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| Turmeric Root (Photo credit: Steenbergs) |
The same thing has been found with resveratrol, SAM-e and other specialty nutrients. If they are not protected from stomach acid by an enteric coating, they do not make it to the bloodstream.
Enteric coatings are not necessary for common vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C and calcium, or even some antioxidants like lycopene and lutein, but they are necessary for curcumin and many others. Most herbal supplements are capsules filled with powders. The maximum milligram per serving that you will see for curcumin is about 600mg. If 10,000mg do not increase blood levels, then 600 certainly cannot.
You might think that taking turmeric capsules is better than nothing. If you are concerned about digestive health, then the capsule may be beneficial. But, there are not enough studies to confirm that. Right now, we are still waiting on clinical studies to be conducted. All of the research, except for that concerning bioavailability, has been conducting using cell lines and animal models.
