Comparing Curcumin Supplements Price Bioavailability and Strength
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Bioavailability and strength varies greatly between Curcumin supplements
- Don't overlook the actual amount of curcuminoids in each capsuleIt's taken me too long to finally sit down and decide the best value curcumin supplement based on price, bioavailability and strength. At the very beginning of my secondary breast cancer healing journey in 2017 I was meet a chronic pain sufferer who was well educated and experienced with the use of curcumin. He was born with and had lived with chronic inflammation his whole life and with the help of his doctor had tried everything you could think of. He explained to me how much relief he had found by using the Curcumin Phytosome with Meriva capsules made by Doctors Best. This formula made using sunflower lecithin and 90 mg curcuminoids per capsule ensured the powerful curcuminoids which are not otherwise absorbed on their own could now all enter into my body's lymphatic system and cells via absorption in my gut. I immediately stopped taking the product I had been taking prior and started on the Doctor's Best Curcumin Phytosome.
Regular curcumin has poor bioavailability due to its low water solubility and rapid liver metabolism. This means that a significant portion of curcumin is not absorbed into the bloodstream and is instead excreted. Studies have shown that liposomal curcumin can be significantly more bioavailable than regular curcumin, with some formulations showing a 6 x higher peak in plasma levels and up to a 20-fold increase in oral bioavailability in animal studies.
I was super grateful that the bone pain I was experiencing due to bone mets and anti-estrogen therapy vanished. I went on to use this form of Curcumin for the next 4 years. At first I was using 12 capsules a day, providing approx one gram of actual curcumonoids in the form of 4 capsules, 3 times a day. After the first year my pain was no longer the reason I took the formula and couple of years later I dropped my dose down to 6 capsules for maintenance each day.
My understanding of how many cancer pathways curcumin inhibits was growing and I will post about this soon.
In 2021 I sat down and compared the Doctor's Best product I had been happily taking for many years against the new MCS formulas Liposomal Curcumin.
On the surface the MCS appeared more expensive but I soon learnt it was the Doctors Best that was more expensive. A lot more expensive.
Below I will compare a 60 capsule bottle of Doctor's Best Curcumin Phytosome with Meriva with a 60 capsule bottle of MCS Formulas C3 Curcumin Liposomal.
Doctors Best Vs MCS Formulas Curcumin Supplements - Contents comparison
Doctor's Best: Each of the 60 capsules in the Doctor's Best are 500mg in total. However the total amount of curcuminoids is just 90mg. The rest of the ingredients are the phospholipids, hypromellose (vegetarian capsule), cellulose, magnesium stearate (vegetable source), silicon dioxide. No mention at all of non-GMO or organic.
MCS Formulas: Each of the 60 capsules in the MCS formulas are 350mg in total. However the total amount of curcuminoids in the 350mg MCS formulas is 237.50 mg (being 95% of 250 mg C3 curcumin ). The rest of the ingredients are phospholipids from organic sunflower lecithin & chitosan from crustacean shell, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (vegan capsules). The MCS does not contain: gluten, lactose, gmo, soy, preservatives, synthetic colours & flavours, fillers.
MCS formulas C3 liposomal curcumin contains 2.6 times more curcuminoids per capsule than the Doctor's Best and uses organic sunflower lecithin and C3 curcumin.
Price comparison per gram.
Doctor's Best: Each bottle of 60 capsules costs just $29.29 in Australian dollars. Based on the total amount of curcuminoids being 90 mg per capsule x 60 capsules I am spending $29.29 for 5.4 grams of curcuminoids.
I can break that down to reveal I was spending $5.42 Australian dollars per gram on this highly bioavailable curcuminoids.
MCS Formulas: Each bottle of 60 capsules currently costs $61.00 in Australian dollars (going by today's exchange rates). Based on the total amount of curcuminoids being 237.50 mg per capsule x 60 capsules I am spending $61.00 (Australian) for 14.25 grams of curcuminoids.
I can break that down to see I am spending $4.28 Australian dollars per gram of highly bioavailable curcuminoids.
How this then looks over a month.
The first calculation I am going to do is the 'active cancer' calculation. This is the calculation that I would look to if my cancer was progressing or active. And that said, this is the base minimum I would take daily if I had active or progressing cancer as a part of my complimentary healing protocol. My personal minimum 'active cancer' dose today would be a total of 1.5g of bioavailable curcuminoids (each day, divided up over 3 doses). This would be taken within a synergistic protocol and my choice of standard of care.
This minimum daily active cancer dose multiplied by 30 days adds up to a minimum of 45 grams each month. Going off my above calculations this would cost the following
My personal 'active cancer' curcuminoids dose
Doctor's Best: 45 grams per month curcuminoids at $5.42 Australian dollars per gram equals a monthly spend of $243.90.
MCS Formulas: 45 grams per month curcuminoids at $4.28 Australian dollars per gram equals a monthly spend of $192.60.
The MCS formulas would save me A$51.60 per month and save me A$615.60 (Australian dollars) over the course of one year.
And if like me you do all you can to lower the amount of capsules you need to swallow each day then the MCS is a clear winner.
Capsule Swallowing Comparison:
On an 'active cancer' dose of 1.5g of bioavailable curcuminoids a day a cancer patient would need to swallow 17 capsules every day if taking Doctors Best and just 6-7 capsules each day when taking the same dose of MCS Formulas C3 Liposomal Curcumin.
No Active Disease (NAD) Curcumin Dose
The second calculation I am going to do is the significantly smaller NAD calculation. This is the dose that I take now my metastatic cancer has been clearly stable for several years. And that said, this is the base minimum I take daily. Because of my history of metastatic cancer I will take more at different times (life is dynamic).
My personal minimum NAD dose is a total of just 475 mg daily of bioavailable curcuminoids (each day divided up over 2 doses).
This minimum daily active cancer dose of 475 mg multiplied by 30 days adds up to 14.25 grams each month of bioavailable curcuminoids.
Going off my above calculations this would cost the following:
My NAD cancer health curcuminoids maintenance dose calculation
Doctor's Best: 14.25 grams per month curcuminoids at $5.42 Australian dollars per gram equals a monthly spend of A$ 77.25.
MCS Formulas: 14.25 grams per month curcuminoids at $4.28 Australian dollars per gram equals a monthly spend of A$ 61.00
When taking my current NAD quantity of curcuminoids MCS formulas saves me A$16.25 per month and over the course of the year saves me A$195 (Australian dollars).
Capsule Swallowing Comparison:
On an 'no active disease' (NAD) dose of 475 mg of bioavailable curcuminoids a day a cancer patient in remission would need to swallow 5-6 capsules every day if taking Doctors Best and just 2 capsules each day when taking the same dose of MCS Formulas C3 Liposomal Curcumin.
The MCS formulas Liposomal Curcumin page is packed with more information about the formula including:
"LongLifeLipoTech™ pro liposomal blend, supports the formation of liposomes that can have a better biocompatibility (improved absorption and a longer circulating time in the bloodstream) compared to formulas based on phospholipids alone." read more...
DISCLAIMER: Any and all information in this post was gathered from published research in cell lines or animals, or from typical clinical use. It may not be complete, may not have not been verified in humans, and is NOT meant or given as medical advice, but only as a guide to further exploration.
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