Turmeric may well be a truly wonderful supplement. This tasty spice is what gives curry its orange color, but it does much more than that. There are tons of studies that show the ability of turmeric to improve the health of your body and brain. But even before it was officially studied, turmeric had been used as a medicine in India for thousands of years.
So what is the benefit of turmeric? Scientists have reduced it to curcuminoids, the most notable of which is curcumin. Curcumin has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but its concentration in turmeric is not particularly high: around 3% by weight.
Eating turmeric is always a good option, but it can further increase the benefits if you are looking for a good curcumin supplement.
But whether you eat turmeric or take a curcumin supplement, you will need another powerful ingredient to increase your absorption. Without this, most of the curcumin will likely leave your body unused. Read on to discover all of the incredible benefits of turmeric (# 6 is truly incredible) and then we will share the magic ingredient that goes further.
1. Natural anti-inflammatory effects
Inflammation is a defense mechanism that is vital when you have an injury or infection. It helps the body isolate the affected areas and fight foreign invaders. Without inflammation, dangerous pathogens would have a clear path to completely invade your body. However, inflammation is a somewhat powerful tool and can sometimes become chronic for no good reason. When this happens, you run the risk of contracting all kinds of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties so powerful that it rivals certain drugs specially designed to relieve inflammation, but without dangerous side effects. Curcumin is known to block the NF-kB molecule which travels to cell nuclei and activates inflammation. So when you eat turmeric or take a curcumin supplement, you reduce inflammation at the cellular level.
2. Improvement of antioxidant capacity
Antioxidants can block oxidative damage, which is one of the mechanisms of aging and disease. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons; These can bounce around your body and react with fatty acids, proteins or DNA. The effects of this process appear externally on your skin in the form of premature aging, or internally in the form of disease, especially cancer.
Antioxidants like curcumin bind to free radicals and neutralize them before damaging them. But that’s not all that curcumin can do. It also appears to stimulate the body’s own antioxidant enzymes to work harder. This way you get double protection against consuming turmeric.
3. Better brain function
The neurons in our brain are never as active as in childhood, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t continue to multiply and make new connections throughout our lives. This process is fueled by a growth hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. Reduced levels of this hormone are believed to be the cause of conditions such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
Would you be surprised to know that curcumin increases BDNF levels in the brain? This ability could delay or reverse age-related brain disorders, improve memory, and maybe even make you smarter. It can certainly improve your daily mood. So be sure to get your curcumin in the days and weeks leading up to an exam or great presentation!
4. Lower risk of heart disease
Heart disease kills more people around the world than anything else. It is a complicated disease with many contributing factors, but curcumin can protect against it. As we have already discussed, curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound. Both functions can improve heart health.
More than that, curcumin seems to benefit the endothelium or the lining of blood vessels. Problems with endothelium cause problems with regulation of blood pressure, blood clotting and other regulatory factors in the heart. One study found that curcumin is as effective as exercise in improving heart health, while another maintains that it works just as well as Atorvastatin heart drugs.
5. Cancer prevention
Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases that humans and animals face. It occurs when the growth of certain cells becomes rapid and uncontrolled. Uncontrolled cancer cells then develop tumors and spread to other parts of the body. There are many forms of cancer, but some of them can be vulnerable to curcumin. Studies have shown that it can slow the growth and spread of cancer cells and even kill them under certain circumstances.
More studies are needed to determine exactly what role curcumin can play in the treatment of cancer, but there is already convincing evidence that it can help prevent cancer development in the first place. This is especially true when it comes to digestive cancers like stomach or colorectal cancer.
6. Pain relief
Many of the so-called “pain relievers” that you can buy without a prescription are not really aimed at pain but rather at inflammation. Ibuprofen is a great example. It turns out that curcumin is at least as effective as these chemical anti-inflammatory drugs.
Studies have shown that it is particularly effective in reducing the pain experienced by arthritis patients. In fact, curcumin has been shown to be even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Curcumin can also be helpful for people with injuries or pain after exercise.
conclusion
Curcumin is a very powerful compound that improves the function of your body, slows aging and increases brain power and mood. Turmeric is the best way to add curcumin to your meals, but the amount of curcumin in turmeric is relatively small. A curcumin supplement can be beneficial for people who wish to treat an existing disorder.
However, taking a curcumin supplement alone does not yet mean that much of it will enter the bloodstream. To do this, make sure that the supplement you choose also contains a substance called piperine. Piperine is an active compound in black pepper that has all kinds of health benefits, in addition to increasing your body’s ability to absorb curcumin by 2000%!
