Holland & Barrett Liquid Curcumin vs Supplement Place Liquid Curcumin | Review

If one medicinal spice gives pharmaceutical companies reason to be afraid, that spice is undoubtedly turmeric. The fact is, that rather than causing more side effects than therapeutic benefits, which unfortunately is the norm with most patented pharmaceutical products, turmeric (or to be precise, it’s active ingredient, curcumin) has been proven to give a huge number of side benefits.

What the Scientists Say

It is curcuminoids, as opposed to whole turmeric powder, which is used in research trials to establish clinical benefits. Within the root of turmeric are a range of compounds and these are known as curcuminoids. The term curcuminoid refers to this group of compounds which are responsible for the deep yellow colour of turmeric.

Curcumin is one of these compounds and it is curcumin which is the powerhouse of all the curcuminoids. When a supplement manufacturer states that the product has 95% standardised curcumin, what is generally meant is that 95% of the composition is a curcuminoid mixture. One of these compounds is curcumin and it is this particular element which is responsible for the main health benefits.

Here are just some of the clinically proven and demonstrated properties of curcumin:

• Inhibiting multi-drug resistant cancers
• Inhibiting cancer stem cells
• Protecting against radiation-induced damage
• Reducing unhealthy levels of inflammation
• Improving brain function
• Protecting against Alzheimer’s disease
• Protecting against, and inhibiting, the effects of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes
• Improving blood flow, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease and stimulating cardiovascular function
  protection against the body’s own anti-inflammatory response running out of control

If you would like to discover more of the overwhelming amount of evidence of the healing and protective potential of the polyphenol curcumin, this information is documented in the National Library of Medicine’s bibliographic database Medline.

Note: When taking curcumin in powder form it is necessary to combine it with piperine, the active ingredient of black pepper. However, if extracted curcumin is taken in liquid form it becomes very much more acceptable within the digestive system and the addition of piperine is no longer necessary.

Holland and Barrett Liquid Curcumin Compared with Supplement Place

We’ve researched the liquid curcumin supplement offered by high street natural health chain Holland & Barrett as compared with the equivalent product available from Supplement Place. The target of this exercise was to establish the effectiveness of both products. Here are our findings:

Holland & Barrett liquid curcumin - East Meets West (Capsules)

Pros:

• A liquid curcumin product in capsule form
• It also contains vitamin D3
• The bottle contains 30 capsules costing £0.30 each
• Each capsule contains 500mg curcumin solution plus 216. I.U vitamin D.
• High strength curcumin supplement with a greater bioavailability than their standard powdered curcumin products
• Curcumin in liquid form is bioavailable ie. able to be utilised within the digestive system
• It may be less aggressive for those with sensitivity to certain spices

Cons:

• Contraindications of this product are that the concentrated curcumin extract may slow blood clotting so should be used with caution and only with advice from a doctor if taken alongside medication which slows clotting of blood

Supplement Place Liquid Curcumin with Vitamins C and D3 (Capsules)

• Each capsule contains liquid curcumin 500mg (bioequivalent of <10g curcuminoids).
• Contains vitamin D3 5mcg and vitamin C 10mg
• The high-quality liquid curcumin formula used in this product consists of tiny clusters of molecules called micelles and these are resistant to stomach acids during the digestive process. This ensures the curcumin remains in the gut and retains biological activity for over 24 hours, making this supplement extremely bioavailable (see references below for further information on this formula)
• May be easier on the digestive system for those with sensitivity to certain spices

Cons:

• Contraindications of this product are that the strength of the extracted curcumin may slow blood clotting so should be used with caution and only with advice from a doctor if taken alongside medication which slows clotting of blood

Conclusions

1. Holland & Barrett’s liquid curcumin product does provide a high level of bioavailability
2. Supplement Place have the edge with their exceptional curcumin formula which has a gastric acid resistant element
3. Both products contain vitamin D3. Supplement Place liquid curcumin also contains vitamin C
4. Supplement Place also has the advantage of using a formula which is of a standard 95% curcuminoid composition