September 3, 2018

Diet & Nutrition

The Top 39 Science-Backed Curcumin Benefits (Found in Turmeric)

While you may have heard of the benefits of turmeric you may not be aware that many of those benefits are attributed to curcumin, a little known but powerful compound which gives turmeric its rich colour. The Curcumin benefits are endless so in light of this we have developed a list of 39 benefits with each benefit backed by scientific studies. Lets begin.

Curcumin Helps Heal Leaky Gut
Curcumin Has Anti-Aging Properties
Curcumin Improves Brain Health
Curcumin Can Protect Your Kidneys
Curcumin Helps With Joint Problems
Curcumin Combats Multiple Sclerosis
Curcumin is Effective Against Rheumatoid Arthritis
Curcumin Helps With Psoriasis
Curcumin Combats Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Curcumin is the World's Most Powerful Natural Anti-Inflammatory Supplement
Curcumin Can Combat Depression
Curcumin is a Natural Stress Reliever
Curcumin Fights Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
Curcumin Protects Against Heavy Metal Toxicity
Curcumin Can Protect Against Fluoride
Curcumin Fights Diabetes
Curcumin Boosts Your Libido
Curcumin Has Anti-Cancer Properties
Curcumin Promotes Healthy Vision and Eye Health
Curcumin Helps Reduce PMS Symptoms
Curcumin Helps Prevent HPV Outbreaks
Curcumin Promotes Healthy Weight Loss
Curcumin Promotes Healthy Muscle Growth
Curcumin Boosts Neurogenesis
Curcumin Balances Your Cholesterol Levels
Curcumin Helps to Prevent Blood Clots
Curcumin Can Have a Positive Effect on Mental Health
Curcumin Can Improve Your Skin's Health
Curcumin Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease
Curcumin Can Help Prevent Sleep Deprivation
Curcumin Has Anti-Viral Properties
Curcumin Improves Tendinitis Pain
Curcumin Can Help With Post-Surgery Recovery
Curcumin Regulates Your Digestive System
Curcumin Promotes a Healthy Liver
Curcumin Has Anti-Bacterial Properties
Curcumin Has Anti-Fungal Properties
Curcumin Protects Against Hepatitis C
Curcumin Can Improve Spinal Cord Injury Outcomes

Best Curcumin Supplement: What to Look For Final Thoughts on the Curcumin Benefits

What is Curcumin?

What is Curcumin? Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by some plants. It is a popular ingredient in herbal remedies, makeup, food colouring and food flavouring. It is also one of the key ingredients in Turmeric. Simply put, it's the spice that gives curry its signature bright yellow colour. For thousands of years, people in India and Southeast Asia incorporated Curcumin into their diets and various herbal supplements for its medicinal uses. Today, more people are starting to pay attention to the positive properties Curcumin brings. Although Turmeric's key ingredient is Curcumin, it's actually has a very small percentage. Typically, it works out to around 3% of the weight of the Turmeric. For medicinal purposes, most supplements have to and advise you to take up to one gram of Curcumin per day, and this can be very difficult to do if you're trying to get it from seasoning your food with Turmeric. This is why many people use supplements.

The 39 Comprehensive Science-Backed Curcumin & Turmeric Benefits

Now that you know what Curcumin is, where you find it, and what the best supplements are, we'll go over the benefits. There are dozens available, but we narrowed down the top 39, so you can get a good understanding of why you may want to add Curcumin supplements to your diet.

1. Curcumin Helps Heal Leaky Gut

Leaky Gut Syndrome occurs when the lining of your intestines form small cracks or holes. These small cracks and holes can let bacteria, food particles and more through and into your bloodstream. If this happens, you can experience system-wide inflammation. Other common symptoms include trouble digesting food, belching, bloating, a hard abdomen and more. However, research shows that Curcumin can help. It has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can work throughout your system. A 12-week study took 53 patients and divided them into two groups. One group got 325mg of Curcumin each day, and the other group got antitubercular treatment. The end of the study showed reduced inflammation that was on par with several pharmaceuticals.

2. Curcumin Has Anti-Aging Properties

As you age, your skin starts to lose its elasticity, and it may look more worn-out. Things like sunspots and wrinkles are common. Additionally, cell damage due to free radicals can increase, and you may lose collagen. All of these small things work to age your skin, and a supplement of Curcumin can help reverse it. Research shows that Curcumin's powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have a positive effect on aging. The studies showed that Curcumin can actually neutralise free radicals and help to prevent cell damage. Additionally, it can improve collagen deposits in your skin.

3. Curcumin Improves Brain Health

As we grow older, our ability to learn new things and remember things changes. In fact, the ability to recall new things peaks in your mid-20s. It starts a noticeable decline once you hit your 50s and 60s. Your risk for developing dementia also rises around this time. Curcumin promotes brain health, even as you go past your 50s and 60s. One animal study showed that taking a Curcumin supplement can increase the levels of DHA in your brain. DHA is a fatty acid that plays an important role in retaining memory and brain health.

4. Curcumin Can Protect Your Kidneys

Roughly 1 in every 10 adults, have biomedical signs of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in varying stages. CKD refers to the loss of kidney function and the tendency for waste to build up in your system as a result. Studies with rats showed that Curcumin can be instrumental in protecting your kidneys. They divided the rats into five groups and gave two groups Curcumin every day. At the end of the study, the rats who got Curcumin supplements have significantly healthier kidneys than the control group.

5. Curcumin Helps With Joint Problems

Joint problems can get worse as you get older due to normal wear and tear. Inflammation can also cause problems in your joints that can affect your quality of life if it gets bad enough. However, a randomised study produced exciting results. In the study, patients with joint pain got doses of Curcumin supplements for a set period of days. They reported that the supplement had natural pain-relieving properties as well as anti-inflammatory properties. What's more, it worked on joint pain related to nerve damage as well.

6. Curcumin Combats Multiple Sclerosis

MS causes lasting damage to your central nervous system, and as of now, there is no cure. However, you can manage the symptoms. Promising new studies show that Curcumin can be a useful tool to combat MS. It helps to fight oxidative stress, and this is thought to be a main component of MS. It can also form a barrier to protect your central nervous system from further damage or complications, and this may slow down the disease's progression.

7. Curcumin is Effective Against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your joints. This causes swelling, pain, and inflammation. As the disease progresses, it can cause twisting of the bones at the joints that can render your hands unusable. A randomised pilot study took 45 people with a Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis and split them into three groups. The group that got the 500mg dose of Curcumin each day showed the most improvement in their joint pain and swelling. Their improvement was almost on par with what you expect from pharmaceutical treatments.

8. Curcumin Helps With Psoriasis

When someone has Psoriasis, their body speeds up their skin cell production. In turn, you'll have excess skin cells that build up on the surface of your skin in the form of a red, itchy and scaly rash. There is no cure, but you can manage your symptoms. A Chinese study featuring rats showed that Curcumin has properties that could help to slow down the skin cell's life cycle. It cut down the proliferation of the inflammatory cells by as much as 50%, and it decreased the Psoriasis symptoms that were present.

9. Curcumin Combats Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

If you have IBS, you most likely experience a host of symptoms along with abdominal pain. These symptoms can come and go without warning, and they can be debilitating if they are severe enough. There is currently no cure for IBS, but you can reduce your chances of having a flare. As early as 2015, studies on mice showed promising results when it comes to managing and reducing the symptoms of IBS. It showed that ingesting Curcumin increased the levels of neurotransmitters and proteins in the mice's brains. These levels also translated over to the digestive system, and they had a calming effect.

10. Curcumin is the World's Most Powerful Natural Anti-Inflammatory Supplement

Your body reacts to perceived threats or infections by using inflammation. This inflammation comes in chronic and acute forms. Acute inflammation comes from injuries or infections. Chronic inflammation comes from unwanted toxins in your body. Curcumin is an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory. One of the best ways that it fights inflammation is to block enzymes that start the inflammatory process in your body. One study showed that Curcumin can be just as effective as over-the-counter medications like Aspirin for fighting inflammation.

11. Curcumin Can Combat Depression

Estimates predict that roughly 45% of the population will experience a mental health condition at least once in their lifetime. You can use medications as well as Curcumin supplements to help combat the common symptoms. In 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association performed six different studies to determine Curcumin's influence on Depression and Depression symptoms. The results showed that a Curcumin supplement was very effective at combating Depression and the common Depression symptoms without the risk of serious side effects that are often found in prescription medication.

12. Curcumin is a Natural Stress Reliever

Did you know that stress can wreak havoc on and in your body? Having a high-stress job or not managing your stress levels can lead to various physical and emotional problems. These include headache, upset stomach, moodiness, fatigue, chest pain and more. The good news is that studies show that Curcumin has anti-stress properties. Scientists induced stress levels in rats and gave them a Curcumin supplement to study if it was effective. They found that it lowered cortisol levels in their systems and it protected hippocampal neurons from further damage due to oxidative stress.

13. Curcumin Fights Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive form of Dementia that affects around 44 million people worldwide. Since there is no known cure for Alzheimer's Disease yet and it can progress at a rapid pace, prevention is key. Curcumin can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Several promising studies showed that Curcumin was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and go to work directly inside the brain. They also showed that Curcumin is able to effectively clear amyloid plaques. These plaques are one of the key features and cornerstones of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia.

14. Curcumin Protects Against Heavy Metal Toxicity

Heavy metal poisoning and toxicity are both rare diseases and conditions. However, they do occur occasionally when heavy metals build up to toxic levels in your body's soft tissues. Small amounts of these metals are beneficial to your body, but you start to see issues when there is too much. Your body is generally very good at detoxing itself. However, studies show that Curcumin can be a great help when it comes to this process. Research showed that giving rats a Curcumin supplement helped to protect them against mercury poisoning in one study.

15. Curcumin Can Protect Against Fluoride

Fluoride is a mineral that you can find in residential water systems around the world. It's also an active ingredient in toothpaste that is meant to contribute to healthy and strong teeth. You can also find it in several different food sources. However, Fluoride can actually be toxic in high doses, and these toxicity levels vary by weight. It's not recommended for children under six. Research shows that Curcumin can help protect your body from Fluoride toxicity. It reacts with the free radicals in Fluoride and creates a barrier between your cells to protect them.

16. Curcumin Fights Diabetes

If you have diabetes, your blood sugar (glucose) levels typically run very high. Your body can't produce enough insulin to keep these levels stable. This chronic condition can progress at a very rapid pace and cause several different health issues if you don't learn how to control it. Curcumin may help to regulate your blood sugar levels. The International Journal of Endocrinology Metabolism reviewed Curcumin's effectiveness with diabetes and found that it can potentially slow the body's production of glucose, decrease any inflammation, increase insulin secretion and it can stimulate glucose uptake. All of these contribute to the healthy management of diabetes.

17. Curcumin Boosts Your Libido

Both men and women can experience a decline in their libido as they age. For men, this typically occurs in their mid-60s to early 70s. Women usually experience it sooner, with menopause starting in their mid-40s or early 50s. While there are medications you can take to boost your libido, natural supplements work as well. The good news is that Curcumin can help. Clinical trials showed that Curcumin supplements can balance out the estrogen levels in your body. It can stop your body from producing too much estrogen, and this is a problem in both men and women.

18. Curcumin Has Anti-Cancer Properties

The good news is that Curcumin is effective in treating many forms of cancer This includes cervical, breast, prostate, brain, bone, lung and skin cancers as well as leukemia just to name a few. One study showed that Curcumin supplements can go to the molecular level and directly affect how cancer cells grow and spread. Another study showed that it can cause the death of cancer cells and stop them from spreading. Finally, a third study showed that Curcumin may actually prevent cancer from occurring.

19. Curcumin Promotes Healthy Vision and Eye Health

The most common eye diseases and conditions include glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. While you should expect some vision changes as you age, there are things you can do to protect your eye health. Did you know that calcium buildup is responsible for cloudiness on the lens of your eye? This can lead to impaired vision. However, research and several studies show that Curcumin's antioxidant properties can help to counteract this cloudiness. This can lead to improved eye health and better vision.

20. Curcumin Helps Reduce PMS Symptoms.

For a lot of women, their monthly cycle is as regular as clockwork with no added complications. However, other women can experience a host of problems, including severe cramping, heavy bleeding, nausea, mood swings and fatigue that can disrupt their everyday routines. In a double-blind clinical trial, participants got Curcumin supplements or a placebo to test how well Curcumin worked for PMS symptoms. The researchers found that after three rounds of testing, the group that got the Curcumin showed a significant improvement in their PMS symptoms over the group who got the placebo.

21. Curcumin Helps Prevent HPV Outbreaks

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the broad term for a group of over 150 different but related viruses. An HPV infection can lead to outbreaks around your genital areas or your mouth, and it can also lead to rectal, throat and mouth cancer. Curcumin has powerful properties that are effective at fighting viral infections like HPV. Researchers based in New Dehli found that Curcumin can actually prevent an outbreak of HPV. It's also one supplement that can prevent the growth and spread of the virus because it interferes on the cellular level.

22. Curcumin Promotes Healthy Weight Loss

Roughly one in four children are overweight, and two in three adults are overweight. This can put a large strain on the healthcare system. Curcumin can give your weight loss regime a boost because it contains Piperine. Piperine works to enhance Curcumin's effects on your body. One mouse study showed that taking Curcumin combined with a calorie-restricted diet can enhance the body's fat burning abilities. This means you can lose weight more quickly in a safe manner.

23. Curcumin Promotes Healthy Muscle Growth

Your muscles go through a lot of wear and tear throughout your life. Things like an unhealthy diet, strains, tears or other injuries can weaken your muscles. This is especially true as you start to get older and your body can't repair itself as quickly. A study divided 28 rats into four groups. One was the control group, one group got a Curcumin supplement, and the other two groups got other supplements. At the end of the study, the rats who got the Curcumin supplement showed less muscle damage than the control group.

24. Curcumin Boosts Neurogenesis

You may realise what you put on your plate and in your body can affect your brain health. However, you might not realise how big of a negative impact it can have if you have a poor diet with highly processed foods. Research with animals proves that Curcumin can increase the levels of a growth hormone in your brain. This hormone has strong links to brain function. In fact, the Chinese have incorporated it into their diets for years for this very reason. It can also improve your memory and enhance cognition.

25. Curcumin Balances Your Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is the waxy substance you can find in the fats in your bloodstream. Eating a poor diet and genetics can cause you to have high cholesterol. This elevated cholesterol level can lead to cardiovascular issues. It can also put you at an increased risk for heart attack or stroke. The University of Indonesia performed a study on people with Acute Coronary Syndrome in 2008 that showed consuming Curcumin supplements could help to balance out the good and bad cholesterol levels in your body. Another study showed that Curcumin could increase good cholesterol levels.

26. Curcumin Helps to Prevent Blood Clots

A blood clot forms when your blood platelets are too sticky and form a blockage on the inside of your arteries. If a blood clot breaks loose, it can travel to your lungs or to your heart and cause severe medical complications, including death. Several in vitro studies show that Curcumin can help to prevent the formation of blood clots. It stops the blood platelets from sticking together in the first place. Additionally, Curcumin can stop a clot from forming by slowing down production of eicosanoids that play a large role in the formation of blood clots.

27. Curcumin Can Have a Positive Effect on Mental Health

Roughly one in four people worldwide have a mental health problem. This works out to around 450 million people who either have or will experience a mental health problem during their lives. The symptoms can range in severity from very mild up to debilitating. Fortunately, Curcumin showed promising results during tests for anxiety-based mental health disorders. It can boost the levels of DHA in your brain, and DHA is one of the main factors that combat anxiety. This can improve your overall mental health without the side effects some medications can have.

28. Curcumin Can Improve Your Skin's Health

Many things can cause you to have dry or flaky skin. Additionally, your skin is more prone to tearing because it gets thinner as you grow older. Skin tears can lead to infections and other problems, so you want to avoid this if possible. Along with topical treatments, several studies suggested that Curcumin could be a powerful agent to help keep your skin healthy. One study even showed that Curcumin could provide relief for radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients. It soothes any inflammation, and the antimicrobial properties help keep infection out.

29. Curcumin Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of disease burden and death around the world. While genetics do play a role in your chances of developing this disease, poor diet and lifestyle choices also factor in. One of the main benefits of Curcumin is that it can improve the lining of your arteries. Dysfunction with this lining contributes heavily to high blood pressure, problems with clotting and more. Studies show that Curcumin can be just as effective as the cardiovascular drug Atorvastatin in preventing cardiovascular problems.

30. Curcumin Can Help Prevent Sleep Deprivation

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a variety of mental and physical problems including moodiness, poor judgement, delayed reflexes, fatigue, impaired cognitive function and more. This can wreak havoc on your life. Scientists deprived mice of sleep for 72 hours to study how effective Curcumin was at protecting them against negative effects. They found that treating the mice for five days with Curcumin significantly improved their locomotor activity capabilities, oxidative damage levels, and their anxiety-like effects.

31. Curcumin Has Anti-Viral Properties

A virus is a microscopic organism that can get into your body and spread from the cellular level. There are millions of distinct viruses, but scientists have only been able to extensively study around 5,000. Viruses can cause a variety of health problems in people of all ages. Some viruses need more than Vitamin C and Vitamin D to eradicate them. Studies show that Curcumin has the potential to combat super viruses like the Rift Valley Fever virus. This supplement stopped it from multiplying and taking over human cells when scientists put it to the test in their labs.

32. Curcumin Improves Tendinitis Pain

Tendinitis refers to an inflammation of the tendons in your body. Tendons are the thick fibrous cords that attach your muscles to your bones. A tendon can get irritated and inflamed if you overwork it, and this can lead to pain and stiffness in and around the tendon. Since Curcumin has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties, it can help ease tendinitis pain and inflammation. Researchers studied the effects of Curcumin on rats with inflamed tendons and noticed that the swelling went down significantly when they got doses of this supplement for a few days.

33. Curcumin Can Help With Post-Surgery Recovery

When you undergo surgery, it's typical to have inflammation and pain at the surgical site. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to heal, depending on the size, depth, and placement of the incision. However, the chances of developing an infection are only 1 to 3%. Scientists and physicians gave post-surgical patients 400mg of Curcumin three times a day for a period of six days. This study showed that the patients had significantly less pain and tenderness after the six days, as much as an 84.2% decrease.

34. Curcumin Regulates Your Digestive System

Nearly everyone complains of some type of problem with their digestive system at one point in time in their lives. These complaints can cover anything from chronic conditions to minor problems like routine constipation, upset stomach, diarrhoea and more. They can last for a few hours or a few days and have different severity ranges. Curcumin has several properties that can help to regulate your digestive system. Studies prove that this supplement is effective at helping to treat stomach ulcers by regulating the amount of stomach acid your body secretes. It also stimulates your gallbladder to release more bile.

35. Curcumin Promotes a Healthy Liver

Your liver is one of the biggest organs in your body. It filters and converts the nutrients we get from food into an energy source that our body can use. It also influences every metabolic process that goes on in your body. Scientists studied Curcumin and found out that it has properties that can work to protect your liver and stop it from developing liver disease. It can also protect your liver from aflatoxins and injury.

36. Curcumin Has Anti-Bacterial Properties

You can find bacteria almost everywhere in the world. These tiny single-cell organisms live on and inside humans and animals. There are also good and bad strains of bacteria. The good strains can help to strengthen your immune system. The bad strains can make you sick and cause infections. Curcumin has strong anti-bacterial properties. Scientists exposed mice to the strains of pathogenic bacteria that are responsible for cholera. These same mice got Curcumin supplements, and the study showed that this supplement destroyed the strain of bacteria responsible for cholera outbreaks, and it also reduced the mortality rates of the exposed mice.

37. Curcumin Has Anti-Fungal Properties

Fungal diseases and infections are responsible for a wide variety of medical problems. They can attack your skin or internally, and they can have negative consequences on almost all of your bodily systems. Additionally, they can be difficult to get rid of once you get them. Researchers found that Curcumin supplements with Piperine were effective at treating the Candida fungus. This fungus is one of the main causes of SIBO, and it can cause several other infections throughout your body as well. It stops the fungus from colonising and spreading.

38. Curcumin Protects Against Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an inflammatory liver disease that comes in two different forms. It can attack as an acute form that goes away after several weeks, or it can attack as a chronic form that can cause lifelong complications. Between 75% and 85% of people who get Hepatitis C will have the chronic form. Since Hepatitis C is a virus and Curcumin has anti-viral properties, it makes sense that it can be an effective treatment option. Studies show that Curcumin can soothe the inflammation that comes with Hepatitis C, and it can also reduce the symptoms you experience.

39. Curcumin Can Improve Spinal Cord Injury Outcomes

A spinal cord injury can have permanent repercussions on a person, and it can result in paralysis depending on the severity of the injury. Physicians found that Curcumin can protect the body from a traumatic spinal cord injury. Participants got doses of Curcumin every day for seven days after the initial injury. They reported that they had a significantly improved neurologic deficit at the end of the study.

Best Curcumin Supplement: What to Look For

One unfortunate thing about Curcumin is that it doesn't absorb into your body or bloodstream very well on its own. You have to pair it with another compound for the best results. Black pepper is an excellent spice to pair with Curcumin. Black pepper naturally contains an agent called Piperine. Piperine can enhance how well a body absorbs Curcumin by as much as 2000%. Additionally, Curcumin is a fat-soluble chemical. This means that it is best to take it with a fatty snack or meal. All of these small things will work to enhance how well your body absorbs it.

Final Thoughts On The Curcumin Benefits

These 39 comprehensive science-backed Curcumin benefits prove that it can be a powerful natural supplement for several different mental and physical diseases or illnesses. The western world is catching on to what people in India and China already know, and they're starting to incorporate it into their diet. Perhaps you want to try it for yourself and see what benefits you get from using it.