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Bioperine - Black Pepper Extract May Enhance Nutrient Absorption

Today, science is verifying pepper's role as a "thermonutrient."  Bioperine is a concentrated and convenient form of black pepper's active ingredient, piperine. Used in conjunction with other nutritional supplements, Bioperine may enhance their absorption and bioavailability.

Remember your history lessons: how the Europeans sought trade routes to the East? The Age of Exploration was greatly motivated by the demand for spices, and the spice most desired was black pepper. This pungent plant literally helped shape the history of the modern world.  As far back as 6,000 BC, Ayurvedic medicine used black pepper to increase the digestibility of food. The internal heat generated by the consumption of pepper indicates its positive influence on the body's absorption of nutrients.

Your nutritional status depends not only on what you eat but also on your ability to absorb and transform nutrients into forms that your body can use. Several processes are required for the optimal absorption and utilization of nutrients:

• A functional gastrointestinal (GI) tract is necessary for complete absorption of nutrients; the epithelial cells lining the GI tract must be healthy.

• GI enzymes are needed to convert many nutrients into absorbable forms. Without the right enzymes, nutrients will pass through the GI tract without being activated or absorbed.

• The correct pH is necessary for maximum nutrient absorption. Most nutrients are absorbed best at a pH of about 7.

Once absorbed, many nutrients enter the liver, where certain enzymes perform the function of activating nutrients, while others inactivate them in preparation for removal from the body. An imbalance of any of these enzymes can prevent a nutrient from being converted into its usable form, or cause its removal before being effectively circulated throughout the body.

What is Bioperine?

Bioperine is an extremely pure and safe nutritional supplement of piperine, an alkaloid from the fruits of the black pepper plant (Piper nigrum). Piperine is the active constituent responsible for pepper's ability to increase the bioavailability of nutrients. Bioperine contains at least 95% piperine.

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How does Bioperine work?

Piperine may promote rapid absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract. Because it is lipophilic (has an affinity for fatty tissue), piperine may interact with the lipid component of the intestinal cell membrane to facilitate enhanced nutrient permeability.   Studies indicate that piperine may stimulate glutamyl transpeptidase, an enzyme that promotes amino acid uptake from the GI tract.

Bioperine's primary mode of action may be to enhance thermogenesis, the production of heat in the body. In the process of digesting food, energy is used. This results in the production of heat and the feeling of warmth that often accompanies a meal.   Piperine has been found to stimulate the release of catecbolamines that initiate the process of thermogenesis in the GI tract, thereby increasing the energy available for digestion.

In clinical studies, Bioperine appears to enhance the bioavailability of a broad range of nutrients including those that are water-soluble (vitamins C and B6), fat-soluble (beta carotene), as well as amino acids (selenomethionine) and herbs (curcumin). It has been proposed that Bioperine functions as a local thermogenic agent, increasing thermogenic reactions in the GI tract, which facilitates enhanced bioavailability of a broad range of nutrients.

Nutrient bioavailability was significantly improved in recent studies where 5 mg of Bioperine was given in conjunction with vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin B6, selenomethionine, or CoQ10. In one double-blind study, half the subjects were given 50 mcg of L-selenomethionine; the other half, 50 mcg of L-selenomethionine plus 5 mg of Bioperine. Serum selenium levels in subjects taking L-selenomethionine with Bioperine were approximately 30% higher than the control group.

Just as pepper is a perfect companion to food, Bioperine is an ideal accompaniment to nutritional supplements. In each case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The bioavailability-enhancing effect of Bioperine ensures that you get your nutrients' worth.

Bioperine is a registered trademark and patented product of Sabinsa Corporation, U.S. Patent 5,536,506.

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References

• Johri, R.K. G Zuhhi, U. (1992). Journal of Ethnopharmocology. 31 85-91. • Johri, R.K., et al. (1992). Biochemical Pharmacology, 43 1401-1407.

• Bhat, Ganesh B., 8 Chandrashekhar, N.11986a1. Toxicology. 40, 83-92. • Kowado, T, et al. (1988). Proc. Soc. EXP. Biol. Med., 188 229.

• Reanmongkol, W., et al. (1988). 37J4,153.

• Alternative Therapies, July 1996. Val. 2, No. 4., pp 59-61.

• Badmaev, V, G Majeed, M. (personal communication, July 11, 1995) Nutratan 95, Las Vegas, NV.

Reprinted with the exclusive permission of Source Naturals, Inc. 

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