Importance of avoiding supplements with bioperine and other "absorption enhancers."

I remember awhile ago when I first heard of this bioperine when I saw it on a supplement bottle that included turmeric. I was immediately suspicious of it and have avoided it. Now I see supplement marketers turning away from it as well because of the dangers to the gut from it. Here is a recent burb I saw about it....."The use of the chemical piperine from pepper, trade-named Bioperine, was a poor attempt at increasing bioavailability at the expense of the epithelial lining of the stomach, small intestine and bowels... If you want to use capsules, make certain they DO NOT contain a pepper extract that is advertised to improve bioavailability."


Hope you scan the ingredients of your supplements and specifically turmeric because of it's poor bioavailability. Many companies are including this absorption enhancer at our expense.

Hmm, I searched that string and found the site you got it from. The referenced website is a purveyor of their own brand of curcumin, which does not contain piperine.

Do you have any other references that piperine actually has a deleterious effect on the gut epithelium?

I take plain 95% curcumin and supplement it with piperine, because it is known to highly increase its systemic absorption. I have wondered about the possibility of gastric irritation, so I take less than the bottle recommends. I am curious if these accusations are true or not, but I have searched and found nothing on the subject.

Acute and subacute toxicity of piperine in mice, rats and hamsters. Toxicol Lett. 1983 May;16(3-4):351-9.
· Piyachaturawat P,
· Glinsukon T,
· Toskulkao C.
Piperine is acutely toxic to mice, rats and hamsters. The LD50 values for a single i.v., i.p., s.c., i.g. and i.m. administration of piperine to adult male mice were 15.1, 43, 200, 330 and 400 mg/kg body wt, respectively. The i.p. LD50 value was increased to 60 mg/kg body wt in adult female and 132 mg/kg body wt in weanling male mice. In adult female rats, the i.p. LD50 value was 33.5 mg/kg body wt whereas the i.g. LD50 value was increased to 514 mg/kg body wt. Most animals given a lethal dose died of respiratory paralysis within 3-17 min. In subacute toxicity studies, the rats died within 1-3 days after treatment. Histopathologic changes included severe hemorrhagic necrosis and edema in gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder and adrenal glands. Death of these animals may be attributable to multiple dysfunctions in their organs.

Reproductive toxicity of piperine in Swiss albino mice. Planta Med. 2000 Apr;66(3):231-6.
· Daware MB,
· Mujumdar AM,
· Ghaskadbi S.
Animal Sciences Division, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India.
Piperine (CAS 94-62-2) is a constituent of various spices which are used as common food additives all over the world. The reproductive toxicity of piperine was studied in Swiss albino mice. Relevant short-term tests were employed to assess the effect on estrous cycle, mating behaviour, toxicity to male germ cells, fertilization, implantation and growth of pups. Piperine (10 and 20 mg/kg b.w.) increased the period of the diestrous phase which seemed to result in decreased mating performance and fertility. Post-partum litter growth was not affected by the piperine treatment. Sperm shape abnormalities were not induced by piperine at doses up to 75 mg/kg b.w. Considerable anti-implantation activity was recorded after five days post-mating oral treatment with piperine. The sex ratio and post-implantation loss were unaffected after treatment with piperine. Intrauterine injection of piperine caused the total absence of implants in either of the uterine horns (16.66%) or one of the horns (33%) of treated females. No histopathological changes were detected in the ovary and the uterus at the cellular level. Prostaglandin E1-induced acute inflammation of rat paw was significantly reduced after piperine treatment. Our results show that piperine interferes with several crucial reproductive events in a mammalian model.

No one has provided evidence that it is bad for UC. The opening post gives no credible source, and the two sources posted by Medz are completely irrelevant. Not only do they not deal with the intestines, but the doses and routes of administration are extremely different than what are used in UC.

There may be risks, but there is no evidence of that yet.

Marauder93 said...
No one has provided evidence that it is bad for UC.

No one has provided evidence it is good for UC.

Pepper is a well-known irritant.

aguywithuc said...

Absorption of Nutrients
The most established effect of piperine is its effect on absorption of nutrients from the intestine. .

Gastrointestinal

Bioperine is taken to strengthen the digestive system. Unaware consumers may be surprised to know that even over-the-counter supplement packages recommend taking bioperine with food. Vimo.com lists possible gastrointestinal discomforts as nausea, diarrhea, black stools and constipation. Persons with a history of these symptoms should speak with a physician before taking bioperine. It is also helpful to consult with a physician to find out what to do in the event that any of these occur while taking the supplement.

Drug Interactions

Drugs.com recognizes several prescribed drugs and dietary supplements that are known to interact with bioperine. Bioperine's folic acid content increases the effect and toxicity of cancer treatment drugs, fluorouracil, capecitabine and tegafur. Bioperine is chemically structured like calcitriol, paricalcitol and doxercalciferol. It dangerously increases blood calcium and phosphorus levels when taken with these supplements. In conjunction with orlistat, bioperine reduces the absorption of beta carotene and vitamin E. Finally, colesevelam minimizes the positive gastrointestinal effects of bioperine by decreasing the body's ability to absorb vitamins E, A, K and D.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8457910_dangers-bioperine.html