9 reasons to eat more turmeric

1. In the previous article I talked about supplements. One of these four supplements was Curcumin.

1. However, because not everyone would like to take extra supplements, I would like to delve deeper into the many health benefits of Curcumin in this article, fortunately it is also possible to get this powerful substance in a natural form : with turmeric.

2. However, because not everyone would like to take extra supplements, I would like to go into more detail in this article about the many health benefits of Curcumin, as it is fortunately also possible to get this powerful substance in natural form : with turmeric.

The Health Benefits of Turmeric

1. Turmeric is a yellow spice that can be an effective supplement. It is also called Indian turmeric and tarmeric.

2. Turmeric is a yellow spice that can be an effective supplement. It is also called Indian Turmeric and Turmeric.

1. It has very powerful benefits for your health, below I've listed some scientifically proven benefits for you.

Turmeric has medicinal properties

1. Turmeric is an Indian spice that is best known for its yellow color and its use in curry dishes (which also gives it a characteristic yellow color and smell).

1. Turmeric has also been used in India for centuries as a healing spice. In recent years, research has shown that Turmeric does indeed have medicinal properties.

1. This is due to the so-called curcuminoids, of which Curcumin is the most important. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties and is a strong antioxidant.

1. It must be said that it is easier to take Curcumin in the form of a supplement, because then you simply get enough of the substance.

1. Consuming turmeric is not that easy. Nevertheless, you can also enjoy all the health benefits by eating turmeric.

1. Curcumin is only very poorly absorbed by the body, but a small part ends up in the blood. It helps to include black pepper as it contains Piperine.

1. Piperine increases the absorption of Curcumin by a factor of 200. There are also supplements available with Curcumin and Piperine, although these are not yet widely available.

1. Curcumin is also fat soluble, so for an even better absorption, it is best to eat the supplement or turmeric in combination with a fattier meal (1).

Curcumin as an anti-inflammatory

1. Although inflammations are considered inconvenient and perhaps even a bad thing, they are very important. It is your body's response to outside attacks, but inflammatory responses also help the body repair the damage.

2. Although inflammations are inconvenient and perhaps even seen as a bad thing, they are very important. It's your body's response to outside attacks, but inflammatory responses also help the body repair the damage.

1. Without inflammation, we would all die with the first bacteria or virus because they would cause unhindered damage in our body. Still, inflammation isn't all good.

1. In the short term, it can help your body fight and recover, but sometimes inflammation becomes chronic or the inflammatory response is even directed to your own body cells.

1. Then inflammation is no longer good for you, but can even cause serious illness.

1. It is now believed that chronic small-scale inflammation plays a role in almost all chronic â € Western diseasesâ € ™.

1. Think of diseases like heart disease, metabolic syndrome (also called metabolic syndrome), Alzheimer's and various degenerative diseases.

1. It is thought that preventing the underlying chronic inflammation could prevent, and perhaps even cure, these diseases.

1. That is why a lot of research is being done into substances such as Curcumin that have a strong anti-inflammatory effect. Curcumin appears in those studies to have as great an effect as the conventional anti-inflammatory drugs.

1. How Curcumin works is difficult to explain because the effect of inflammation is very complicated. But in short, Curcumin works on the molecular level.

1. It blocks inflammatory signaling at the molecular level by blocking a particular molecule that “turns on” the genes involved in the inflammatory response.

1. By blocking this molecule, the inflammatory reaction does not start.

1. An advantage of Curcumin is that it is just as effective as conventional drugs, but it does not have the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs currently on the market (2).

Turmeric as an antioxidant

1. Oxidative stress is thought to be responsible for many diseases, but also for things like accelerated aging.

1. Oxidative stress is caused by so-called free radicals. These are molecules without paired electrons, free radicals are very reactive. They react with important parts of the cells such as DNA, proteins and fatty acids.

1. By reacting with this, they damage these parts of the cell. Antioxidants protect the body and cells against these free radicals. As an antioxidant, turmeric increases the antioxidant capacity of the body.

1. Curcumin is a strong antioxidant, but it actually works in two ways to protect the body against free radicals.

1. As a strong antioxidant, Curcumin can neutralize free radicals thanks to its chemical structure. But Curcumin also stimulates the body to produce more enzymes that also work as an antioxidant.

1. These enzymes are the body's own natural protection against these free radicals (3).

Curcumin is good for your brain

1. It used to be thought that neurons could only divide and multiply during your childhood, we now know that this also happens during your adult life under the influence of the BDNF hormone.

1. BDNF stands for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a nerve cell stimulating factor secreted by the brain.

1. BDNF is thought not only to have to do with the division and multiplication of neurons and making new connections, but also with brain function and brain diseases.

1. For example, it is thought that decreased levels of this hormone may be responsible for such diseases as depression and Alzheimer's disease.

1. Curcumin stimulates the production of BDNF, which could help slow down or perhaps even cure brain diseases and brain deterioration in old age.

1. But it could even be that it improves brain function in such a way that it improves your memory, or that it could even make you smarter.

1. But so far there have only been tests on animals. More research will need to be done before such conclusions can be drawn, as well as testing on humans (4).

Curcumin lowers the risk of heart disease

1. Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 cause of death in the world.

1. Heart disease is very complicated and can be caused by many different factors. Much research has been done on this for the prevention and cure of heart disease.

1. Curcumin influences a number of these factors and can thus help prevent heart disease.

1. Curcumin improves the function of the inner lining of the blood vessels, the endothelial layer. If the endothelial layer is not working properly, it cannot control blood pressure, blood clotting and many other important functions.

1. Many heart diseases are caused by a malfunctioning endothelial layer. Curcumin can help prevent heart disease by improving its effectiveness.

1. Studies of the effectiveness of Curcumin on the endothelial layer show that it works as well as exercise and even works as well as a number of conventional medicines for heart disease.

1. Inflammation is also blamed for heart disease, and due to Curcumin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant function, it also helps prevent and cure heart disease.

1. A study with 121 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery found that the group that received Curcumin a few days before and after surgery had a 65% lower risk of a heart attack in hospital than the group that received a placebo (5).

Turmeric and Cancer

1. Cancer is the collective name for a disease characterized by an uncontrolled growth of cells. There are many different types, which make cancer treatment difficult.

1. But there are some similarities between the different types of cancer. Curcumin affects a number of these related factors, so it could theoretically help prevent cancer.

1. Maybe even in some way or form it could help with the treatment and hopefully cure for cancer.

1. Researchers have investigated what effects Curcumin can have in the treatment of cancer. It can affect the growth, development and spread of cancer at a molecular level.

1. Research has shown that Curcumin can reduce the growth of new blood vessels in the tumor, reduce the spread of cancer and contribute to the death of cancer cells.

1. But unfortunately these results have only been found in animal studies so far. Whether Curcumin in high doses has the same effect in humans has not yet been (sufficiently) researched.

1. Of course the Curcumin should then be administered with Piperine to aid absorption and increase the effect.

1. There does seem to be evidence that it can prevent cancer. Mainly cancers that occur in the digestive organs such as colon cancer. For example, research has been done with 44 men with lesions in the colon.

1. These lesions are normally benign, but can also become malignant and thus lead to cancer. The men had to take 4 grams of Curcumin per day for a period of 30 days.

1. After 30 days it was found that the men had 40% fewer lesions. Thus, by reducing lesions, cancer could be prevented.

1. But it is still much too early for conclusions. Research on Curcumin and its effect on cancer is still in its infancy.

1. Because cancer is such a profound and devastating disease, Curcumin is now being intensively looked at as a possible drug or supplement to existing drugs (6).

Curcumin and Arthritis

1. There are different types of arthritis, but most of them are related to inflammation in the joints.

1. Arthritis is a growing problem. But people with arthritis seem to respond well to Curcumin supplements. This is due to the anti-inflammatory effect of Curcumin.

1. One study even showed that Curcumin was more effective than the standard prescribed anti-inflammatory.

1. But much more research has been done on the effect of Curcumin and Arthritis, and many other studies have found an improvement in arthritis symptoms after taking Curcumin supplements (7).

Curcumin as a treatment for depression

1. Curcumin is being researched as a treatment for depression. The first results are very promising. In a controlled study, 60 depressed people were divided into three different groups.

1. The first group took the standard treatment for depression (in this case Prozac), the second group took one gram of Curcumin every day, and the third group took both.

1. The group that took both had the best results. The results of groups 1 and 2 had similar results. That means that Curcumin was just as effective as Prozac.

1. According to this study, Curcumin can be a treatment for depression. How and why is not yet fully understood, but it is believed that this has to do with the fact that Curcumin stimulates the production of the BDNF hormone.

1. Low levels of BDNF are thought to be associated with depression. In addition, there is also some evidence that Curcumin can stimulate serotonin and dopamine.

1. As with BDNF, it is believed that too low levels of serotonin and dopamine may be responsible for depression (8).

Curcumin and age-related diseases

1. It is logical that if Curcumin can prevent diseases, it will help with a longer and healthier life. Especially since Curcumin can prevent aging diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

1. Curcumin is therefore very popular nowadays as an anti-aging supplement.

1. As described above, Curcumin is also anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. Aging and diseases of the elderly also seem to be linked to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

1. So in addition to its effect on disease, Curcumin could also directly contribute to a longer life and the prevention of age-related diseases by helping to prevent chronic inflammation and oxidative stress (9).

Finally ...

1. If you want to take a Curcumin supplement, there are plenty of supplement providers.

1. Online stores and health food stores often have a large collection. I do recommend that you look for a supplement that contains Piperine in addition to Curcumin.

1. If you find a supplement with Bioperine then that's fine too. Bioperine is just another name for Piperine.

1. The absorption of Curcumin with Piperine (or Bioperine) is 200 times as great as without Piperine. Without Piperine, most Curcumin will pass straight through you without being absorbed.

1. But if you don't want to take a supplement, look for recipes with Turmeric. By using as much turmeric as possible during your meals (it is also very tasty as a tea!) You can also enjoy countless health benefits!