That feeling of heat that you get whenever you sprinkle a little black pepper on your food is universal. Yet while spice is nice when it comes to improving the flavor of what you eat, there’s more at play on a chemical level. In fact, that “heat” is just one benefit of black pepper; it’s been used as an ingredient in traditional medicine for generations. Today, there’s a better way to unlock the benefits of black pepper: it’s known as BioPerine, and it’s fast becoming a crucial component to modern approaches to health and wellness.
BioPerine in a Nutshell
BioPerine is researched, pioneered, and created by Sabinsa, a health and wellness company founded in 1988. Holding more than 260 patents around the world in the nutraceutical industry, Sabinsa developed BioPerine as a nutritional supplement that offers a better, safer, more powerful, and more accessible way to enjoy the health benefits associated with the chemical ingredients in black pepper that are beneficial to the human body.
Where Does BioPerine Come From?
BioPerine is a patented extract obtained from black pepper fruits. BioPerine provides a standardized amount of piperine, the bioactive ingredient in black pepper, to a minimum of 95 percent.
Benefits of BioPerine
BioPerine offers the benefits of piperine in a more bioavailable and higher-concentrated manner. These benefits, which practitioners of traditional medicine have known for generations, are manifold, and modern medical science has begun to prove what these traditional healers have known for thousands of years. Here’s a shortlist of the benefits of BioPerine.
High Antioxidant Activity
BioPerine is a high-level antioxidant, capable of eliminating free radicals within the body and help prevent the damage these free radicals can cause. In fact, studies have shown that black pepper extracts are effective in reducing free radical damage.
Anti-Inflammatory Agent
Inflammation is a leading cause of pain and discomfort. Whether from injury, illness, or joint conditions like arthritis, inflammation can be treated by anti-inflammatory agents, and the role of the piperine present in black pepper, and therefore BioPerine as a powerful piperine extract, as an anti-inflammatory agent has been well researched.
Blood Sugar Control
Piperine has been shown to have a positive effect on reducing high levels of blood sugar in laboratory environments. This makes piperine extracts like BioPerine of special interest to anyone with type 2 diabetes and other blood sugar disorders.
Brain Health Benefits
As a piperine extract, BioPerine benefits extend to better brain health as well. While there have yet to be any human trials, piperine has shown to improve memory in animals, increasing the possibility that the extract may have a role in protecting against the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative brain disorders.
Heart Health Benefits
Piperine has been linked to better heart health in many studies, as its ability to possibly control cholesterol levels makes it an invaluable tool in promoting better cardiovascular health. In one landmark study, piperine was able to reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in animals by a substantial margin.
Anti-Cancer Properties
Perhaps one of the most groundbreaking and exciting properties of piperine, and by extension BioPerine, is the role it may play in fighting cancer. Research has revealed that piperine could have anti-cancer properties, and in fact has been shown to increase the effectiveness in treating triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types of cancer known.
Which Ingredients Does BioPerine Work With?
As a piperine supplement, BioPerine works synergistically with a number of ingredients. One is the spice known as turmeric, which has also been used for generations in traditional healing. Other ingredients that BioPerine works with well include Coenzyme Q10. Some other supplements that have similar effects as piperine include the essential mineral selenium and garlic, yet another spice with potential health benefits.
Why Is BioPerine Used With Curcumin?
As a piperine extract, BioPerine is uniquely suited to give curcumin, the bioactive ingredient in turmeric, a major boost when it comes to bioavailability. In fact, studies have shown that taking piperine in conjunction with curcumin can increase the latter’s bioavailability by as much as 2000 percent!
Why is BioPerine Used With COQ10?
COQ10 is an enzyme that is produced naturally by your body and plays a crucial role in generating cellular energy. COQ10 production naturally decreases with age, so many people take COQ10 supplements as a result – and research reveals piperine supplements taken in conjunction with COQ10 increase COQ10’s effectiveness.
What’s the Difference Between BioPerine and Piperine?
It’s true that BioPerine is a piperine extract, but there are some major differences between piperine and BioPerine. It’s true that, as the active ingredient in black pepper, you can increase the amount of piperine in your diet by increasing the amount of black pepper you include in your food. However, this only works to a certain point, as the bioavailability of piperine in black pepper alone isn’t as high as it in BioPerine, which contains a minimum of 95 percent piperine.
Additionally, there are practical concerns as well, as there’s only so much spice and heat that the typical person can stand when it comes to adding black pepper to your meals! Even the most adventurous (and perhaps slightly masochistic) fan of this powerful spice would find it exceedingly difficult to handle that amount of black pepper on their food!
Effective Protection From a Natural Source
As it’s naturally sourced from black pepper, BioPerine offers the protection of piperine in a much more pure and concentrated way, making it easier to enjoy the benefits of the bioactive ingredient in this spice. With the FDA classifying BioPerine as Generally Recognized as Safe and with it able to combine with the synergistic effects that piperine has with turmeric, COQ10, and other spices, BioPerine is one of the most effective ways to live a more healthy life. Whether it’s the ability to support better heart health, control blood sugar, its action as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, or its ability to protect the brain and safeguard against cancer, BioPerine is an important component of any health regimen.
