Curcumin is the main active ingredient in
turmeric – the yellow powder that’s used to produce curry.
In recent years, it’s been linked to reduced
inflammation, making it an ideal treatment for sufferers of rheumatoid
arthritis and other types of arthritis.
But that’s just one of the health benefits.
New studies seem to come out monthly
documenting new discoveries about the healing properties found within curcumin.
And as a result, more and more people are
beginning to up their curcumin intake. And they’re doing so via
supplementation.
Curcumin C3 by Viva Labs is just one of the supplements currently available to consumers.
And below, we’ll cover
everything you need to know about this particular supplement before you decide
to purchase it.
What is Viva Labs Curcumin C3?
In another article, we
covered most of the currently known benefits of taking curcumin
supplements. Here are a few of the highlights:
- Reduces
Inflammation
- Protects
against skin diseases
- Helps
treat Alzheimer’s disease
- Helps
prevent stomach ulcers
- Helps lower bad cholesterol
- Fights
viral infections
So it’s easy to see why curcumin has grown in
popularity in recent years.
However, in order to experience the above
benefits (and more), you must consume enough curcumin throughout the day.
Experts tend to believe that anywhere from
500mg – 2000mg per day should be adequate – which would equate to approximately
between 4 and 11 curry-heavy meals per day.
Needless to say … that’s a bit much.
So we turn to curcumin supplements to help us
get our daily-recommended intake.
Viva Labs’ Curcumin C3 provides us with 1,000
– 1,500 mg of curcumin per day. But it does a little extra to help
our bodies absorb as much as possible.
It’s these extra absorption components (and
product process) that help set Viva Labs’ C3 apart from its competition…
What
Makes Curcumin C3 Unique?
Absorption ability is a crucial component of
any dietary supplement. Just because it states the dosage on the bottle,
that doesn’t mean you actually absorb that amount.
Some supplements actually have very low
absorption rates (that they coincidentally forget to mention to their
consumers).
Viva Labs has incorporated a couple of
important features that significantly improve the absorption of their curcumin
supplement:
- Uses
BioPerine. BioPerine
is a black pepper fruit that has been proven to naturally increase the
absorption of certain ingredients (curcumin being one of them). This
process has led to a 2,000% increase in bioavailability.
- Features
natural excipients. Viva Labs does not use any unwanted artificial
additives in the production of its curcumin supplement, due to their
tendency to inhibit absorption of ingredients. Instead, they
strictly use natural excipients (natural “additives”)
What
We Don’t Like About Curcumin C3
- Commonly
causes upset stomach. This particular supplement has caused diarrhea
(from mild to severe) in several consumers – enough for us to label it a
common side effect. In some, it happened within a couple of
days. For others, a couple of months.
- No
effect on easing arthritis. Other consumers complained
that the supplement simply didn’t work. One person reported using C3
for over two months and experienced no change in his arthritis.
What
We Love About Curcumin C3
- Helps
ease irritable bowel syndrome. It seems that if it’s not
causing diarrhea, Viva Labs’ Curcumin C3 is curing irritable bowel
syndrome. There have been several reports of improved digestion and
lack of IBS symptoms in a matter of days.
- Excellent
absorption. One
of the biggest concerns with curcumin supplements (and other dietary
supplements) is how much your body actually absorbs. Viva Labs has
gone the extra mile to ensure absorption of C3 is maximized.
- Vegetarian-Friendly. According
to Viva Labs, these capsules are vegetarian-friendly and contain no soy,
GMOs, or stearates.
References
1. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01965935
2. http://bioperine.com/clinical.html