Curcumin Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage, Uses, Supplements, Recipes, Reviews, Research, Health Tips, News & More
Curcumin’s benefits
include weight loss, anti-aging, cancer prevention, and more. Find out what
curcumin does for you!
In the
article, we will learn whether turmeric or curcumin has medical benefits and whether
it can be used as a treatment for some diseases.
Turmeric
Turmeric is
one of the most famous spices used in food all over the world, and one of the
most famous foods in which turmeric is used is curry rice, a very well-known
dish.
Are curcumin and turmeric the same thing?
Turmeric
contains a substance called curcumin which is a substance of benefit to the human
body.
How much curcumin is in turmeric powder?
It is present in only three percent.
This means
that we must eat a very large amount of turmeric to get an adequate amount of
curcumin.
But eating a
large amount of turmeric is not a magic solution for reasons including:
First:
Eating turmeric in large quantities causes severe reflux into the esophagus,
stomach inflammation, severe diarrhea, or constipation, and it will turn the
stool color yellow.
Second:
Curcumin is very poorly absorbed.
For these
reasons, pharmaceutical companies have manufactured tablets containing
curcumin, the active substance extracted from turmeric. And they added with it
another substance extracted from black pepper called piperine improves the
absorption of curcumin inside the intestine.
In fact,
putting turmeric in food for medical benefit will not achieve the desired goal,
so you should use curcumin tablets that are produced by trusted companies.
Is curcumin good for you?
There are a
lot of health benefits of curcumin to your body.
Curcumin as anti-inflammatory
It reduces
any inflammation in the body and decreases joint inflammation, which reduces
joint pain. Therefore, curcumin can be used in addition to medications in Some
cases of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
This is one
of the important advantages, as it was found that chronic inflammation may
cause some diseases such as obesity, heart disease, some cancers as well as
Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic syndrome.
Curcumin as antioxidant
Curcumin is
a powerful antioxidant that can rid the body of free radicals that result from
the reactions that occur in the body because of burning food. These free radicals,
if increased, damage the DNA, and damage the enzymes and proteins inside the
cell.
Therefore,
curcumin is considered a supplement that helps delay aging.
Can curcumin lower blood pressure?
It was found
that curcumin reduces the incidence of heart disease because it reduces
inflammation and improves the performance of the cells lining the blood vessels
responsible for the secretion of substances that determine the constriction and
dilatation of the blood vessels.
Also, these
cells have a relationship with clotting, and if a defect occurs in them, clots
occur, whether in the brain or clots in the arteries of the heart, so curcumin
may protect against heart and brain clots.
Curcumin and cancer
Curcumin
protects the body from cancers, especially colon cancer, as it kills cancer
cells and prevents the formation of blood vessels inside tumors, as well as
preventing the spread of tumors outside their place, such as the tumor sending
secondaries to other parts of the body such as the liver and lung.
Curcumin can
also be used with cancer drugs and chemotherapy because curcumin improves the
performance of chemotherapy for cancers.
Does turmeric help with Alzheimer’s disease?
One of the
very important benefits of curcumin is that it prevents Alzheimer’s disease,
which is a very famous disease that affects the elderly. Among the very
important effects of curcumin is that it prevents Alzheimer’s disease by
reducing inflammation, as we have already mentioned, and works to break down
the proteins that form between neurons to block the transmission of nerve
signals in an Alzheimer's patient. Also, curcumin increases the level of a
certain hormone inside the brain, and this hormone works on the proliferation
of neurons, and this is very important in an Alzheimer's patient to increase
focus and improve memory in these patients.
Turmeric and depression
One of the
important benefits of curcumin is that it reduces depression because it
increases happiness hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, so curcumin can be
used in addition to depression medications in depressed patients.
Is turmeric good for weight loss?
As we
mentioned before, curcumin has a significant role in reducing inflammation
inside the body, as described before. Scientists have found that obese patients
already suffer from a high percentage of inflammation in their bodies, which
plays an important role in their obesity, and therefore theoretically, taking
curcumin may be an appropriate treatment for obesity.
Therefore,
curcumin was tested at a dose of 800 mg and 8 mg of piperine per day on 44
obese people for a period of 30 days. This study demonstrated a significant
decrease in body weight, body mass index, as well as waist and thigh
circumference.
Twenty-one
studies on about 1,600 patients were also analyzed. These studies showed a
significant decrease in weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in
these patients.
Despite the
positive results of recent research, more human trials are needed before
curcumin can be recommended for weight loss.
What is a good dose of turmeric to take daily?
It is variable
ranging from 500-2000 mg/day depending on the indication.
e.g., in osteoarthritis,
we use 500 mg/day for 2-3 months.
Is turmeric safe for everyone?
There is a
lengthy history of safety with curcumin. For instance, the Allowable Daily
Intake value of curcumin is 0-3 mg/kg body weight, The safety
and effectiveness of curcumin have been supported by numerous studies on
healthy individuals. Despite this medication's well-known safety, several unfavorable
side effects have been documented when curcumin is used in large doses e.g., nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, headache, rash, and yellow discoloration of stool.
Is curcumin safe during pregnancy?
Curcumin supplements
should not be used during pregnancy because large doses of curcumin used during
pregnancy may change the body's estrogen levels, which may result in uterine
contractions or bleeding. These side effects can be sufficient to cause preterm
labor or pregnancy loss.
Is turmeric safe during breastfeeding?
Although turmeric
is safe for the infant it is better avoided during breastfeeding as it may suppress
milk production.
It is worth
noting that curcumin must be used as a food supplement besides the basic
treatment that the patient takes because studies have not yet been done on
large numbers of patients on the effectiveness of curcumin as a treatment for
diseases such as rheumatoid, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and depression.
Where you can get the best curcumin?
You can get it from trusted stores like Amazon.
Conclusion
Curcumin is a
useful substance in turmeric, and it can be taken in the form of tablets, and
one of its important benefits is that it is used as an adjunct treatment for
inflammation in the body, cancers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease,
depression, and slimming.