Finding the best Curcumin

Hi @amyboylan1 There are several current discussions in the group regarding diet and MGUS. You might find this reply about curcumin helpful by @kayabbott.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1038722/
It can be found in this discussion along with other MGUS members:
~Kappa light chain is elevated: Anyone dealing with this?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/kappa-light-chain/
Another great discussion started by @pmm
~What’s the science on diet and MGUS/SMM?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/whats-the-science-on-diet-and-mgussmm/
And one more:
~MGUS diet: Any tips on food to enjoy or prevent progression
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mgus-bgus-diet/
As with any medication or supplements it’s advisable to talk this over with your doctor first, especially if you’re taking any other drugs or medications. Occasionally there can be interactions or interference with drug absorption. Have you discussed taking supplements with your doctor?

I was diagnosed as having MGUS 8 years ago. When told it was a precursor to cancer of one sort or another I tried everything that anyone suggested might help. Subsequent testing showed almost no progress in the monoclonal gammopathy.
One by one I then stopped the various alleged remedies, until it came down to turmeric (in powder form), which seemed to be making a difference.

Turmeric is not produced naturally by the human body but is the main source of curcuminoids.

I added 2 parts of sunflower lecithin powder to one of turmeric powder. The point being that lecithin is readily absorbed by the human body and mixed to include turmeric, increases the bio-availability of turmeric as much as 30 times turmeric on its own.

I still use both and expect to continue their use at least for as long as my blood count remains fairly stable and I am free of other symptoms.

CAUTION: YOU NEED BOTH.- You cannot depend on doctors alone to make you well and you cannot rely on yourself to get it right all the time. CHeck out and read up whatever your doctor says - including specialists, and refer your own ideas to your medical team. Somethines they know stuff others do not. You really do need both.

Singularity.

Curious how do you take that powdered mixture? Sprinkle on food, or dissolve in fluid?
Thanks

I also take turmeric/curcumin, mostly in a supplement that has concentrated bioavailable curcumin; Qunol but there are other brands. There isn't a lot of curcumin in turmeric powder and it needs to be eaten with fats and/or black pepper (peperine) to increase absorption by the GI tract. I add turmeric powder to chili, curries, brownies, smoothies, and any foods that benefit from an earthy ginger-like flavor, or are strong enough that the turmeric flavor is hidden. Turmeric powder is cheaper and in larger packages in Asian and Indian markets.

Some comments I found.
I have taken tumeric capsules for general inflammation. Here are some interesting points.

An important thing to consider is that curcumin is water soluble. It’s vulnerable to stomach acids and difficult for the body to absorb. When you take oral curcumin, not much reaches your bloodstream. The liposomal form of curcumin is over 200 times more absorptive. Liposomal form means the substance is contained in tiny, fat-like particles rather than traditional pills or capsules. is a good article that discusses tumeric and curcumin, and how our bodies absorb or reacts.

Another item to consider:

Liposomal curcumin is a supplement that encapsulates curcumin molecules in liposomes to improve their bioavailability and biomedical potential. Curcumin is a yellow polyphenol extracted from turmeric root that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. However, curcumin molecules are not very soluble in water, so they need to be encapsulated in liposomes to help them reach the bloodstream quickly and efficiently. This liposomal "bubble" protects the nutrients from being destroyed by acids in the digestive tract.

Here is the article where I got the comment on absorption into the human body.
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/multiple-myeloma/multiple-myeloma-vitamins-supplements.
My one test showed alpha lightcells over the normal range but my lambda lightcells were normal. And a second test of M protein was negitive. My second Neurologist ran these tests for my pheriferial neuropathy. My first Neurologist said it was SNL after running several tests. I was confused by my 1st doctor since he pointed to immune surpressant I take for a liver transplant callef Prograf/Tacrolimus. Then he left my Hospital I part of for my transplant. My second doc tested for some extra things like vitamin B6 levels and the MSUG tests. For now I stopped taking my B supplement that had all B vitamins in it.

I had learned about how OTC supplements are absorbed from my Endocrinologist I go to for hypothyroidism and osteoporosis. He told me about how our bodies need help absorbing vitamins and minerals. He prescribed Calcitrol to help with my bones.

I know this is a mixed bag of things here and it's tough to manage health issues. I have been taking various supplements now for 25 years since my 1st liver transplant and general health. But of course now I will be 69 in a few months, other health issues have occured. It can become depressing at times but I fight to keep going.

Thanks

I should have been a bit more specific in my answer about the powdered turmeric / sunflower lecithin mix:
Although turmeric is water soluble it has limited bio-availability. The powder is made from the whole turmeric root so it should have much the same curcuminoids as any other form. The lecithin is a form of fat, but has many positive (good) components. One of those is that it is able to carry, or be borne by, both water-soluble and lipid-soluble material. This means easy accessibility or availability and, as a result, sharply increases turmeric's bioavailability. I use sunflower because it comes as a powder and I use Turmeric in powder form for the same reason. Soy lecithin, apart from the soy issue for some people, generally comes in granule form which is not as good as a powder. I believe a company out of some Oxford University researchers has patented the same process I have used for years.

Even so, there can be no certainty that this mix is the cause or sole cause of my having been able to sharply reduce my free kappa light chain count from 379 down to a still high between 242 to 307. ("normal" maximum is 19). It simply happens to be something I believe in.
How I take the powdered mix is another question and as mentioned previously I take it in a breakfast smoothie most days of each week. A smoothie needs a liquid component and for this, I use yoghurt which has a base of lactobacillus acidophilus. I use 250ml of this yoghurt. The acidophilus could easily be a major contributing factor as could the other ingredients which are apple, strawberry, I use blackberry instead of the recommended raspberry, and I use bilberry instead of the recommended blueberry. They are all in equal parts The lecithin/turmeric mix is included with these,
Every one of these ingredients could be what had held my MGUS steady and me Waldernstroms and myeloma-free for 8 years.
Oncologist believes after 8 years of stability nothing much is likely to arisde from the MGUS.

Hope that helps some.

So many unknowns. The concentration of curcuminoids in supplements can be much higher than that from powdered turmeric, and GI absorption is aided by bioavailable modifications (fat [lipids], pepperine [black pepper]). At least based on this research link, curcumin in turmeric averages about 3.14%; the range from other papers is 0.3 to 8.6% (soil composition, irrigation and such influence concentration). Also, who knows if there are other chemicals in turmeric root that are useful. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17044766/ I grind and freeze turmeric for use in cooking. Impact of heating on curcumin are mixed. Here is an abstract from https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2009.01976.x on effects of drying/heating on curcumin stability "Summary Studies were undertaken to examine the effect of heat treatment on total phenolic content (TPC), colour value (yellowishness and brightness), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and curcuminoid of fresh turmeric rhizome. Fresh turmeric rhizomes were subjected to heat treatment at different temperatures (60-100 °C) for different durations (10-60 min), causing a reduction in browning which was evident from the improved yellowishness and brightness. Activity of PPO was also decreased during heat treatment and PPO was almost inactivated when heated at 80 °C for 30 min. TPC of heat-treated turmeric after drying (powder) is significantly higher than that after the fresh process. TPC values increased gradually when samples were heated from 60 to 80 °C. At 90 and 100 °C, TPC values were almost identical. Maximum brightness and yellowishness were obtained when the turmeric was heated above 80 °C. Quantitation of curcuminoids in the turmeric sample was made with high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). There was no significant change in the concentration of curcuminoids among the heat-treated samples. But in the sun-dried samples, a significant reduction in curcuminoid concentration was observed."