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The 9 Most Surprising Benefits of Turmeric, According To A Massive New Study
Turmeric has a longstanding reputation as an anti-inflammatory spice. It’s been used in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for its healing properties for thousands of years.
Now, modern research is documenting the far-reaching health impacts of using turmeric in everyday cooking and taking a targeted turmeric supplement that features curcumin—the main active anti-inflammatory ingredient of the spice.
Researchers recently conducted a sweeping review of curcumin supplements and their true therapeutic impact1 on various health conditions. Overall, they found that they are particularly helpful in these nine areas.
Benefits of curcumin supplements
- Blood sugar: Analysis showed that curcumin significantly lowered fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (a longer-term measure of blood sugar control), and insulin resistance.
- Blood pressure: Taking a curcumin supplement can even lead to (modest) reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Cholesterol levels: Curcumin is also an effective ingredient for lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol. Past research shows you can also reap these benefits by eating around 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric a day.
- Body composition: Results showed that healthy adults who took curcumin supplements also experienced small but significant reductions in body weight and body fat percent. One potential reason why is that it may help balance hormones involved in fat metabolism.
- Inflammation: Inflammation isn’t just some general term we throw around—it can actually be measured. Curcumin helps decrease inflammation markers (like hsCRP) and increase the body’s antioxidant capacity.
- Mood: Taking curcumin supplements may improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, possibly due to its positive influence on dopamine levels.
- Joint pain: Curcumin is commonly used to alleviate joint pain. This analysis revealed that curcumin reduced pain scores by about 11.5 points (a significant amount). The supplements also improved joint flexibility.
- Menstrual pain: Taking curcumin supplements may help reduce pain related to premenstrual syndrome and improve overall mood during this time.
- Liver & kidney health: Curcumin may support kidney and liver health by significantly reducing proteinuria in people with chronic kidney disease and lowering key liver enzymes linked to inflammation. If you have one of these conditions, talk with your healthcare provider before starting a supplement.
How to supplement
Getting the full benefits of curcumin comes down to the dose and bioavailability, aka how well your body can absorb and use curcumin. The catch? Curcumin is notoriously hard to absorb on its own. That’s why high-quality supplements use smart strategies to boost bioavailability.
One common (and effective) method is combining turmeric with piperine, the active compound in black pepper, which can increase absorption by up to 2,000%.
As for how much you need? Most research supports 500 to 1,000 mg of turmeric extract daily.
We know choosing the right one can be confusing, so we did the homework for you. These are our top 14 expert-vetted picks.
The takeaway
Adding a high-quality curcumin supplement to your routine is an effective way to improve multiple aspects of your health. For even more support, include more turmeric-rich recipes into your routine (like this delicious golden latte).