Article Summary
- Studies suggest that curcumin enhances the availability of vascular nitric oxide for helping to maintain normal blood pressure.*
- Although it is generally considered safe to take a curcumin nutritional supplement in addition to a prescribed medication for hypertension, consulting with a healthcare practitioner is always recommended.
- Because tetrahydrocurcumin is more bioactive than other curcumin supplements it provides enhanced cardiovascular support.*
High blood pressure increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases and stroke — the leading causes of death in the United States. High blood pressure (hypertension) is diagnosed when systolic blood pressure (SBP) is consistently ≥130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is consistenlty ≥80 mmHg.
Several clinical studies have investigated the beneficial effects of curcumin, the main bioactive compound in turmeric, on blood pressure and how curcumin interacts with multiple molecular targets to support heart health.* If you are considering a curcumin supplement to support your heart health and promote normal blood pressure, here are a few scientific research-backed answers to frequently asked questions.*
How does curcumin support healthy blood pressure?
Curcumin supplementation has been found to limit oxidative stress and enhance the availability of vascular nitric oxide.* Nitric oxide plays an active role in expanding and dilating your blood vessels and controlling your heart rate, thereby regulating your blood pressure. A clinical study on 39 healthy, middle-aged and older adults were administered curcumin (2,000 mg/day) for 12 weeks demonstrated enhanced function of the endothelium — the thin membrane lining the inside of the heart and blood vessels.* A systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies comprising 734 participants suggested that consuming curcumin helps maintain normal systolic blood pressure (SBP) when administered over long durations.*
Can you take a curcumin supplement with prescription blood pressure medication?
Amlodipine is a widely used antihypertensive drug that blocks the movement of cellular calcium to relax smooth muscles in the heart and blood vessels. As smooth muscles relax, it reduces the afterload — the amount of pressure exerted by the heart to eject blood during the contraction of the heart ventricles. This pressure is recorded as systolic blood pressure. The results of an animal study evaluating the effect of co-administration of curcumin with amlodipine suggests that hypertensive patients taking prescription amlodipine can consume curcumin without inhibiting its blood-pressure-lowering effect and may derive additional benefit from taking curcumin as well.
What is the best way to incorporate curcumin into your diet?
Nutrition and lifestyle are critical to maintaining a healthy blood pressure and overall heart health. Curcumin has been traditionally incorporated into the diet in the form of a spice or food additive, which lends the distinctive yellow color and “curry” flavor to the food. However, curcumin has poor bioavailability as it undergoes (in rapid succession) rapid absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination from the system. This is why ingesting curcumin in food often does not result in important therapeutic benefits.
Studies show that various strategies used in formulating curcumin supplements can enhance its absorption and bioavailability, making a curcumin supplement the best way to incorporate curcumin into your diet. Lipid additions, including turmeric oil, piperine, and turmeric oleoresin, particle size reduction through micellar and nano-particle formulations, and enhanced delivery systems, such as solid-lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and microgels can boost curcumin’s efficacy. Using piperine, a black pepper component, to enhace curcumin absorption is common, but can be associated with undesirable effects — primarily gastrointestinal irritation — in some.
What is the recommended use of curcumin for supporting heart health?
The Allowable Daily Intake Value of curcumin as determined by the European Food Safety Authority is up to 3 mg/kg of body weight daily (1kg = 2.2 lbs.). The U.S. FDA categorizes turmeric as a ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ (GRAS) food ingredient, with curcuminoids used as antioxidant and flavoring agents at maximum levels of <20 mg per serving in specific foods.
It’s worth noting that there are no definitive statistics on effective amounts of curcumin or turmeric for maintaining normal blood pressure and supporting your heart’s health.* However, clinical studies involving the administration of single doses of 500 to 12,000 mg of curcumin to healthy volunteers have shown excellent tolerance of curcumin in humans.*
How do I determine the right curcumin supplement to benefit my blood pressure?
The efficacy of using curcumin for maintaining a healthy blood pressure level is determined by how well the curcumin is absorbed by the body. The right curcumin supplement formulation not only enhances curcumin’s bioavailability, it also makes it more palatable and easily tolerated.
Tesseract’s TetraCumin® contains tetrahydrocurcumin, a partially reduced yet highly bioactive derivative of curcumin, and shows superior therapeutic potential to curcumin, owing to its stable chemical structure and solubility in water.* Tetrahydrocurcumin’s chemical stability contributes to its enhanced bioavailability and absorption in the body, thereby boosting its efficacy.
Tesseract’s revolutionary CyLoc®-DexKey® nutrient delivery technology further enables targeted delivery of active ingredients while masking their unpalatable taste and smell for unprecedented absorption. With TetraCumin®, you can be assured of maximized therapeutic benefits of tetrahydrocurcumin for optimal heart health.*
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in the proprietary science of proven nutrients and unrivaled smart delivery, making them the most effective for supporting cardiovascular health.*
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