Recently, the American Botanical Council released the 2023 U.S. Herbal Supplement Market Report, and SPINS and Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) provided U.S. retail sales data for Nutreebio's report. According to NBJ data, turmeric became the best-selling herbal supplement ingredient in the natural retail market in 2023, with sales of $37.07 million, almost the same as last year. Since the mid-2010s, the annual sales growth rate of turmeric supplements has exceeded 10%. In 2018, turmeric sales in the natural channel peaked at more than $51 million. Turmeric was briefly surpassed between 2018 and 2021, but as its sales increased, turmeric returned to the top position in 2022 and 2023. As the active ingredient of turmeric, the curcumin market continues to heat up. According to Global Market Insights data, in 2020, the global market size of curcumin exceeded US$70 million. It is expected that from 2021 to 2027, its compound annual growth rate will exceed 11%, of which the compound annual growth rate of the food application market will exceed 12%.
Curcumin is a polyphenolic bioactive ingredient, mainly found in turmeric rhizomes, with a structure of diferuloylmethane. Curcumin has many functions in Ayurvedic drug formulations, such as anti-oxidation, depression relief, and lipid control. These health benefits will promote the growth of the curcumin market within the forecast time.
1. Main functions of curcumin
Bone and joint health
Curcumin helps relieve osteoarthritis pain. Some studies have found that within 30 minutes of ingestion of curcumin, curcumin degrades into substances such as ferulic aldehyde, ferulic acid, feruloyl methane, vanillin, and vanillic acid. It is speculated that these metabolites may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, thereby alleviating osteoarthritis pain. In addition, researchers found that curcumin has the chemical properties of a COX (cyclooxygenase) inhibitor, which can moderately relieve pain.
Detoxification and liver protection
Curcumin can regulate antioxidant capacity, alcohol metabolism enzyme activity (i.e., CYP2E1 inhibition), and lipid metabolism (i.e., increased activated protein kinase (AMPK)) expression after chronic alcohol intake-induced liver damage. A mouse experiment found that curcumin can protect the liver from chronic ethanol-induced damage, reduce liver tissue pathological changes and lipid accumulation, and correct the levels of common biomarkers.
Improve memory and improve cognitive ability
Studies have found that curcumin has the ability to enhance memory and improve overall cognition. The antioxidant activity of curcumin can reduce oxidative stress and inhibit cognitive decline by fighting free radicals in the body. In addition, curcumin can also improve the synthesis of DHA in the body. Studies have found that curcumin can increase the activity of multiple enzymes, which are mainly responsible for the synthesis of DHA. In addition, curcumin can also reduce neurotoxicity caused by fluoride. Curcumin may also affect neuronal development, neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and signal transduction. A study in 30 subjects (15 of whom received curcumin) found that those who took curcumin twice daily had a 28% improvement in memory. These subjects also had lower levels of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the hypothalamus and amygdala brain regions, which play key roles in memory and mood.
Immune Support
Curcumin has been shown to be a potent immunomodulator that modulates the activation of T cells, B cells, macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. Curcumin also downregulates the expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and chemokines by inactivating the transcription factor NF-kappaB.
Weight Management
Studies have found that curcumin can improve the composition of the gut microbiota. Curcumin exerts a protective metabolic effect in diet-induced obesity by downregulating adipose tissue inflammation, which may be caused by changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and the metabolism of curcumin to curcumin-O-glucuronide. In addition, studies have found that curcumin can attenuate the high fat and high cholesterol found in chronic inflammation and related metabolic diseases (including obesity) caused by a Western diet, which is achieved by regulating the function of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and intestinal barrier function. A meta-analysis showed that curcumin intake significantly reduced BMI, weight, waist circumference and leptin, and significantly increased adiponectin levels, but did not affect hip circumference ratio.
Mood and sleep management
A new animal study found that curcumin helps improve emotional health and sleep quality. Supplementing with curcumin can significantly inhibit the decrease in serotonin levels caused by stress, helping to overcome behavioral abnormalities caused by stress. In another rat study, it was found that curcumin supplementation helped restore the balance of serotonin when alcohol consumption had an adverse effect on it. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that stabilizes our mood and sense of well-being. This neurotransmitter also helps sleep, eating and digestion.
Helps improve iron absorption
A double-blind study showed that subjects taking a high dose of the iron + curcumin ingredient HydroCurc had a significant reduction in inflammatory biomarkers IL-6 and TNF-a. The study found that curcumin does not affect iron absorption, but helps iron absorption. In addition, curcumin can chelate excess free iron to prevent iron from breaking down and depositing in other areas of the body, such as the kidneys.
2. Application of curcumin
Curcumin is mostly used in supplement products such as gummy, tablets, capsules and softgels. Different ingredients are added for different functions.
Conventional curcumin capsules contain 750 mg of curcumin per capsule, mainly for joint health. Some curcumin capsules also add piperine, which can significantly improve the bioavailability of curcumin. Of course, we can also use special water-soluble technology to replace piperine to make curcumin highly absorbable. This conventional product can provide immune support, prevent the body from overwork, and help promote joint comfort.
If you focus on the function of sobering up, we recommend adding Indian turmeric and GABA, which can relieve hangovers for various drinking occasions.
If you focus on weight management, we recommend adding black pepper extract and piperine to curcumin capsules, which can help inhibit visceral fat accumulation, promote sugar decomposition, and reduce visceral fat and subcutaneous fat.
If you focus on mood and sleep management, we recommend adding functional ingredients turmeric, black wolfberry juice containing natural anthocyanins, and GABA to curcumin capsules to relieve stress for people who are under high pressure and depressed for a long time.
The above are some examples of curcumin capsules made by Nutreebio. As for curcumin soft capsules, generally speaking, each two capsules contain 1000 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and 400 mg of curcumin, which can improve memory and cognitive function.
Of course, there are other ways to combine ingredients, such as kudzu root, ginger, turmeric, and corn oligopeptides. Nutreebio welcomes our customers to customize products.
3. A series of companies launched highly bioavailable curcumin
Most curcumin is a fat-soluble component with limited solubility in the aqueous gastrointestinal environment, so the absorption rate is low. Some companies have launched highly bioavailable curcumin to address this problem.
Pharmako Biotechnologies launched its patented curcumin ingredient HydroCurc®
This is a highly bioavailable, cold water dispersible (CWD) turmeric extract. In an aqueous environment (such as the stomach), the curcumin particles in HydroCurc are freely dispersible. HydroCurc contains more than 80% curcumin content, which can provide a large amount of active ingredients in a water-dispersible formula to achieve a higher absorption rate.
Akay launched a natural, excipient-free, bioavailable curcumin CurQfen®
Using a unique curcumin and fenugreek galactomannan formula with water and oil binding capabilities. Compared with standard curcumin extracts, CurQfen® has a free curcumin content of up to 45.5 times higher in human plasma.
DolCas Biotech launches Curcurgen®, a natural water-dispersible curcumin formula
The formula has enhanced bioavailability and is GRAS-approved for use in food and beverage products, including yogurt, nutrition bars and smoothies, with 40 to 60 mg per serving. DolCas' new curcumin formula is a proprietary turmeric-based oleoresin extract and fresh turmeric rhizome extract, with a 98.5% turmeric extract content.
References:
[1] Daily JW, Yang M, Park S. Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. J Med Food. 2016 Aug;19(8):717-29. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2016.3705. PMID: 27533649; PMCID: PMC5003001.
[2] https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/curcumin-as-a-stress-and-sleep-management-supplement
[3] Jagetia GC, Aggarwal BB. "Spicing up" of the immune system by curcumin. J Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;27(1):19-35. doi: 10.1007/s10875-006-9066-7. Epub 2007 Jan 9. PMID: 17211725.
[4] Akbari M, Lankarani KB, Tabrizi R, Ghayour-Mobarhan M, Peymani P, Ferns G, Ghaderi A, Asemi Z. The Effects of Curcumin on Weight Loss Among Patients With Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Jun 12;10:649. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00649. PMID: 31249528; PMCID: PMC6582779.
[5] Kasprzak-Drozd K, Oniszczuk T, Gancarz M, Kondracka A, Rusinek R, Oniszczuk A. Curcumin and Weight Loss: Does It Work? Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 7;23(2):639. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020639. PMID: 35054828; PMCID: PMC8775659.
