Can Grocery Store Supplements Help Your Gut?

I was at Costco today, and I noticed something quite interesting - people were flocking to the entrance, where natural health products were being displayed:

It appears to be a part of the global trend towards alternative health products as a means of health improvement and enhancement. People are now even buying probiotics for their cats! 

 

It makes sense, given the proven efficacies of a select number of alternative options, but it is clear that the public is still deeply unaware of how significantly these herbs differ in what they an do and how they operate differentially. 

Take for instance the Costco-displayed item before me: 

 

I will say, first and foremost, that the design of the product is quite elegant. On the other hand, it is clear to me that the brand does little to distinguish between Turmeric, an excellent herb which is used for disorders of the skin, upper respiratory tract, joints, and digestive system - and Curcumin, which is an active polyphenol and powerful antioxidant found inside the extract of Turmeric. 

With IBD as the focus, the differences between the two can summarized by the following finding from Aggarwal et al. in 2013: 

Curcumin can specifically lower inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). 

Alas, it is clear that Curcumin directly reduces the inflammation associated with IBD (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), given its ability to reduce TNF and IL-6, both of which are generally addressed by prescription-grade medications for IBD. The key difference? Herbal extracts tend not to have the serious side effects associated with the traditional IBD treatment pyramid.

 

 

-Abbas