metabolism, and rapid systemic elimination. [7]

Therefore, efforts have been made to enhance its efficacy by increasing the bioavailability. This is achieved through pairing it with other ingredients.

Some of these include:

          1. BioPerine

Bioperine is a patented extract from black pepper which is standardized to contain 95% of piperine.

Consuming  curcumin with piperine enhances the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000%, by inhibiting a reaction in the body which eliminates curcuminoids. [8]

The best and very effective curcumin supplements there are, usually contain piperine.

          2. Boswellia Serrata

Combining Curcumin with Boswellic acids which are gotten from the Boswellia Serrata plant gum is another way to enhance the bioavailability through increasing the absorption of the active components of the herb, as it makes it water and lipid soluble.

This increase can be up to 185 times compared to standard extracts. [9]

          3. AstraGin

AstraGin is a patented, completely natural plant extract which enhances absorption of nutrients, and promotes a healthy gut environment.

Consuming curcumin supplements together with an absorption-boosting supplement like AstraGin® has been shown to boost its uptake by up to 90% with no side effects.

          4. Meriva

Curcumin is better absorbed when taken with a high fat meal.

Meriva is a patented formulation of turmeric extract with lecithin, which is a type of fat that has been shown to improve curcumin absorption in humans by up to 29 times, compared to other extracts. [10]

This type of fat is also found in foods such as soybeans and eggs.

          5. Fenugreek

Curcumin’s absorption and efficiency is also enhanced when taken with a high fibre nutrient like Fenugreek seeds.

There is a type of fiber from fenugreek seeds known as galactomannans, which improve the absorption of curcuminoids. [11][12]

This combination allows slow absorption of the colloidal curcuminoids as they are released into the intestines, thereby delivering the greatest amounts of ‘free curcuminoids’ to the blood-stream.

The Bottom Line:

Turmeric is a potent herb that may be beneficial for inflammation arthritis and other conditions. Due to its poor bioavailability, it’s best taken together with ingredients that enhance its bioavailability and efficacy.

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References:

1.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25634758/

2.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16562833/

3.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24853120/

4.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752/

5.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3753829/

6.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11566484/

7.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17999464/

8.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3918523/

9.)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326181864_Bioavailable_curcumin_formulations_A_review_of_pharmacokinetic_studies_in_healthy_volunteers

10.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21413691/

11.) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464612000059

12.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27043120/