Close Related! The Physiological Effects of Turmeric is Visible but Vital as a New Trend

How Much Do You Know the Physiological Effects of Turmeric? 

The PubMed biomedical database (a search engine developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information NCBI to search biomedical literature) shows that there are more than 6,000 scientific papers on turmeric and its health benefits have been published in the last five years.

Medical research has shown that Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, liver-protective, alcohol-scavenging, anti-depressant, antioxidant, and anti-tumor effects that reduce the response to radiation and chemotherapy for cancer; positive effects on memory, attention and mood in normal people; and potential for curcumin in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

According to Lennheit Len Monheit, Executive Director of the Global Curcumin Association, UCLA research has shown that curcumin positively affects memory and mood, and there is extensive research on the effects of curcumin on inflammation and cellular health. Curcumin has antioxidant activity and has been found to enhance the activity of enzymes such as Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), which provide hepatoprotective, detoxifying properties.

Curcumin is also a bioactive modulator, acting at the molecular level to help the body regulate stress and restore homeostasis," notes Kathrein of Applied Food Sciences.

The benefits of curcumin are mainly in the following areas.

1) Supporting Liver Health

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial led by Naveen Krishnareddy of Life Care Hospital in Bangalore, India, studied the effects of curcumin complex (a novel curcumin complex with galactosides that enhance the release and improve the bioavailability of free curcumin) on liver function in chronic alcoholics. It is concluded that curcumin significantly improves liver health and function in patients with chronic alcoholism.

2) Improving Cognitive Performance and Brain Health in Older Adults

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, published in January 2018 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, analyzed the effects of curcumin on memory capacity in people without dementia and curcumin's effects on tiny plaques and confusion in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease potential effects. 

3) Lowering Cholesterol and Lipids and Cardiovascular Health

Phytosterols are known as "natural cholesterol busters" and have excellent lipid-lowering effects in patients with hypercholesterolemia, while curcumin has also been shown to have lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical studies.

Therefore, simultaneous supplementation with phytosterols and curcumin may exert better effects to optimize cardioprotection. Thus, the study conducted by researchers from the University of Newcastle, led by Jessica Ferguson, was designed to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation to improve phytosterol control of cholesterol levels. 

4) Improving Sperm Quality

Infertility is a common problem, with 25% of couples in their relationship seeking medical help for it. In at least 50% of cases, male infertility is the key to this problem. And sperm are very sensitive to the effects of reactive oxygen species and free radicals.

Given the strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of curcumin, researchers led by Fatemeh Alizadeh from Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Iran decided to study, the effect of curcumin supplementation on male infertility. The results suggest that curcumin supplementation may be an effective treatment option for improving sperm quality in infertile men.

5) Enhancing the Body's Exercise Recovery Ability

Thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, curcumin-like compounds and their products are likely to be excellent sports recovery aids. Researchers at the University of North Texas found that turmeric extracts were able to reduce inflammatory factors in adults after exercise.

Curcumin reduces inflammation in humans by inhibiting the activity of COX-2, which induces an inflammatory response in humans, and, incidentally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also control and reduce inflammation by inhibiting COX-2 activity in humans. To date, a large number of academic papers have examined and outlined the mechanisms by which curcumin acts on cyclooxygenase, and other possible anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin and related mechanisms and pathways are under investigation.

6) Keeping the Skin Healthy

Indena SpA (Milan, Italy) funded a 2015 study on the effects of Meriva curcumin on psoriasis, which found that curcumin enhanced the effects of Steroids in local skin tissue. In addition, two recently completed studies involving the National Cancer Institute will soon reveal to the public the potential use of turmeric and its extracts in the treatment of radiation dermatitis. Like the turmeric extracts used in these studies, Sabinsa Corp's curcumin C3 compound showed efficacy in reducing radiation dermatitis in patients with breast cancer in a 2013 study.

7) Potential cancer benefits

It is well known that cancer is often accompanied by severe inflammatory symptoms. For these reasons, researchers are increasingly looking at curcumin as a potentially effective ingredient for cancer treatment. Early research data even suggests that taking curcumin may have an effect on the growth of tumor cells.

As more positive clinical trial results are published on curcumin in cancer treatment, the use of curcumin in cancer treatment will gradually become more accepted and recognized, bringing benefits to patients with cancers such as prostate, rectal and endometrial cancers.

8) Promising antibacterial effect

Recent studies on curcumin in the inhibition of pathogenic bacterial infections have confirmed the antibacterial activity of this golden-colored turmeric and its active ingredient curcumin. In such studies, turmeric and turmeric extracts have shown the ability to inhibit foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and to some extent prevent the transmission of microorganisms in healthcare devices.

The aforementioned antibacterial efficacy of turmeric and turmeric extracts may depend to some extent on the method of extraction of curcumin, whether aqueous or alcoholic, or even fermentation to obtain turmeric extracts that may exhibit higher antibacterial activity. Turmeric and its extracts have not been widely used as antimicrobial agents, but as a food additive for coloring food has been widely used in the United States and the European Union.

9) Others

Curcumin has been found in Italy to have a topical steroid-enhancing effect that may improve psoriasis. Recent studies completed by the National Cancer Institute in the United States have shown improvements in radiation-induced dermatitis curcumin.