PISCATAWAY, NJ - Sabinsa Corporation has been named winner of the 2008 Nutrition Business Journal Supplement Ingredient Product Merit Award for its Curcumin C3 Complex^®.

"We’re honored and gratified by this recognition of Sabinsa's commitment to backing its products with science," said Sabinsa's vice president of scientific and medical affairs Vladimir Badmaev, MD, PhD.

Sabinsa, which has held a patent on Curcumin C3 Complex since 1999, has been researching this ingredient for over 14 years. The evolution of the product, now backed by 25 clinical trials, is a snap shot into how Sabinsa develops its innovative proprietary ingredients.

With the knowledge that one of the uses of the herb tumeric (of which curcumin is a component) for centuries has been as a preservative for food, Sabinsa’s researchers set out to discover if it could have the same effect in the body. In 1995 the company began to studying the various compounds in turmeric to discover the right balance of curcuminoids to offer the best range of health benefits. While early studies demonstrated the strong antioxidant properties of curcumin, more recent studies are examining its effect on chronic low grade inflammation and showing promise in Alzheimer’s, cancer and cardiovascular research.

Sabinsa began by studying curcumin’s structure and composition, followed by in‐vitro and in‐vivo studies, and eventually invested in clinical safety and efficacy research. Partners in this phase of research have included Rutgers University, Tufts University, MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas and the UCLA School of Medicine.

Award recipients will be honored at an NBJ awards dinner on July 23, 2009, at the Newport Summit, St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, California.