Turmeric, a spice, may be the most effective nutritional supplement on the market.
Many high-quality research suggest that turmeric has significant health and brain advantages. Many of these advantages are attributed to its major active component, curcumin.
Continue reading to discover more about turmeric and curcumin, as well as their advantages.
What exactly are turmeric and curcumin?
Turmeric is the spice responsible for the yellow color in curry.
It has been used as a spice and medicinal herb in India for thousands of years. Science has recently begun to support traditional assertions that turmeric contains chemicals with therapeutic effects.
These substances are known as curcuminoids. Curcumin is the most significant.
Turmeric's major active component is curcumin. It has potent anti-inflammatory properties and is a potent antioxidant.
The top ten evidence-based health benefits of turmeric and curcumin are listed below.
1. Turmeric includes bioactive chemicals that are therapeutic in nature
However, turmeric's curcumin concentration isn't very high. It is around 3% by weight. The majority of trials on this plant have used turmeric extracts containing mainly curcumin, with doses often surpassing 1 gram per day.
It would be quite difficult to get these levels simply by adding turmeric as a spice in your cuisine. That is why some individuals prefer to take supplements.
Curcumin, on the other hand, is poorly absorbed into the circulation. To reap the full benefits of curcumin, its bioavailability (the rate at which your body absorbs a chemical) must be improved.
It is beneficial to combine it with black pepper, which contains piperine. Piperine is a natural chemical that increases curcumin absorption by 2,000%.
In fact, the greatest curcumin pills contain piperine, making them far more effective.
Curcumin is also fat soluble, which means it dissolves and breaks down in fat or oil. As a result, taking curcumin pills with a high-fat diet may be beneficial.
2. Curcumin is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory substance.
Inflammation is very significant. It aids in the battle against foreign invaders and aids in the restoration of bodily damage.
Although acute, short-term inflammation is useful, it can be problematic if it becomes persistent and assaults your own tissues.
Chronic low-level inflammation, according to scientists, may have a role in several health disorders and illnesses. These are some examples:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Metabolic syndrome
- Alzheimer’s disease
- A variety of degenerative disorders
That is why anything that can help reduce chronic inflammation has the potential to help prevent and treat these illnesses.
While the issue of inflammation is complex, and there is likely no one-size-fits-all solution, the essential message from curcumin is that it is a bioactive chemical that may fight inflammation. However, extremely large dosages are necessary to elicit therapeutic outcomes.
3. Turmeric can boost the body's antioxidant capability
One of the processes underlying aging and many illnesses is thought to be oxidative damage.
It makes use of free radicals, which are extremely reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. Free radicals have a tendency to react with essential chemical compounds including fatty acids, proteins, and DNA.
The primary benefit of antioxidants is that they protect your body from free radicals.
Because of its molecular composition, curcumin is a powerful antioxidant that may destroy free radicals.
Furthermore, animal and cellular studies indicate that curcumin may inhibit the activity of free radicals while stimulating the action of other antioxidants. More human clinical trials are needed to validate these advantages.
4. Curcumin can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels.
Prior to scientists' greater knowledge of neurons, it was thought that they couldn't split and proliferate after early development. They now know, however, that this is not the case.
Neurons can make new connections and proliferate and grow in number in particular parts of the brain.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is one of the primary drivers of this process (BDNF). This is a gene that is involved in the production of a protein that promotes the longevity of neurons.
The BDNF protein is involved in memory and learning, and it is present in parts of the brain that control eating, drinking, and body weight.
Many common brain illnesses, including depression and Alzheimer's disease, have been associated to decreasing BDNF protein levels.
Curcumin has been shown in animal experiments to enhance BDNF levels in the brain.
It may be useful in postponing or even correcting several brain disorders and age-related declines in brain function by doing so. Still, because these studies were conducted on animals, it's difficult to understand what the findings signify for humans.
It may also aid with memory and concentration, which makes sense given its impact on BDNF levels. More research, however, is required to corroborate this.
5. Curcumin may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Researchers have been studying it for decades and have learnt a lot about why it occurs. Unsurprisingly, heart disease is quite intricate, with several factors contributing to it.
Many phases in the heart disease process may be reversed by curcumin.
Curcumin may provide the greatest effect for heart disease through increasing the function of the endothelium, the lining of your blood vessels.
Endothelial dysfunction is a key contributor to heart disease. This occurs when your endothelium is unable to control blood pressure, clotting, and other issues.
Several studies have found that curcumin can benefit heart health. Furthermore, one study indicated that it is just as helpful as exercise in postmenopausal women.
Furthermore, as previously noted, curcumin can help lower inflammation and oxidation, both of which can play a role in heart disease.
In one trial, researchers gave 121 participants having coronary artery bypass surgery either a placebo or 4 grams of curcumin each day for a few days before and after the procedure.
The curcumin group had a 66% lower chance of having a heart attack in the hospital.
6. Turmeric may aid in cancer prevention
Cancer is a condition that causes uncontrolled cell proliferation. Curcumin pills tend to be effective against a wide range of cancers.
Curcumin has been explored as a cancer-fighting herb and has been shown to influence cancer growth and development.
According to research, it can:
- Contribute to cancerous cell death
- Limit angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors)
- Control metastasis (spread of cancer)
High-dose curcumin, preferably combined with an absorption enhancer like piperine, has yet to be thoroughly explored in people.
However, there is evidence that it may help to prevent cancer, particularly tumors of the digestive tract such as colorectal cancer.
In a 30-day trial of 44 individuals with colon lesions that potentially develop malignant, 4 grams of curcumin per day decreased the number of lesions by 40%.
7. Curcumin may be beneficial in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent kind of dementia, accounting for up to 70% of all dementia cases.
While some of its symptoms can be treated, there is still no cure for Alzheimer's. That is why it is critical to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Curcumin has been demonstrated to pass the blood-brain barrier, so there may be some good news on the way.
It is well understood that inflammation and oxidative damage play a part in Alzheimer's disease, and curcumin can help with both.
Furthermore, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the formation of protein tangles known as amyloid plaques. Curcumin has been shown in studies to help remove these plaques.
Curcumin's ability to reduce or perhaps reverse the course of Alzheimer's disease in humans is currently unknown and needs to be researched.
8. Curcumin supplements help arthritis patients
In Western nations, arthritis is a prevalent condition. There are various kinds of arthritis, the most of which include joint inflammation.
Given that curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory molecule, it stands to reason that it might aid in the treatment of arthritis. In fact, multiple studies have found a link.
Curcumin was shown to be more effective than an anti-inflammatory medicine in a trial of persons with rheumatoid arthritis.
Many additional research have looked at the benefits of curcumin on arthritis and found that it improves a variety of symptoms.
9. Curcumin has antidepressant properties
Curcumin has showed potential in the treatment of depression.
60 persons with depression were randomly assigned to one of three groups in a controlled experiment. One group received Prozac, another received 1 gram of curcumin, and the third received both Prozac and curcumin.
Curcumin produced results comparable to Prozac after 6 weeks. The group that received both Prozac and curcumin fared the best.
Curcumin is equally effective as an antidepressant, according to one short research.
Depression is also associated with lower BDNF levels and a smaller hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory. Curcumin has the ability to reverse some of these alterations by increasing BDNF levels.
There is additional evidence that curcumin can increase the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the brain.
10. Curcumin may aid in the prevention and treatment of age-related chronic illnesses
If curcumin may indeed help against heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's, it may also aid with lifespan.
This implies that curcumin might be useful as an anti-aging supplement.
Given that oxidation and inflammation are thought to play a role in aging, curcumin may have benefits that extend far beyond disease prevention.