The following is an excerpt from the NEXT Forecast, an insider’s guide to where the natural products market is now—and where it’s headed. The updated NEXT Forecast for 2018 includes a new section on ingredient trends, and updated market manifestations for 13 macro forces. Learn more here.
Curcumin is responsible for the golden yellow color and the manifested health benefits within the yummy Indian spice known as turmeric. (And even then, it’s the three curcuminoids within curcumin that are the specific phytochemicals really responsible for the heavy lifting within curcumin.)
Curcumin is important because it is the long-awaited nutrient that can address silent inflammation, which is at the root of most chronic degenerative diseases. Holistic medical practitioners long knew this to be true, but the inflammation message had a difficult time gaining traction with the public. Curcumin has become an effective vehicle for addressing that.
Even now, in the supplements world, much innovation and differentiation is occurring with brands using various techniques to enhance the bioavailability of this notoriously large molecule that the body can have difficulty assimilating. At the same time as this curcumin supplements boom, brands are using curcumin as an inflammation-busting ingredient in foods and, in particular, beverages.
