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1000
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Abstract/Summary
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Turmeric or curcumin is not only known as a spice or as a food additive (E100). Food supplements can also contain components of the rhizome of the curcuma plant, often in the form of curcumin-enriched extracts. In addition, piperine or piperine-enriched extracts from pepper may also be added to these products. Piperine can increase the bioavailability of curcumin so that curcumin can be better absorbed by the body. Within the context of the evaluation of curcumin as a food additive (E100), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has derived an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for curcumin of 3 mg/kg body weight (bw) and day. The ADI specifies the quantity of a substance that can be consumed on a daily basis over an entire lifetime without a detectable risk to health. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has used this value as a basis for the assessment of health risks from curcumin in food, in particular from curcumin-enriched food supplements. In the long term, the total intake of curcumin from all sources should not exceed 3 mg/kg bw per day. Besides food supplements, curcumin sources can also be food additives or spices. If this value is exceeded over a longer period of time, even slightly, adverse health effects may occur. This applies especially to sensitive individuals in the population. In particular, the BfR has assessed the health risks that might be associated with the consumption of food supplements containing curcumin to which piperine has been added in order to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. However, since the exact composition of such products can vary considerably, a general assessment is not possible from the BfR's point of view. An assessment should always be made on the basis of a specific product with a known composition. [...]
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