The Incredible Benefits of Turmeric Curcumin
If you’re like me, you regularly scour health news and reports looking for something natural to help with the various maladies we all face as human beings. Getting older can be difficult. Recovering after workouts can be difficult. Our bodies don’t react, feel, and move the way they used to when we were in our teens. So anytime I find something beneficial, I like to pass that knowledge along. Today, I want to share the incredible benefits of turmeric.
What is turmeric?
Turmeric, a relative of ginger, is a golden-orange spice that comes from the root of a plant native to Asia. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. According to an article in NIH’s National Library of Medicine, curcumin has multiple health benefits, all of which seem to be related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Research suggests that curcumin can not only help with managing inflammatory conditions such as arthritis but that it can help a whole host of physical conditions and even help decrease the inflammation and muscle soreness that result from a strenuous workout. As such, it enhances recovery and future performance.
Benefits of curcumin (turmeric’s active ingredient)
According to the Cleveland Clinic, curcumin helped reduce the pain that people felt from osteoarthritis.
Curcumin may also reduce free radicals—the unstable atoms that damage cells and can lead to health problems.
Curcumin may help lower the risk of heart disease and may even help reverse the heart disease process. The Cleveland Clinic referenced studies that showed that
in healthy middle-aged and older adults who took curcumin supplements for 12 weeks, resistance artery endothelial production—which plays a significant role in high blood pressure—was increased. Another study followed 121 people who had coronary artery bypass surgery. A few days before and after the surgery, the group that took 4 grams of curcumin a day saw a 65% decreased risk of having a heart attack in the hospital.
That’s an amazing benefit! Further, the Cleveland Clinic also stated that, when used along with medication for lowering cholesterol levels, “curcumin is safe and may protect those at risk for heart disease by lowering certain levels of cholesterol.”
In addition, some studies have shown that turmeric can help fight depression and that it may help increase levels of dopamine and serotonin—chemicals in our brains that help regulate many bodily functions, including mood. According to the article, in those suffering with depression, “the protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is reduced and your hippocampus, which helps with learning and memory, starts to shrink. A study shows that curcumin can boost BDNF levels and may reverse changes.” The article then goes on to reference a study that showed that curcumin was “just as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in lessening symptoms of depression.”
A clinical trial also found that another amazing benefit of curcumin is that it helped improve memory in people without dementia.
While you can use turmeric as a spice, you may get more benefits from using it as a supplement. However, supplements must be used only in the proper dosages. Though the Cleveland Clinic suggests taking 500 milligrams twice a day and with food, your body’s needs are specific to you, so always check with your doctor before beginning a new supplement, especially as high doses of curcumin can interact with certain prescription and over-the-counter medications. It also recommended that, for optimal absorption, those taking turmeric should take it along with “heart-healthy fats like oils, avocado, nuts and seeds.”
Performance Inspired supplements
At Performance Inspired, we understand the benefits of curcumin. That’s why we created two amazing products.
The first is Turmeric Curcumin, which is not only a pure form of the supplement, but it also contains 10mg of BioPerine Black Pepper fruit extract, which can enhance the absorption of nutrients by at least 30 percent. The NIH states that the benefits of turmeric “are best achieved when curcumin is combined with agents such as piperine [an alkaloid present in black pepper], which increase its bioavailability significantly.” That’s why PI’s unique blend is so beneficial!
Second, PI offers a supplement called Joint Support Plus that contains 1500mg of Glucosamine, 150mg of Chondroitin, and MSM combined with 150mg of Turmeric, Hyaluronic Acid, BioPerine, and D3. This valuable supplement helps support healthy joints for increased comfort and mobility. Try it, and you will feel the benefits!
Our bodies deserve healthy, nutritious food and supplements made with only natural ingredients. So if you want to combat joint or muscle pain, reduce inflammation, or improve your memory or heart health, talk to your doctor about using curcumin. Your body will thank you.
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