Updated 6/01/2021
If you cook Middle Eastern dishes, you are most likely familiar with a golden, yellow spice known as turmeric. You may also be familiar with turmeric’s ability to stain EVERYTHING (including countertops…)! In fact, it’s often used to dye clothing for this very reason. Not only is turmeric useful for dying clothing, but it also provides anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Turmeric is part of the ginger family. It makes sense as it looks just like a ginger root but with a yellow/orange pigment inside. What gives turmeric its vibrant yellow color is a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Lowering the Risk of Disease by Reducing Chronic Inflammation, foods with these anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Here are a few other conditions turmeric has been shown to be helpful for:
Alzheimer’s Disease
This condition involves the prolonged inflammation of nerve cells in the brain. The chronic inflammation can decrease the brain’s thinking ability over time affecting a person’s ability to do common daily activities and self-care.
In a large population-based study of 1,010 elderly Asians without dementia, those who consumed more curry (a dish containing turmeric) performed better on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) than those who rarely consumed curry.
Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis
In those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), joints become inflamed causing pain due to an autoimmune response in the body. With osteoarthritis (OA), joints become inflamed due to the wearing down of cartilage between bone. Like RA, this also causes significant pain that can affect daily activities.
In a small randomized pilot study, 45 patients diagnosed with RA were split into three groups: curcumin (500 mg), diclofenac sodium (50 mg), and a combination of both. Diclofenac is an NSAID drug often used to treat RA symptoms. Significant improvements were seen in all three groups on their Disease Activity Scores (DAS). However, the curcumin only group showed the highest level of improvement overall.
In a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of 40 people with osteoarthritis of the knees, participants were followed for 6 weeks. Those who took up to 1500mg curcumin, reduced their use of anti-inflammatory drugs by 84%.
Of course these results all sound very promising, but larger studies need to be performed for more conclusive evidence on the health benefits of turmeric. However, that doesn’t keep manufacturers from putting a curcumin or turmeric supplement out on the market. If you are taking other medications, please continue reading. There may be some drug interactions to be aware of.
Caution with Turmeric Supplementing
The FDA has approved curcumin as a “Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)” compound. However, how much you should take is still unclear and depends on what you are taking it for.
More importantly, if you are taking a blood thinner such as aspirin, Plavix, Warfarin, or Xarelto, avoid turmeric or curcumin supplements. Turmeric can naturally aid in thinning blood. So adding this to your current medication routine would be like doubling up on your blood thinner and can be very dangerous.
Additionally, if you have a history of kidney stones, you should not use turmeric or curcumin supplements. Turmeric contains a high amount of oxalates which are commonly a culprit in the development on kidney stones.
Some research states curcumin can lower blood sugar to help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in those who are prediabetic. However, this also means if you are already taking medications to lower blood sugar such as insulin, Actos, and glyburide, this can reduce it further with risk of hypoglycemia.
Before starting any supplement, always talk to your dietitian first to determine if it is right for you. However, adding 1 tsp of turmeric spice to your meal is still a great and safe way to make your diet more anti-inflammatory.