In the 1990s, a group of top neuroscientists at the UCLA School of Medicine, led by Dr Sally Frautschy PhD and Dr Greg Cole PhD, began their quest to find a safe, effective, and affordable way to support cognitive functions.

After ten years, nearly 200 curcumin-based formulas, and endless trial and error, curcumin’s bioavailability issue has been solved, with the Optimized Curcuma’s patented Solid Lipid Curcumin Particle Technology (SLCP™).

The secret of Optim Curcuma lies in the Longvida Solid-Lipid Curcumin Particle (SLCP™) patented process, which consists of encapsulating the curcumin to enhance its dissolution at a precise point in the gut and thus deliver it into both plasma and red blood cells as free curcumin, the biologically active form of curcumin (DiSilvestro 2012).

Gota et al. (2010) ont étudié la pharmacocinétique du complexe Longvida chez l’homme adulte. Dans cette étude en double aveugle et croisée, six hommes en bonne santé ont pris soit le complexe Longvida® (130mg de curcumine SLCP) soit un extrait standardisé à 95% en curcuminoïdes (contenant > 60% curcumine soit 390mg) en capsule dans une dose orale unique de 650 mg.

Des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés à différents intervalles de temps de 1 heure à 12 heures après l’administration de la dose unique. Pour chaque échantillon, la quantité de curcumine libre dans le plasma a été mesurée par chromatographie liquide (HPLC). La figure suivante montre le profil de la curcumine libre dans le plasma pour le complexe Longvida®.

Chez les 6 participants de l’étude, la concentration maximale moyenne en curcumine dans le plasma après la prise du complexe Longvida® atteint 22,43 ng/mL. En revanche, la teneur en curcumine obtenue dans les échantillons prélevés après la prise de l’extrait standard de curcumine n’a pas été détectée (soit une concentration inférieure à 1 ng/ml).

Figure 1 Profile de la concentration moyenne en Curcumine libre dans le Plasma humain (N=6) d’après Gota et al (2010).

Le tableau ci-dessous reprend les concentrations maximales (Cmax) de la curcumine dans le plasma après administration de 650 mg du complexe Longvida® – minimum 130mg curcumine – ou 650 mg d’un extrait standard à 95% curcuminoïdes soit 390mg de curcumine (Gota et al 2010).

Ces résultats démontrent que la formulation du complexe Longvida® est au moins 65 fois plus assimilable qu’un extrait standard de curcumine.

Table 1: Concentration Maximale en Curcumine dans le Plasma (Gota et al. 2010)

A recent clinical trial led by a group of researchers from the Ohio State University – USA (DiSilvestro 2012) analysed various biological markers among healthy middle-aged people (40 to 60 years old) taking either a placebo (N=19) or 400 mg of Longvida® preparation (N=19) for 30 days.

They reported that Longvida® SLCP curcumin preparation significantly reduced circulating amyloid-beta peptides, reduced vascular adhesion molecules in the blood (sICAM-1); reduced blood lipids (plasma triglycerides); reduced enzymes for physiological and emotional stress (salivary amylase); and significantly increased the antioxidant status by 24% and the endogenous antioxidant defence (catalase) by 72%; the vasodilator activity (plasma nitric oxide) by 37% and decreased liver enzymes levels (ALT: Alamine Amino Transferase) by 11%.

A study from the University of  North Texas published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Clinica suggests that the formulation Longvida of Optim Curcuma reduces inflammation and improves muscle recovery after a leg press exercise, compared to a placebo group. (McFarlin 2016)

Twenty-eight young participants (average 20 years old) were randomly assigned to consume either 400 mg of Longvida SLCP curcumin – the formulation of OptimCurcuma – or a placebo (rice flour) for two days before four days after the Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Blood samples were collected before exercise and on days 1,2,3, and 4. The muscle damage biomarker (Creatine Kinase) and the inflammatory biomarkers (cytokines: TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) were measured.

Among participants in the curcumin group, researchers observed significantly smaller increases in Creatine Kinase (–48%), TNF-α (–25%), and IL-8 (–21%) following exercise compared to the placebo group. No significant decrease was found for IL-6, IL-10, or quadriceps muscle soreness.

The findings demonstrated that a daily intake of 1 capsule of the formulation of Optim Curcuma – reduced biological inflammation during recovery after the Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage (EIMD), which may translate to faster recovery.

A group of researchers from the University of Swinburne in Melbourne, Australia, recently published the results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (Cox et al. 2014).

During four weeks, 60 participants from 60 to 85 years old took either:

- either 400 mg/day of either the patented LongVida SLCP curcumin complex of OptimCurcuma (80 mg curcumin)

-or 400mg of placebo.

Results: Compared with placebo, the authors reported that the curcumin supplementation significantly improved both acute and chronic cognitive functions, mainly working memory tasks, general fatigue, and calmness.