I learned of this issue just now and Margaret is sending me the full consumerlabs report. I will report back what I learn. David
" Recent tests found a popular brand to contain 18.7 mcg of lead in a daily serving -- the highest amount ever reported by ConsumerLab.com. A daily serving of another brand was contaminated with 8.3 mcg of lead. These amounts are well above those to which people are normally exposed and should be avoided."
Hi everyone! I was alarmed enough by the Google Alert about lead etc. that I read earlier this afternoon to sign up for a year's subscription at Consumer Lab. I read the curcumin brand report, and have access to it (so I can send it to anyone who is interested, just write me a message...or ask David, who also has the report). We (David and I) cannot publish it, for obvious reasons (privacy laws, and who knows what else! I don't want to get into trouble), which is a real drag, between you and moi. But I will send the report to private individuals (shhhhhtttt!). The brand that David mentioned has been taken off the shelves, so to speak. So, no worries.Â
By the way, just let me know if you want to look up any supplements to see if they have been tested. Might as well use this subscription for a good cause!Â
Cheers,
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
All-
Margaret raises an important issue when she mentions that
"I read the curcumin brand report, and have access to it (so I can send it to anyone who is interested, just write me a message...or ask David, who also has the report). We (David and I)Â cannot publish it, for obvious reason..."
And yesterday I mentioned the Ralph Moss studies on supplementation. As i understand copyright laws, excerpts and paraphrasing can take place though whole documents cannot be disseminated.
At the same time I (and Margaret too it seems) see it as one of my jobs to sift through the info and try to make sense of it for the site, members, the list, etc. I don't think relevant info is very useful to survivors and caregivers if a given study is simply posted. I think it can be relevant if the info is discussed.  David
Absolutely right, David. And in fact, I did post about those tainted curcumin brands on my blog, after pondering the issue. I think we CAN, indeed MUST do that.
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
Margaret,
I would love to read the report. My email address is mjt8@mjosolutions.com. Thank you for your generous offer.
Mary Jo
Hiya! Just wanted to let list members know that I posted about the tainted brands (and the ones that contain fewer curcuminoids than stated on the label! Shame on them!) on my blog. I decided that, after all, what is the difference between Consumer Lab and other medical journals that I use and quote from? None. So without posting the full report (which I will be happy to send to individual members, though, such as Mary Jo), I figured I could warn about the brands to be avoided.
Have a great weekend!
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
I had bought the same brand that the testing agency claimed low and I didn't take it because the capsules were obviously smaller.
Terry
My husband uses two brands of curcumin, one with bioperine and one without. Neither is on the list of tested products. The one without bioperine is a smaller capsule and I strongly suspect that there is not the claimed amount of curcumin in those capsules. Also, I had an frustrating interaction with the company re finances/payment which made me feel little trust in them (I felt like I was being bulldozed into buying far more curcumin than I wanted, and there was an issue about a refund they owed me which they were not giving me). We've been using the capsules but now i wonder if we should switch to entirely new brands that HAVE been tested.
I have some concerns about the bioavailability issue. My husband takes four grams a day with bioperine and four grams without. Since he's also on Thal/Dex I am not entirely sure that the bioperine is a good idea; on the other hand it didn't seem to have affected the action of Thal negatively, since he got to CR initially using curcumine with bioperine, and seems on the way back to CR now, if markers like hemoglobin are any indication.
Under US copyright laws, it is illegal to distribute the content of another's material except if the distribution falls into one of the categories called "fair use."Â One category of fair use is NEWS.
I believe that we have news here. In that spirit I'm going to post a terse summary, derived through my OWN new subscription to ConsumerLabs, not anyone else's.
Of 13 tested products, two were "NOT APPROVED" because they did not contain the amount of curcumin stated on their labels: (1) Ageless Cures C3 Complex 500 mg per cap; and Physician Formulas Curcumin & Turmeric 500 mg (250 powder and 250 extract) per cap. Two other products were "NOT APPROVED" because they exceeded the limit for lead: NSI Superior Turmeric Curcuma Longa Non-Irradiated 400 mg powder per cap; and Solgar Standardize Full Potency Turmeric Root Extract (Curcuma longa) (300 mg extract and 150 mg powder) per cap.
They did not test either of the products that I take. I notice that the NSI product which failed ConsumerLabs test for lead is no longer offered by NSI; it is discontinued. The Solgar product is still available.
If you would like to read the full report, a full one-year subscription to ConsumerLabs https://www.consumerlab.com/results/turmeric_curcumin.asp is only $25.00.
Don
Don-
Thanks for summarizing the CL info on curcumin. I agree that we (you, Margaret, me, etc, distribute content of another's material as "news." News, education, information, support, is at the heart of "interactive health communication" and the basic purpose of b-m.org, mma, your blog, plus we don't make any money from it. David
Hi everyone, well, a blog reader left me a comment about Consumer Lab on my recent "tainted curcumin" post (February 8). He is in remission from prostate cancer, by the way. He writes that Consumer Lab has a "dark history of manipulating data and has been publicly charged for unethical business practices." You can go read the full comment on my blog.
A representative of Ageless Cures also left a comment, which folks might be interested to read. Same post. She writes that there have been "discrepancies in the various testing methods." Interesting.
Well, all this makes me wonder how "independent" these Consumer Lab folks really are. Does anybody know more about this lab?
I must add that I usually check out an "outfit" before subscribing, since every extra penny counts in my household (it usually goes to buy catfood...), but this time the words "lead in curcumin" made me rush to subscribe to Consumer Lab without checking the Lab out, FIRST.
I am beginning to regret that.
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
per phone conversation with a NSI/Vitacost rep today:
1)Â As soon as the Consumerlabs report came out about the lead contamination, NSI immediately took the suspect batch (lot #071373) off the market.
2)Â They tested that specific lot (same lot as Consumerlabs) several times and found no lead whatsoever.
3) Vitacost (who owns NSI) contacted Consumerlabs to find out which testing firm Consumerlabs used for finding the lead. Consumerlabs declined to divulge that information.
4) NSI currently continues to test their turmeric products for lead but none has been found so far. The possibility of an erroneous test result reported by Consumerlabs is considered a possibility.
5) Anyone who has a turmeric product with the above lot # can return it to NSI/Vitacost for a full refund.   Â
So, can anyone mention a brand that does seem to be OK. I would like to look into starting on a supplement but would like to know what manufacturers most think are OK.
Bryant-
I can only offer the brand that I take. I take "curcumin with bioprene" from the Life Extension Foundation. The capsules are 800 mg and I take 3 each day with food. Bioavailability of curcumin, that is how much curcumin actually gets into your blood, seems to be an issue. My understanding is that curcumin needs oil to be absorbed. Not only to I take my capsule with food but i take a dose of cod liver oil at the same time.
My routine isn't very scientific but it's what I do. Also, I buy the LEF brand primarily because
1) the dose is "95% curcuminoids" which is important-
2) I buy the capsules along with several other supplements from LEF and I buy them all on-line from the same website, etc. ease of use.
Hope this helps-
David
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