Turmeric for Weight Loss, and 10 Other Benefits

Turmeric, a bright yellow spice or color used in cooking and medicine, has become an interest for many scientists and patrons of healthy living. Originally orange in color, with a potent, deep flavor, turmeric was widely used in India as both a spice and a medicine long before it was known as such in the west. This spice does not only add flavor to our dishes but is also a natural hold remedy with many advantages to our body. Turmeric is a herbaceous plant, the principal ingredient of which is curcumin that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ability and other health benefits.

In this article, we will learn about ten useful things that turmeric can do for our health with a specific focus on its role in weight loss.

Turmeric and Weight Loss

A relatively recent discovery regarding the capabilities of turmeric is its utility as a dietary supplement that helps to lose weight. Some of the research shows that curcumin, the principal active component found in turmeric, has the ability to address particular molecular signals attributed to obesity. These are markers that are frequently raised in people with obesity and participate in the creation and perpetuation of fat deposition.

Various animal studies showed that curcumin decreases fat tissue formation, prevents weight recovery, as well raises insulin sensitivity-a hormone that controls blood sugar levels.

In human studies, a 30 day trial was conducted on 44 patients having issues with weight loss, and showed potential results. The subjects supplementing with 800mg curcumin and 8mg piperine twice daily achieved significant changes in weight, BMI and circumferences of the waist and hips.

Curcumin works best when combined with black pepper as piperine in black pepper increases the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2000% for effective weight loss.

In addition, twenty one clinical trials that included more than 1600 patients revealed that curcumin supplementation decreased body weight, BMI, and waist circumference and increased adiponectin, a hormone associated with metabolism.

10 Other Potential Benefits

1. Turmeric Contains Medicinal Compounds

Consequently, the health benefits of turmeric come from the bioactive compounds known as curcumin. These compounds are potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidants as well. Nonetheless, turmeric itself contains no more than 1-6% curcumin by weight – a rather low concentration.

All the examined research employed concentrated curcumin formulations, often in the dose of over 1 g daily, which can hardly be obtained from diet alone with food turmeric.

Curcumin is fat-soluble, meaning it dissolves fat and therefore, easily absorbed in the blood stream. The enhancement of absorption and bioavailability of curcumin by supplements containing piperine isolated from black pepper means that it has significant benefits for use in health maintenance.

2. A Natural Anti-Inflammatory Agent

Acute and chronic inflammation are leading causes of various diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and arthritis. Due to its anti inflammatory properties, curcumin is the right natural medicine for such illnesses. It achieves this by inhibiting particles that contribute to inflammation, and lessen the pain without side effects commonly linked with medicine anti-inflammatory substances

Curcumin is an effective ‘anti-inflammation’ when administered at high concentrations, but more studies are necessary to identify its potential for use as a sole medicine.

3. Boosting the Body’s Antioxidant Capacity

Free radicals are responsible for aging and the generation of diseases through process known as oxidative stress. Curcumin is an effective antioxidant which removes free radicals and boosts up the body’s natural antioxidant power.

There is evidence from animal and cellular investigations that curcumin not only has antioxidant activity in inhibiting oxidation, but also evokes antioxidant activity in other antioxidants. But further studies involving human are required to support these findings.

4. Enhancing Brain Health

The effects of turmeric on the brain is another area of research interest. Curcumin raises the concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which enhances the survival of neurons. Reduced BDNF is associated with depression and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Therefore experimental and clinical evidences suggest that curcumin might be useful in slowing down the degenerative process occurring in the brains of animals and human aging and also in enhancing the memory and attention span. Preventing Alzheimer’s disease is among the most significant, as this nutrient may slow down amyloid plaque formation, which characterizes the disease. Despite this, more studies are needed to investigate curcumin and its benefits with regards to the health of human brain.

5. Supporting Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one killer in the world, but curcumin in turmeric offers protection. Curcumin enhances the endothelial function, the element that helps to manage blood pressure as well as blood clotting.

A scientific study has revealed that curcumin has the potential to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress which are both causes of heart diseases. These results suggest that turmeric and its main constituent curcumin could be a useful adjuvant treatment for supporting cardiovascular health.

6. Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Interest in cancer prevention and treatment by using turmeric has been raised due to the anti-cancer effects of curcumin. It has been proved that curcumin suppress the growth of cancer cells, inhibit the formation of new blood vessels which supply the tumors with nutrients, and impede the cancer cells from traveling to other parts of the body. These mechanisms qualify curcumin as a potent compound in cancer research. 

One major advantage it has over traditional treatments is that it locates tumour cells while leaving normal cells untouched. It is also found that curcumin fights against free radicals that have great potential to mutate DNA and cause cancerous cells.

Some researches also revealed that curcumin lowers the probability of some types of digestive system cancers like colon cancer. Despite the results, curcumin is not a stand alone remedy and must be seen in the context of holistic therapy.

7. Managing Arthritis Symptoms

Arthritis is a painful disease that involves inflammation of the joints which affects millions of people. The anti-inflammatory factor present in curcumin helps to reduce the severity of arthritis as a natural treatment.

Many researches comparing curcumin with anti-inflammatory medicines showed that it was as effective as the medicines regarding pain and inflammation. Most of all, studies that have focused on rheumatoid arthritis indicate a noteworthy positive effect of curcumin.

But more researches are required for knowing the truth about usefulness of curcumin in the management of arthritis and its ability to act instead of the conventional remedies for this disease.

8. Alleviating Depression

Another benefit of using turmeric is on the mental health especially on the symptom of depression. Curcumin increases serotonin and dopamine, both of which are neurotransmitters that have influence on one’s mood. Notably, it minimizes the signs of inflammation and oxidation stress that are otherwise detrimental to the brain in the case of depression .

A number of experimental investigations with animals indicate that curcumin may reduce anxiety and improve cognitive performance, but randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine the efficacy of curcumin in the treatment of depression in humans. However, there is a substantial scope of turmeric as an adjuvant treatment in mental health disorder conditions.

9. Promoting Longevity and Anti-Aging

Aging is a biological phenomenon that is determined by a number of factors among them is oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and cellular damage. As an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory nutrient, turmeric is effective in increasing life span and healthy life expectancy. 

In addition, early studies indicate that curcumin might affect molecular mechanism associated with aging including DNA repair and embodied cell death-the process by which the body gets rid of dead cells. Therefore, alone with preventing such conditions as heart disease, cancer, or Alzheimer’s, curcumin could be helpful in providing longer life and better health.

Although these observations are still being explored, they give a lot of hope in the effectiveness of turmeric as an exceptional natural agent that can be used alongside healthy practices for aging gracefully.

10. Improving Digestion

Curcumin has been also employed in folk medicine for the treatment of digestion problems. It promote secretion discharge of bile that has a role in the digestion process especially fats. Further, they can also be used to treat symptoms of inflammatory diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Eating turmeric on daily basis; either in form of spice or in form of supplements will help boost digestion. Given the characteristics, it is an indispensable product in your diet to promote healthy digestion.

Conclusion

These are few benefits of using turmeric which establishes it as one of the natural wonders for health. For instance, this spice helps to lose weight, prevents chronic diseases, and so on, so, it has numerous proven benefits. Curcumin takes a central part in passing these advantages although the main drawback is its poor bioavailability.

If eaten as a spice in your meals, or taken as a supplement, the actions of turmeric are astounding in promoting ones health. This is why it is used in so many different cultures and throughout history, which is why it is an essential ingredient for the path of health improvement.