Health Benefits of Curcumin - WebMD

Amounts and Dosage MenuHomeNewsReferenceSlideshowsQuizzesVideosDietPlansA-ZPopularDietPlansHealthyWeightToolsandCalculatorsHealthyEating&NutritionBest&WorstChoicesAllGuideTopicsWeightLoss&ObesityFitness&ExerciseFood&RecipesFoodCalculatorBMICalculatorDiabetesCholesterolManagementMoreRelatedTopicsDiet&WeightManagementReferenceMenuReviewedbyDanBrennan, MDonSeptember18,2020InthisArticleHealthBenefitsHealthRisksAmountsandDosageCurcuministhemainactiveingredientinturmeric.TurmericisnativetoSoutheastAsia,butispopularallovertheworld.ItisperhapsmostpopularinIndia,whereitisoneofthemainspicesincurrypowders.Itsflavoriswarmandbitter,andithasastrikingyellowcolor.Turmerichasbeenreportedtohavemanyhealthbenefits.Itsuseasamedicinedatesbacknearly4000years.Overthepastfewdecades,modernmedicinehasincreasedresearchintoturmeric’sreputationforhealing.Curcuminisattheheartoftheresearch,asit’sthesourceofmanyofturmeric’shealthfulproperties.Curcuminisadiscreetbioactivecompoundandiswhatgivesturmericitsbrightcolor.Itwasfirstisolatedbyscientistsaroundtheturnofthe20thcentury,anditsantibacterialpropertieswerefirstdemonstratedin1949.Subsequentresearchshowedittohaveanti-inflammatoryproperties,anti-oxidantproperties,andseveralothermarkedbenefits.HealthBenefitsClaimsaboutthehealthbenefitsofcurcuminabound.Traditionally,itwasusedtotreatskindisorders,upperrespiratorytractdisorders,jointpain,digestiveproblems,andmore.Modernresearchhasconfirmedsomeoftheselong-understoodhealthbenefitsandhelpeddemonstratethebiologicalmechanismsbehindthem.Somecurcuminhealthbenefitsinclude:ArthritisSymptomReliefCurcuminhasbeenshowntohelpwiththepainfulsymptomsofbothosteoarthritisandrheumatoidarthritis.Thisisdueinlargeparttoitsanti-inflammatoryproperties.Inflammationcanmanifestasredness,swelling,warmthintheaffectedjoints,jointpain,andjointstiffness.Severalstudieshaveshowncurcumintobeeffectiveforreducingtheseinflammationsymptoms.EyeHealthSeveralstudieshaveshowncurcumintobebeneficialinmanaginginflammatoryanddegenerativeeyedisorders.Whilethestudysizeshavebeenrelativelysmall,theyindicatecurcuminmaybegoodforkeepingeyeshealthyandtreatingsomeeyediseases.KidneyHealthResearchhasshowncurcuminmaybebeneficialforyourkidneys.Specifically,curcuminmayhelpinhealingacutekidneyinjuriesandincreasingantioxidants.HayFeverReliefHayfeverorotherseasonalallergysymptomsmaybereducedbyingestingcurcumin.Thisincludessneezing,itching,runnynose,andcongestion. PotentialCancerTreatmentThere’snotenoughevidencetoprovethatcurcumincanpreventortreatcancer.However,thereareseveralstudiescurrentlyongoingthatareaimedatbetterunderstandingcurcumin’spotentialinthisarea.Someresearchshowsitmayreducetheabilityofcancercellstomultiply.HealthRisksThereareveryfewsideeffectsorhealthrisksknowntobeassociatedwithcurcumin.However,inastudythatinvolvedparticipantsingestingextremelyhighdosesofcurcumin,somereporteddiarrhea,headache,nausea,andyellowstool. AmountsandDosageCurcuminisconsideredanunproventreatmentatthispointintime.Assuch,nocurcumindosagestandardsareavailable.Curcumincanbeingestedviafoodsseasonedwithturmeric,aswellasthroughturmericandcurcumindietarysupplements.However,it’simportanttotalktoyourhealthcareproviderbeforetakinganydietarysupplements.TheAllowableDailyIntake(ADI)valueofcurcuminhasbeendeterminedbytheEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthoritytobe0-3mgperkilogramofbodyweight,orroughly0-1.4mgperpound.Ifyou’reinterestedinaddingmorecurcumintoyourdiet,theeasiestwayistoeatmoreturmeric.ManySoutheastAsianandMiddleEasterncuisinesregularlyincorporateturmericintotheirrecipes. Manyotherrecipescanbenefitfromadashofturmericaswell,though.Afeweasyoptionsinclude:TurmericlatkeswithapplesauceVegetablesoupwithturmericTurmeric-seasonedscrambledeggswithcheeseIcedteawithturmeric,ginger,andcinnamon10WorstSandwichesandBetterChoicesGuidetoEatingHealthyCarbsBecomingaVegetarian:FoodstoChooseFromWhyAmIAlwaysHungry?SurprisingReasonsYou'reGainingWeightDietTipsforKneeOsteoarthritisBoostYourMetabolism:10WaystoDoItBellyFat:Best&WorstFoodsWorstSandwiches:AvoidTheseDietWreckersBestDietTipsEver:22WaystoStayonTrackSlideshow9SeedsYouShouldBeEatingSlideshow9WaystoEatCleanSlideshowFoodsYouCan'tStopEating--ButShouldSlideshowLoseWeightWithoutDietingSlideshowWorstRestaurantMealsSlideshowSurprisingReasonsYou'reGainingWeightSlideshowWhatIsaGluten-FreeDiet?SlideshowTruthAboutSugarCravingsSlideshowFat-FightingFoodsSlideshow25Low-CalorieSnacksSlideshowHigh-ProteinDietsSlideshowLow-CarbSnacksDoHigh-ProteinDietsWork?Weight-LossDosandDon'tsBestandWorstJuices10WaystoControlYourEatingGuidetoBecomingVegetarianBestandWorstAppetizers 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