As studies on its remarkable benefits continue to accumulate, supplemental curcumin is becoming increasingly popular, with a host of different products and formulations, at a wide range of prices, each claiming to be the best.  As a consumer, how can you evaluate the different products out there?  There are certain things you can look for on a product label, but all too often the information you really need isn’t on the label, and sometimes what’s on the label isn’t even in the product!  For example, a report from Consumer Lab, which tests various supplements and makes this information known to the public, found that 20% of the turmeric/curcumin supplements they tested delivered less than 15% of the amount of curcumin claimed on the product label! Also, contaminants, like lead, which was recently found in curcumin coming from Bangladesh, would hardly be listed on any label. A major question when it comes to curcumin is bioavailability. There are various…

At Beyond Health, we pride ourselves on presenting nutrients in their purest and most bioavailable forms. It’s costlier to do things this way, but the result is that our supplements are often many times more effective not to mention safer than their cheaper counterparts. Not only will our nutrients get absorbed and go where they’re needed in your body; they won’t be carrying a lot of toxic “baggage” with them that the body will have to spend energy to unload. The other day a customer asked why our quercetin didn’t contain bromelain. She had read in literature from another product that bromelain activates quercetin for better absorption. The product she brought to our attention is a perfect example of how marketers of low-quality products use hype to make the customer think they’re getting something special. The particular product had low bioactivity and potentially harmful contaminants. Its manufacturer was trying to take a sow’s ear and turn it into a silk purse by claiming that…