Curcumin
E100
E100, E100(i), INS 100, INS 100(i), curcumin, curcumins, curcuma extract, turmeric extract, Curcuma longa, curcumina, curcumine, Kurkumin
What it is
Curcumin is the natural yellow pigment obtained from turmeric. In food it is used mainly as a colouring, and on a label it may appear as curcumin or E100.
Why BOTIA flags it
In a trial with 93 postmenopausal women, taking 500 mg of curcumin a day for eight weeks reduced hot flushes; vitamin E, the other arm of the trial, reduced them too. Anxiety, sexual function and overall symptoms did not change. The trial used 500 mg capsules; as a colouring, E100 is present in far smaller amounts, and the label does not say how much.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E100, curcumin and curcuma or turmeric extract when they are declared on the label.
- Explain what the clinical trial found and show the Woman and E-number information layers.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine how much curcumin a food contains, or whether it matches the dose used in the trial.
- Tell anyone whether to take curcumin, or replace advice from a doctor.