An analytical study and an observational study conducted in India showed that curcumin significantly reduces carbon monoxide (CO) levels in smokers and non-smokers, indicating its benefits against the effects of smoking and pollution.
Both studies assessed the effects of the curcumin drink marketed as Haras in India.
The studies were funded by supplements firm Vedika Infracon OPC Pvt. Ltd., and the product supply sponsored by Nanoved Research Foundation, Mumbai.
According to Dr Vijay Kanuru, co-founder of Vedika, Haras was created using liposomal nanotechnology, which increases the bioavailability of curcumin.
“Despite widespread consumption of turmeric, its health benefits are not clearly seen. We were faced with two main issues.
“One, we can't easily determine the dosage and pharmacological action because there are 300 active molecules in turmeric.
“Two, curcumin tends to be not absorbed well enough to address diseases effectively. So we first standardised curcumin, and then turn it into nanoparticles to test its bioavailability,” said the nanomedicine expert.
He added that other researchers were also roped in to establish the clinical efficacy of the formula, including Sharda University’s Dr Vidyadevi Chandavarkar, Dr Mithilesh Narayan Mishra, and Dr Deepak Bhargava.
The team conducted a basic permeability test to assess the bioavailability of the nanotechnology used to create Haras.
They found that this nanoparticle formulation was absorbed almost 120 times more efficiently than regular curcumin.
This means the nanoparticles pass through the cell membrane and enter the cells much more effectively. For instance, a 200mg dose of regular curcumin could be matched with just a tenth of the nanoparticle formulation, resulting in significantly better cell absorption.
The formula is currently sold under the brand name Haras, which is available for sale via the Vedika site for INR699 (USD8) for 500ml. As it is affordable, the researchers believe it will encourage widespread adoption.
Dr Kanuru said his team would be engaging the government in pushing for the consumption of the curcumin product across different groups of the population.
“We’ll be speaking to the Delhi Health Minister and a Member of Parliament. They like the idea of making it available in child nutrition programmes.
“This is because lung diseases and asthma are on the rise, and pollution impacts metabolism, which in turns affects absorption of nutrients. So we’re looking at implementing this on a wider scale by December,” said Dr Vijay.
He added there were plans to distribute the product in Asia within the next six months.
Indonesia and Singapore are part of the plan as consumers there are familiar with curcumin, he said.
While the target markets are places coping with high levels of air pollution, for places that do not have a pollution problem, such as Singapore, he believes that the people can also benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects of Haras.
This is because the product has been shown to mitigate the effects of air pollution in their analytical study.
Carbon monoxide concentrations in ambient air is one of the significant pollutants.
Furthermore, CO is a major component of cigarette smoke. The two studies were therefore performed to analyse the potential of Haras in mitigating the harmful effects of air pollution and smoking.
Key findings of the observational study
In the observational study led by Dr Vidyadevi, it included 101 test subjects between 18 to 60 years old who lived in a gated community.
Seventy-six of them were classified as smokers as they smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes.
The remaining 25 smoked less than 100 cigarettes and were classified as non-smokers.
Both groups were given 10ml of Haras juice amounting to 200mg of curcumin intake per day for 30 days.
Their CO levels were evaluated using a breath analyser before the trial and then on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and after the conclusion of the drug trial.
A breath analyser was used to measure CO concentrations in parts per million (ppm), as well as carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), a stable complex of carbon monoxide that forms in red blood cells when carbon monoxide is inhaled.
Haras was found to be effective in reducing CO and COHb levels in both smokers and non-smokers, and the difference between the two groups was shown to be statistically significant.
For example, the mean CO level in non-smokers was 2 ppm on the first day and 1 ppm on the last day and the mean CO level in smokers was 12 ppm on the first day and 9 ppm on the last day.
The mean %CoHb in non-smokers was 0.8 on the first day and 0.6 on the last day, and the mean %CoHb in smokers was 2.4 on the first day and 2 on the last day.
Findings of the analytical study
In analytical study led by Dr Mithilesh, there were 25 study participants between the ages of 18 to 60 years old. They were healthy adults who resided in Greater Noida, which is a highly polluted region. They had never smoked or had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes.
The dosage is the same as in Dr Vidyadevi’s study.
A breath analyser was used to measure the CO levels before the study, on the fifteenth day, and on the last day.
The researchers observed a significant reduction in CO levels between the 1st and 30th days – the mean CO level was about 1.7 ppm on day 1, and about 1.1 on day 30.
“We found that even for non-smokers, their CO levels can increase because of pollution, especially in Delhi. The participants also showed good compliance and were willing to take the required dosage daily,” said Dr Mithilesh.
Making curcumin palatable
The willingness to adhere to consistent curcumin supplementation is key to ensuring efficacy, Dr Mithilesh pointed out.
Therefore, Dr Vijay and the research team ensured that Haras is palatable with the addition of natural flavourings.
“Curcumin is bitter, so we made Haras available in two flavours, peppermint and orange. Both are sugar-free,” said Dr Vijay.
Dr Mithilesh also suggested exploring chewable tablets and lozenges to make it easier for consumption.
