FAQ’s
1. What is bioavailability?
Bioavailability is defined as the fraction of an administered dose of medication that reaches the systemic circulation. When a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. However, medication that is administered through other routes such as the mouth cause bioavailability to decrease due to incomplete absorption.
2. What
are the nutritional materials that may
be co-administered with Piperene?
Piperene increases absorption and can be co-administered with Herbal extracts (e.g. Curcumin, Ashwagandha, Gingko Biloba and Capsaicin), Water-soluble vitamins (e.g. Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folic acid and Vitamin C), Fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K), Antioxidants (e.g. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin, selenium and zinc), Amino acids
(e.g. lysine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine, valine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and methionine) and Minerals (e.g calcium, iron, zinc, vanadium, selenium, chromium, iodine, potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium).
3. Does it improve our health if we increase consumption of a nutrient?
No. It is not always true to assume that
the more one consumes nutrients the more
nutrients are available to the body. Higher
doses may be rejected by the body i.e.
consuming higher amounts of black pepper
directly may not enhance nutrient absorption.
Ideally a purified extract of piperene
ingested at the right time increases the
body's absorption of nutrients.
4. How does bioavailability increase with other nutrients?
Studies have shown that the bioavaiIability of curcumin (turmeric extract) in humans increased by a factor of 20 when used with piperine. Piperine apparently prevents these other compounds from being metabolized during their first passage through the liver after being absorbed. It is also possible that piperine increases absorption by altering the dynamics of intestinal membranes.
The study with CoQ10 indicate that CoQ10 absorption increased significantly after one day, 14 days and 21 days (the length of the study).
Piperine, a component of black pepper (Piper nigrum), could enhance absorption of beta-carotene, a fat-soluble nutrient.
Studies
 Vladimir Badmaev, M.D., Ph.D., and Muhammed Majeed, Ph.D., of Sabinsa Corp., Piscataway, N.J., analyzed data collected by Edward P. Norkus, Ph.D., of Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y., The results showed serum beta-carotene levels between days one and 14 statistically greater after supplementation with piperine than placebo. In fact, the 5 mg/day dose of piperine taken with 15 mg beta-carotene resulted in a 60 percent increase in serum beta-carotene levels compared with placebo.
Researchers concluded that " piperine improves gastrointestinal uptake of beta-carotene leading to increased serum status and probably tissue status."
A 14-day study conducted by researchers from Piscataway, N.J.-based Sabinsa Corp., manufacturers of Bioperine, showed black pepper enhanced the bioavailability of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The supplement used in the study contained a minimum 98-percent piperine, an active constituent of black pepper.
Unpublished research conducted by Sabinsa researchers indicated Bioperine enhanced the gastrointestinal absorption of selenium, betacarotene and vitamin B6, as well.
Researchers at the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institute of Clinical Pharmacology in Germany showed piperine inhibited both the drug transporter P-glycoprotein and the major drug metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4 and suggested these results indicate dietary piperine could alter first-pass elimination of many drugs.
Researchers
from the All India Institute
of Medical Sciences in New
Delhi showed piperine delayed
elimination of phenytoin,
an anti-epileptic drug that
has a low therapeutic index;
they concluded piperine may
affect other drugs with low
therapeutic indices.
In an animal study, the spice was used in combination with coriander, turmeric, red chile and cumin, and improved pancreatic lipase, chymotrypsin and amylase, as well as stimulated bile flow and bile acid secretion. In additional animal research, piperine reduced fluid secretion in the small intestine.
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