CURCUMIN BENEFITS

thentheresthetruth
Jun 26, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Jul 8, 2021

Turmeric and its curcumin benefits are becoming increasingly popular in the modern world as more and more people begin to look for more natural and healthier alternatives to modern medicine. Turmeric is a close cousin of ginger, and has an unmistakable yellow hue. It is actually the roots of the Turmeric plant that is used in cooking. Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by the turmeric plant and it is the hero in the story. Turmeric has been used for over 4000 years in traditional medicines. Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine practitioners remain the most ancient living traditions.

Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and is a very strong antioxidant.

Due to these anti- inflammatory properties turmeric may help treat many inflammatory conditions. Curcumin as an antioxidant can help to neutralize free radicals. Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind aging and many diseases.

Curcumin aids in the treatment of viral and bacterial infections and and variety of digestive problems. The antioxidant effect of turmeric may stop your liver from being damaged by toxins. Turmeric can be beneficial for diseases like irritable bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and crohn’s. There is also some studies now suggesting Turmeric being beneficial for depression.

DIABETES

A study found that people with prediabetes who took curcumin for 9 months were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those taking the placebo.They also noted that curcumin appeared to improve the function of the cells that make insulin in the pancreas.

Including turmeric or curcumin in the diet may help people with prediabetes slow down or reverse the development of this condition. (Source)

Curcumin has also been noted to help repair and regenerate pancreas cells which contribute to insulin resistance.

HEART DISEASE

Reduces arterial lining inflammation, but also fatty deposits known as plaque.

Lowering bad cholesterol levels and reducing clogged arteries helps in the prevention of heart disease.

CANCER

Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-cancer spices. There is evidence that curcumin, can kill cancer cells in certain cancers and is currently being studied in alternative cancer treatments. It has shown to reduce growth of new blood vessels in tumors and reduce the spread of cancer.

OSTEOARTHRITIS

Curcumin is beneficial in reducing inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.

In some studies it was more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug (Source).

ALZHEIMERS DISEASE

Curcumin is quite effective in slowing down the development of Alzheimer’s disease due to its ability to decreases oxidation and inflammation in the brain. Part of Alzheimer’s disease is a build up of protein tangles which are called amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin helps clear these amyloid plaques. Which is pretty incredible given that we still have no cure for Alzheimer's disease. (Source)

WEIGHT LOSS

Turmeric and curcumin may inhibit the inflammatory pathway involved in obesity and help regulate body fat. Curcumin may also aid metabolism which burns fat.

BLACK PEPPER

Use black pepper along with turmeric to help increase the absorption of turmeric's curcumin in the body. The piperine black pepper enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000% with no adverse effects (Source) Besides helping your body absorb Curcumin, Piperine has also been shown to help relieve nausea, headaches and poor digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties. Try taking with heart healthy fats for more absorption as well.

SUPPLEMENTS

If your thinking of taking supplements then there's a few things to keep in mind.

When taking large doses some people may experience adverse effects, such as allergic reactions, nausea vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, skin rash, or diarrhea (Source).

It is suggested those with the following conditions should avoid turmeric supplements due to their high concentration.

Bleeding disorders.
Diabetes.
Iron deficiency.
Kidney stones.

Choose supplements that have been certified and that preferably have piperine to aid the absorption of the curcumin.

There is a lot of dodgy knockoffs out there that have not passed proper testing.

IN OTHER NEWS

There's no shortage of nay sayers when it comes to these topics. There's a lot of opinions based on studies that have a lot of money behind them and come from big companies that have everything to gain by manipulating main stream information. There is a lack of studies and research on natural remedies. However, why would pharmaceutical companies want to prove you can get healthy without their pills? That is just my personal opinion but common sense says somethings looks a miss...

What i find interesting is some of the warnings about taking the supplements actually have the opposite effect when you think about what is being said. Its simply just been worded cleverly. They actually prove that Curcumin works for certain things. A little common sense goes a long way here too! The following statement is the perfect example of this.

"Turmeric may strengthen the effects of blood-thinning medications, which raises your risk of bleeding"

Correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't that just show that turmeric actually does thin the blood?

"turmeric may magnify the effects of diabetes medications that lower blood sugar, increasing your risk of low blood sugar (also known as hypoglycemia)"