Health Benefits Of Turmeric And Curcumin I Bet You Didn’T Know About

Health Benefits Of Turmeric And Curcumin I Bet You Didn’T Know About

Turmeric is a traditional  spice with a powerful compound called curcumin. We shall be talking about ,benefits of turmeric milk,benefits of turmeric for skin,benefits of turmeric water,benefits of turmeric curcumin,benefits of turmeric ginger tea and benefits of turmeric on skin among others

What is turmeric?

  • Turmeric is a spice that comes from the root of the curcuma longa plant, which is a perennial in the ginger family.
  • Its major active ingredient is curcumin. “Curcumin gives turmeric that yellowish color

Health Benefits Of Turmeric And Curcumin I Bet You Didn’T Know About

Turmeric could either be fresh or dried. The dried ones are grounded into powder which gives that distinct yellow colour.

Where Did Turmeric Originate from?

  • It is believed that turmeric originated from India, as we all know, India is the land for spices of all varieties such as black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, etc. Other countries are Asia, Thailand, South Africa and Nigeria.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Turmeric And Curcumin?

Health Benefits Of Turmeric And Curcumin I Bet You Didn’T Know About

  • Like many spices, turmeric (Curcuma longa) has a long history of use in traditional medicine. This flavor-filled spice is primarily cultivated from the rhizomes, or roots, of a flowering plant that grows in India and other parts of Southeast Asia, and aside from giving curry its vibrant yellow color, turmeric is also known for having potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, according to a past review.

There’s no shortage of health claims about curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. But what does the research say?

1. Curcumin Is an Anti-Inflammatory

  • Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies use turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin.
  • One of turmeric’s main claims to fame is that it’s commonly used to fight inflammation, and the bulk of turmeric’s inflammation-fighting powers can be assigned to curcumin.
  • In fact, in the right dose, curcumin may be a more effective anti-inflammatory treatment than common inflammation-fighting medications such as Advil (ibuprofen) and aspirin, according to a past study.
  • In one study of patients with ulcerative colitis, those who took 2 grams of curcumin a day along with prescription medication were more likely to stay in remission than those who took the medicine alone.
  • Because chronic inflammation contributes to many chronic diseases, curcumin may help treat conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, and arthritis, according to a past review.

2.Curcumin May Help Prevent (and Possibly Treat) Certain Types of Cancer

  • Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer.
  • As inflammation is linked to tumor growth, anti-inflammatory compounds such as curcumin may play a role in the treatment and prevention of a variety of cancer types, including colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, and gastric cancers.
  • Some research also suggests that turmeric or curcumin can help with certain cancer symptoms.
  • One review of 11 studies on the effects of turmeric on prostate diseases (including eight studies on patients with prostate cancer), published online in August 2021 as part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series, suggests that supplementing with turmeric or curcumin may offer perks.
  • While some studies found curcumin or turmeric supplements had no effect on patients with prostate diseases, a few showed beneficial effects on levels of prostate-specific antigen (a protein produced by the prostate gland; blood levels of this protein are typically higher in men with prostate cancer), urination frequency and urgency, and quality of life.

3. One of The Benefits of Turmeric is in Improving Liver Function

  • Turmeric helps in reducing the risk of many diseases including heart, diabetes and certain cancers.
  • It has the potentiality in fighting diseases and it is also found in pineapple, blueberries, kale, fish (salmon), tomatoes, olive oil, oranges, cherries, spinach.

 

4. Turmeric Can Be Used As A Colouring And Flavoring Agents

  •  helps in giving our meal not just color but also flavor. Remember the distinct yellow color of turmeric, yeah.
  • Its flavor is overwhelming, sits between bitter and sweet but it stains the recipe a lot with that abundant colour.

Add a teaspoon of turmeric to your rice and you instantly get flavoured-coloured yellow rice!

5. Turmeric Aids in Digestion

  • The active ingredients seen in curcumin contributes to healthy digestion due to its biological properties.

6.Turmeric is Used in Improving Skin Care and Health

  • According to the authors of another review, topical curcumin treatments may be useful in treating skin disorders, especially as past research suggests curcumin is relatively safe even at high doses.
  • But curcumin’s bright yellow-orange color, poor solubility, and poor stability at a high pH make it an unappealing topical skin treatment.
  • This yellow magic can be effective for treating various skincare conditions, including acne, pimples, psoriasis.
  • Curcumin is packed with anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties and as such, it aids in this.

7.Curcumin May Help Treat or Prevent Diabetes

  • According to a past review of studies,curcumin may help treat and prevent diabetes, as well as associated disorders like diabetic nephropathy (also called diabetic kidney disease), which affects people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
  • Meanwhile, curcumin may help prevent diabetes through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and improve many of the factors that contribute to diabetes, including insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and hyperlipidemia (a medical term to describe elevated levels of fat in the blood; one type of hyperlipidemia is characterized by high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol).

8. Curcumin May Help Protect Against Heart Disease

  • Studies show that turmeric may help reverse the heart disease process.
  • In healthy middle-aged and older adults who took curcumin supplements for 12 weeks, resistance artery endothelial production — which plays a significant role in high blood pressure — was increased.
  • Another study followed 121 people who had coronary artery bypass surgery. A few days before and after the surgery, the group that took 4 grams of curcumin a day saw a 65% decreased risk of having a heart attack in the hospital.
  • Turmeric also may be helpful when used along with medication for managing cholesterol levels. 
  • Research shows that curcumin is safe and may protect those at risk for heart disease by lowering certain levels of cholesterol, though more study is needed to look at how much and what type is effective.
  • Turmeric may even help protect your brain against common degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s by increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in the brain and spinal cord that plays a key role in keeping nerve cells (neurons) healthy, as well as regulating communication between nerve cells, which is critical for learning and memory.

11. Curcumin May Play a Role in Depression Treatment

12. Turmeric Protects Your Body From Free Radicals

  • Antioxidants help protect your body against damage caused by free radicals, a class of highly reactive atoms that are generated in our bodies and found in environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke and industrial chemicals.
  • Too much exposure to free radicals can mess with the fats, proteins, and even DNA in your body, which may lead to a number of common diseases and health conditions, including cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
  • Therefore, antioxidant-rich spices like turmeric may play a role in protecting you from free radical damage
  • Curcumin in particular is able to scavenge different types of free radicals, control enzymes that neutralize free radicals, and prevent certain enzymes from creating specific free radical types, according to a review in the October 2017 issue of Foods.

13. Turmeric May Work as an Anti-Aging Supplement

  • Currently, there’s no evidence that turmeric or curcumin directly influence longevity, but thanks to their ability to fight inflammation, protect your body against free radicals, and potentially delay brain degeneration and other age-related diseases, turmeric and curcumin may be effective anti-aging supplements, according to past research.
  • Studies also suggest that turmeric and curcumin are mostly safe, although some negative side effects (diarrhea, headache, rash) have been reported at doses ranging from 500 to 12,000 mg.

14. Curcumin May Prevent Eye Degeneration

  • Glaucoma, a group of eye conditions, is one of the leading causes of blindness in people over age 60.
  • Scientific Reports shows topical curcumin treatments may help protect the eyes against degeneration.
  • Researchers applied a proprietary curcumin eye drop solution to rats two times per day for three weeks.
  • By the end of the study, the untreated rats experienced a 23 percent reduction in retinal cells compared with the treatment group, suggesting that loss was prevented by the curcumin treatment.

 

Recommended Daily Intake Of Turmeric And Curcumin

  • While doctors commonly recommend taking 500 milligrams twice daily with food, the dose that’s right for you depends on your overall health. More isn’t always better, so talk to your doctor.
  • “It’s safe to take up to 8 grams per day, but my recommendation would be somewhere on the lighter side: 500 to 1,000 milligrams a day for the general population,” says Hopsecger.
  • For optimal absorption, try taking with heart-healthy fats like oils, avocado, nuts and seeds, she adds.

 

Always talk to your doctor before starting a dietary supplement, since they could potentially interact with other medications you’re taking. Turmeric can help supplement your conventional care, but it’s not a substitute for medicine.

How To Use Turmeric

“Curcumin is more potent in a supplement because they’ve extracted it from the turmeric,” Hopsecger says. “If you are buying turmeric in the store, it does have some antioxidant properties. While using it as a spice may not have a significant impact, it is a great way to season food without salt.”

You can benefit from Turmeric by adding it to:

  • Smoothies.
  • Golden milk.
  • Soups.
  • Scrambled eggs.
  • Muffins.
  • Rice.
  • Roasted veggies.

Conclusion

  • Turmeric — and especially its most active compound, curcumin — have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to improve heart health and prevent against Alzheimer’s and cancer.
  • It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
  • While these benefits are possible, they are limited at this time because of curcumin’s scarce bioavailability, and more research is needed.

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