The Surprising Truth About Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice which in its raw form looks a bit like ginger root, but when its ground down you get a distinctive yellowy orange powder thats very popular in South Asian cuisine. Until recently the place you would most likely encounter turmeric would be in chicken tikka massala, one of Britains most popular dishes.
These days, thanks to claims that it can improve everything from allergies to depression, its become incredibly trendy, not just cooked and sprinkled on food but added to drinks. Turmeric latte anyone?
Now Im usually very cynical about such claims, but in the case of turmeric I thought there could be something to it. There are at least 200 different compounds in turmeric, but theres one that scientists are particularly interested in. It gives this spice its colour. Its called curcumin.
Thousands of scientific papers have been published looking at turmeric and curcumin in the laboratory some with promising results. But theyve mainly been done in mice, using unrealistically high doses. There have been few experiments done in the real world, on humans.
This is exactly the sort of situation where we on Trust Me like to make a difference. So we tracked down leading researchers from across the country and with their help recruited nearly 100 volunteers from the North East to do a novel experiment. Few of our volunteers ate foods containing turmeric on a regular basis.
Then, in true Trust Me style, we divided them into three groups.
Turmeric Latte
How To Use Turmeric To Lower Blood Pressure
Turmeric is usually considered safe to consume. However, consuming large quantities of turmeric can cause stomach problems including ulcers. Hence, you should consult your physician to know about the acceptable dose and not try to self medicate.
The dose of turmeric depends on the formulation and the severity of the problem.
1. Fresh Roots of Turmeric and Blood Pressure
They are an excellent addition to diet however, a therapeutic effect is difficult to occur due to the limited quantities of roots you eat.
Recommended dose: ½ long or 1-3 g of root chopped or sliced. You may also take out its juice and consume it with a pinch of ground black pepper. You can consume the juice along with other fresh juices or take it individually. Golden paste can also be made from fresh roots of turmeric.
2. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. of turmeric powder is sufficient in cooking. If you are consuming it with black pepper, then you should take 1-2 g of powdered turmeric with a pinch of ground black pepper. Begin with small doses and increase the dose gradually. The maximum dose is 1 tsp. of powdered turmeric with ¼ tsp. of ground black pepper three times a day. Do not take it on empty stomach.
3. Golden Paste
4. Tincture of Turmeric and Blood Pressure
5. Turmeric Tea
Turmeric tea is an excellent option for people who love tea and do not like the taste of paste of turmeric. Recommended intake is one to two cups of tea per day.
6. Turmeric Milk
7. Turmeric Supplements
Precautions
When To Contact Your Doctor
Hyperglycemia can turn into a medical emergency like DKA and HHS that requires immediate intervention by your doctor or a local emergency department. If you have two blood sugar readings of 300 mg/dL or more, or have blood sugar above your target range for more than a week, seek immediate medical help.
Signs of hyperglycemia include:
- Ketones in your urine
- Stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
- Shortness of breath
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Medications Changed By The Liver Substrates Interacts With Tree Turmeric
Some medications are changed and broken down by the liver. Tree turmeric might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications. Taking tree turmeric along with some medications that are broken down by the liver can increase the effects and side effects of some medications. Before taking tree turmeric, talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking any medications that are changed by the liver.Some medications changed by the liver include lovastatin , clarithromycin , indinavir , sildenafil , triazolam , and many others.
Treatment And Prevention Of Heart Disease
Endothelial dysfunction is a common heart problem among people with diabetes. The term endothelial refers to the endothelium. The endothelium is the thin membrane lining that is located inside of the heart as well as blood vessels. The cells of the endothelium release chemicals that play a role in controlling the relaxation and contraction of vascular tissue they also control enzymes that help blood clot, affect immune functioning and platelet adhesion. Endothelial dysfunction can cause a host of cardiovascular problems and diseases. Turmeric works to lower cholesterol levels in your body which supports the health of the endothelial lining of the heart and blood vessels. Turmeric also reduces inflammation in these areas.
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How Diabetes Drugs Work
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Can You Control Your Blood Sugar With Turmeric
We are in the midst of a diabetes epidemic. Not only in the US, but around the world, type 2 diabetes has become frighteningly common. We know that obesity has contributed to this modern-day plague. What many people may not realize is that medications could also be contributing. You will discover that statins can cause diabetes. This likely comes as a great shock to the tens of millions of people taking atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin. Here is an article about the most recent research on this topic . When blood glucose goes up, bad things happen. That why it is essential to get blood glucose under control. While drugs can be very useful in lowering high blood sugar, there are many non-drug approaches to control your blood sugar. Have you thought about turmeric?
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How To Choose Your Turmeric Supplement
Supplements arent regulated like medications. Do your research on the company and brand you choose.
Consider supplements tested by a third party like Informed Choice or NSF International.
Turmeric extracts are the most potent type of supplement. Concentrated extracts are 95% curcumin. Powders and spices contain a lot less of the potent ingredient.
Extracts also have less chance of contamination from other substances.
How Quickly Does Turmeric Lower Blood Sugar
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Preparation Of Curcuminoids Capsules
Dried rhizomes of turmeric grown in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, were ground into powder. The turmeric powder was extracted with ethanol and evaporated at low pressure to obtain ethanol extract in the form of semisolid containing oleoresin and curcuminoids. The oleoresin was removed to yield curcuminoid extract . The peak ratio of curcumin:demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin in the extract was determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography. The extract was filled into capsules under the Good Manufacturing Procedures standard. Fingerprints of the extract and a detailed analysis of the chemical composition of the preparation in the extract are shown in Supplementary Fig. 2.
Health Benefits Of Turmeric
Turmeric has shown to promote good health and prevent diabetes. The antioxidant properties in turmeric help fight infection and inflammation. A combination of study review by Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and McGill University show that the use of turmeric can treat diabetes related complications such nephropathy, retinopathy and microangiopathy.
Another study shows the effects of turmeric on triple-negative breast cancer. In this study, researchers concluded that curcumin, the bright yellow active ingredient in turmeric, can potentially inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells possibly due to a change in the signaling pathway of the cancers underlying molecular mechanism.
Turmeric is also found to have properties which improve the skins hydration. One study, where the extracts of turmeric were used on damaged skin for six consequent weeks, showed subjects with improvements in hydration and in the sebaceous glands of their skin.
In brief, some of the most fascinating positive health benefits of turmeric are the following:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels
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Research Design And Methods
This study was conducted in the Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan and was approved by the Ethics Committee and Human Studies Review Board of the University of Peshawar. Selection criteria for the study included the following for people with type 2 diabetes: age > 40 years, not on insulin therapy, not taking medicine for other health conditions, and fasting blood glucose levels between 7.8 and 22.2 mmol/l . A total of 60 individuals with type 2 diabetes, 30 men and 30 women, were selected for the study. The mean age of the subjects was 52.0 ± 6.87 years in the placebo groups and 52.0 ± 5.85 years in the groups consuming cinnamon. The duration of diabetes was also similar: 6.73 ± 2.32 years for the placebo group and 7.10 ± 3.29 years for the cinnamon groups. There was also an equal number of men and women in the placebo and cinnamon groups. All subjects were taking sulfonylurea drugs, i.e., glibenclamide medications did not change during the study.
On days 0, 20, 40, and 60, 5 ml of fasting blood was collected from each subject. Blood samples were transferred to sterilized centrifuge tubes and allowed to clot at room temperature. The blood samples were centrifuged for 10 min in a tabletop clinical centrifuge at 4,000 rpm for serum separation. Serum samples were stored in a freezer at 0°C for later analyses.
Two-way ANOVA and randomized complete block design were used for statistical analysis . Values are means ± SD.
Curcumin Is Poorly Absorbed
Curcumin has the disadvantage of being hard for the body to absorb. You dont get much of it, and its quickly cleared from the body.
One reason curry powder is so healthy is that it often contains black pepper. Black pepper contains a chemical that keeps curcumin in the blood longer. You can also buy turmeric/curcumin capsules that include piperine.
You can cook delicious food with turmeric powder. The website Kitchn suggests adding it to egg scrambles, vegetables, rice, soups, smoothies, or making a tea with milk and honey.
You can make your own curry powder with recipes like these. I can see the advantage of making your own, starting with whole turmeric root, because then youll know what youre getting and can make it more or less spicy for your taste.
You will have to ask to find out what ingredients a particular curry powder or turmeric capsule contains. If you buy capsules, the supplement website Smarter Reviews says the top ingredient on the label should be pure turmeric curcumin. Some capsules are full of fillers and dont have much curcumin at all.
Vani Hari, the Food Babe, says buy organic high-quality ground turmeric or fresh turmeric root from the produce section, not some random powder in a bottle.
The prices of capsules vary dramatically. I saw prices online ranging from $8.00 for 100 capsules up to $45 for 60 capsules. Im sure quality varies sharply as well.
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Cinnamon To Lower Blood Sugar
This popular spice comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree and is used in everything from pumpkin spice lattes to Cincinnati chili. Cinnamon is especially great for people who have high blood sugar. It lends a sweet taste to food without adding sugar, and studies indicate it can lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Cinnamon may also provide heart-healthy benefits, such as reducing high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Thats especially important for people with diabetes who are at greater risk for developing heart disease.
Cinnamon is not a replacement for diabetes medication or a carbohydrate-controlled diet, but it can be a helpful addition to a healthy lifestyle.
Meal tip: Try sprinkling it on yogurt, fruit or hot cereal, or use it in stews and chilis or as a meat rub.
Spices With Healthy Benefits
Another night of grilled chicken breasts is good for your diet, but its also kind of boring. Spicing up a plain-but-healthy meal is good for your taste buds and your health. Reach for your spice rack and youll not only up the flavor of your food, but youll also get a boost of antioxidants .
There are more than 100 common spices used in cooking around the world. Spices are concentrated sources of antioxidants, says Diane Vizthum, M.S., R.D., research nutritionist for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But some have been more studied for their therapeutic properties than others.
Theres no need to go on a massive hunt for exotic ingredients some of the best spices can be found at your local market. Here, Vizthum suggests which spices to consider incorporating into your meals.
One note: Most studies that show benefits use supplements to control the dose of spice that participants consume. Often these provide bigger doses than youd normally eat in a day.
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How Curcumins Antioxidant And Anti
The likely driver of turmerics potential health benefits is curcumin, the primary active chemical in this yellow-orange spice. Curcumin is what has mostly been studied because of its important signaling pathways. It acts mostly in two areas: It’s an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, says , a certified diabetes educator and a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
According to an article published in January 2015 in the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, antioxidants help fight against free radicals, which are molecules produced by behaviors like smoking, drinking alcohol, eating fried food, or being exposed to air pollution or pesticides, and which cause oxidative damage. These behaviors, according to a blog article from Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford University, trigger cell dysfunction and may increase your risk for chronic diseases including diabetes. The cool thing about antioxidants is that they scavenge those harmful free radicals and render them nontoxic to cells, helping stave off disease.
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Does Turmeric Reduce Blood Pressure
Ive been coming across articles about turmeric for lower blood pressure more and more lately. It seems that research is starting to stack up showing that turmeric can be beneficial for high blood pressure.
How does turmeric lower blood pressure?
The main reason is that turmeric has antioxidant properties and also helps reduce inflammation. Getting more antioxidants is known to lower blood pressure, and more scientists now think low-level chronic inflammation is a cause of high blood pressure.
So foods that reduce inflammation can potentially help lower your blood pressure .
Studies show that eating turmeric can help prevent plaque building up in the arteries, and it also might help lower blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels are definitely bad news for blood pressure , so there are many reasons why getting more turmeric for lower blood pressure is a good idea.
In fact, turmeric has numerous health benefits, not just for your blood pressure. Turmerics anti-inflammatory properties mean it can help with other chronic diseases where inflammation is a factor, such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and asthma and allergies. Turmeric may also help with preventing dementia and treating cancer.
You can read a good, and very comprehensive article, about turmerics uses and benefits here: The Health Effects of Turmeric
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