1. Powerful antioxidant
Antioxidants are important and necessary to a human body's health. They help ward off cell damage by “cleaning up” or removing waste products in our cells, called free radicals before they can do harm. Antioxidants are released from the foods we eat through digestion and travel through the bloodstream and into cells.
The antioxidant in turmeric is found in its chemical compound, curcumin.
2. Healthy inflammation response
Turmeric curcumin is most known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
The journal Oncogene published the results of a study that evaluated several anti-inflammatory compounds and found that curcumin is among the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in the world. - NCBI
You might be interested in: "Turmeric Golden Milk".
3. Promotes joint health
Healthy cartilage helps you move by allowing bones to glide over one another. It also protects bones by preventing them from rubbing against each other. Keeping your joints healthy will allow you to run, walk, jump, play sports, and do the other things you like to do.
Unhealthy joints are a common point of pain for many people. Arthritis effects about 54 million adults. Doctor-diagnosed arthritis is more common in women (26 percent) than in men (18 percent). In some types, such as rheumatoid arthritis, women far outnumber men.
A study was conducted on 45 rheumatoid arthritis patients to compare the benefits of curcumin in turmeric to the arthritis drug diclofenac sodium (an NSAID), which put people at risk of developing leaky gut and heart disease.
The study split these volunteers into three groups: curcumin treatment alone, diclofenac sodium alone and a combination of the two. -NCBI
The curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement in overall [Disease Activity Score] scores and these scores were significantly better than the patients in the diclofenac sodium group. More importantly, curcumin treatment was found to be safe and did not relate with any adverse events. Scientific evidence supports the efficacy of turmeric extract (about 1000 mg/day of curcumin) in the treatment of arthritis. - NCBI
4. Supports heart health
The main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease is improving the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of your blood vessels.
It’s well known that endothelial dysfunction is a major driver of heart disease and involves an inability of your endothelium to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors.
Several studies suggest that curcumin leads to improvements in endothelial function. One study found that it’s as effective as exercise while another shows that it works as well as the drug Atorvastatin. - NCBI, - 2
In addition, curcumin reduces inflammation and oxidation, which play a role in heart disease as well.
5. Promotes brain health
It was once believed that neurons were not able to divide and multiply after early childhood. This has since been dis-proven.
Neurons are capable of forming new connections, but in certain areas of the brain they can also multiply and increase in number.
Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF (Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor), which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in your brain. [- Science Direct]
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, also known as BDNF, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the BDNF Gene. BDNF is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors, which are related to the canonical nerve growth factor.
Turmeric curcumin may be effective in delaying or even reversing many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function.
How to take Turmeric for improved health
Adding turmeric spice to food can enhance the flavor of your food but it is not an effective way to get the optimum results you may be hoping for in taking turmeric. Turmeric only contains about 3 percent of absorbable curcumin in the powdered form used in food. For this reason, you may want to consider taking turmeric curcumin in a supplement form.
For optimum benefits, you want a supplement that contains black pepper. Black pepper contains a compound, piperine, which inhibits the metabolic breakdown of turmeric compounds in the gut and the liver. This allows higher levels of turmeric compounds to remain in the body (i.e., it increases its bioavailability), which may increase the effects of turmeric.
