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Study Shows Curcumin From Turmeric May Help Inflammation, Memory & Muscle Health

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

December 06, 2024

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by Martí Sans / Stocksy

December 06, 2024

It's no secret that spices are not only potent flavoring agents, but they also offer some pretty impressive health benefits (even in small amounts). Turmeric, in particular, has long been lauded for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities—primarily thanks to its main active ingredient, curcumin.

Researchers of this systematic review and meta-analysis recently confirmed that these anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may even help slow aging processes and disorders related to cognitive function and muscle health.

Here's how and what you need to know about reaping curcumin's benefits.

Curcumin's impact on measures of aging

For this study researchers aimed to answer the question, "Can curcumin produce beneficial effects on conditions related to the aging process?"

They specifically included studies that looked at curcumin intake on aging outcomes like inflammation, cognitive function, neurodegeneration, and muscle health in older adults.

While research in all these areas is still emerging (and challenging because often different doses of turmeric are given for different durations), the authors linked the majority of curcumin's beneficial effects on health back to:

Its ability to reduce inflammatory pathways
Its ability to neutralize free radicals and prevent them from causing damage
Its ability to boost the body's natural antioxidant defenses

Together, oxidative stress and inflammation accelerate cellular aging and increase the risk of age-related conditions. Namely, cognitive conditions and muscle health

Neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases include conditions like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease and affect cognitive functions (like memory). There's a strong link between inflammation impairing brain function and spurring neuron damage and loss.

Medications currently help manage symptoms of these conditions. But researchers of this study suggest that curcumin may be an effective additional therapy for regulating the progression of these neurological changes by targeting pathways involved in learning and memory formation.

While research in humans shows curcumin to be beneficial in managing inflammation, many of these neurodegenerative-disease-specific studies are currently being conducted in animals.

Muscle health

Persistent inflammation can also contribute to muscle loss and weakness (including sarcopenia).

While eating enough protein and participating in strength training 1 are the best ways to build muscle (at any age) and prevent muscle loss, curcumin may also help prevent muscle loss through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

How to get the most benefits from curcumin

What this study wasn't able to pinpoint was the exact dose of curcumin needed to see a benefit (doses in these 15 studies ranged from 120 to 1,500 milligrams of curcumin taken for anywhere from one to eight months.

If you choose to get curcumin by eating more turmeric, consider consuming between ½ and 1 teaspoon of the spice a day (paired with black pepper to help the body better absorb it).

Curcumin is also available in supplements. Curcumin and turmeric supplements are formulated with optimal absorption in mind to ensure you get the most benefits. These supplements are actually better studied than the spice, especially when it comes to inflammation.

So, if those are the main benefits you're looking for, consider a targeted supplement. (These are our favorite dietitian-vetted turmeric supplements.)

The takeaway

There's no doubt that curcumin is effective at helping the body lower inflammation. Inflammation can build up with age as the body's immune system becomes less efficient at resolving it, and cellular damage from free radical buildup.

Eating more curcumin (or supplementing with it) is another tool to slow down age-related conditions related to inflammation. Just note that curcumin will work best when paired with an anti-inflammatory diet and plenty of physical activity.