Like many spices, turmeric (Curcuma longa) has a long history of use in traditional medicine. This flavor-filled spice is primarily cultivated from the rhizomes, or roots, of a flowering plant in India and other parts of Southeast Asia, and aside from giving curry its vibrant yellow color, turmeric is also known for having potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
The primary active component of turmeric — and the one that gives the spice its characteristic yellow color — is curcumin. In fact, you can credit curcumin as the compound responsible for most of turmeric’s potential health benefits. Curcumin is a natural antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as possible benefits related to slowing the aging process and preventing Alzheimer's disease and potentially depression.
Here, we outline the many potential benefits of turmeric and curcumin.
1. Curcumin Is an Anti-Inflammatory
One of turmeric’s main claims to fame is that it’s commonly used to fight inflammation, and the bulk of turmeric’s inflammation-fighting powers can be credited to curcumin. In fact, in the right dose, curcumin may be a more effective anti-inflammatory treatment than common inflammation-fighting medications such as Advil (ibuprofen) and aspirin.
As chronic inflammation contributes to many chronic diseases, curcumin may help treat conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, and arthritis. We’ll get into some of those specific benefits later.
2. Anti-Oxidant Properties of Turmeric
Turmeric’s Anti-Oxidant Properties fight free radicals, which can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Free radicals are unstable molecules that have an unpaired electron and are capable of damaging cells.
Antioxidants help to neutralize these harmful agents by acting as a shield against them. They repair the damage caused by free radicals, so they may help prevent chronic diseases in your body from developing over time.
3. Curcumin May Protect Against Heart Disease
A past study shows that curcumin may improve endothelial function, or the health of the thin membrane that covers the inside of the heart and blood vessels. This membrane plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. Lower endothelial function is associated with aging and an increased risk of heart disease. Thus, curcumin may help protect against age-related loss of function and reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease.
In one study, researchers compared the effects of an eight-week aerobic exercise program and a curcumin supplement in improving endothelial function in postmenopausal women. Both the exercise and the curcumin group saw equal improvements in endothelial function, whereas the control group saw no changes.
Another study found that curcumin was equally effective at improving endothelial function in people with type 2 diabetes (heart disease is a common comorbidity of type 2) as the drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), a medication commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
4. Curcumin May Prevent (and Possibly Help Treat) Cancer
As inflammation is linked to tumor growth, anti-inflammatory compounds such as curcumin may play a role in treating and preventing a variety of cancer types, including colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, and gastric cancers. In fact, research in mice suggests that curcumin may help slow the spread of tumor cells and may even prevent tumors from forming in the first place. It may do this in several ways, including disrupting the formation of cancerous cells at various stages in the cell cycle, interfering with cell signaling pathways, and even causing those cancerous cells to die. Whether curcumin can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be determined, but the research is ongoing. Combined with metformin, turmeric supplements may help people with type 2 diabetes stabilize their blood sugar levels. Here’s how.
5. Curcumin May Help Ease Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
Thanks to its potent anti-inflammatory properties, curcumin may be a safe and effective long-term treatment option for people with osteoarthritis (OA). In a past study, people with osteoarthritis who took 1,000 mg/day of Meriva experienced significant improvements in stiffness and physical function after eight months, whereas the control group saw no improvements. Meriva is a proprietary treatment made up of a natural curcuminoid mixture (75 percent curcumin; 15 percent demethoxycurcumin; and 10 percent bisdemethoxycurcumin), phosphatidylcholine (a chemical found in eggs, soybeans, and other foods), and microcrystalline cellulose (a refined wood pulp commonly used by the pharmaceutical and food industries). And a study in mice published in the June 2016 issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy found that 50 mg oral curcumin per kilogram (kg) body weight significantly slowed the progression of OA, whereas a topical curcumin treatment provided pain relief. That said, whether these benefits would apply to humans has yet to be seen.
6. Curcumin May Help Treat or Prevent Diabetes
According to a past review of studies, curcumin may help treat and prevent diabetes, as well as associated disorders like diabetic nephropathy (also called diabetic kidney disease), which affects people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, curcumin may help prevent diabetes through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and improve many of the factors that contribute to diabetes, including insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and hyperlipidemia (a medical term to describe elevated levels of fat in the blood; one type of hyperlipidemia is characterized by high levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol).
7. Curcumin Can Inhibit the Growth of Colon Cancer Cells or Even Kill them Entirely.
Research suggests that curcumin can inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells or even kill them entirely.
Curcumin has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of prostate cancer, which is one of the most common types of male cancer. In fact, a study published earlier this year showed that people taking a supplement containing 500 milligrams (mg) per day were able to reduce their risk of getting prostate cancer by nearly half! The researchers concluded that taking turmeric extract may help protect against developing this type of malignancy by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress levels in men with high-risk factors like obesity or diabetes.
Other studies suggest that turmeric may be beneficial for breast health as well: one found its use reduced tumor size by 40% when combined with chemotherapy; another found decreased incidence among women who consumed it regularly after diagnosis compared to those who did not take any supplements during early stages when treatment options are limited.
Conclusion
Turmeric is one of the most versatile spices in the world and has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of illnesses and conditions. It’s thought that turmeric’s antioxidant properties may be helpful when it comes to heart disease, arthritis pain, inflammation, cancer prevention, and more. The next time you are cooking up some Indian dishes or making some Chinese curries, try adding some turmeric instead of just salt and pepper!