14 benefits and side effects of curcumin

Curcumin is a herb that contains various benefits and has a great impact on human health. It has antioxidant effects, can protect cell tissues, delay aging, fight depression, and also has a regulating effect on fat cells, which has certain benefits for weight loss. However, curcumin also has certain side effects. Pregnant women and children should avoid taking it. People with susceptible bodies should also prohibit taking it to avoid increasing the occurrence of kidney stones. When taking curcumin, you should still follow the doctor's instructions.

Turmeric is recommended for proven benefits

1. Turmeric’s unique active ingredients have rich medical value

Curcumin in turmeric extract (curcuminoids) is the focus of discussion here. It is the part with the most medical value, accounting for about 3%-5% of the weight. Although it is not much, it has very strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities. Current medical research is mainly based on this ingredient. Curcumin is less easily absorbed by the human body when used alone. Therefore, thanks to modern technology, there are many formulas that enhance absorption, such as the Meriva-SR sustained-release formula combined with soy lecithin. The addition of lecithin not only has brain-boosting and intelligence-enhancing effects, but can also increase the absorption rate by up to 29 times. The other is to add BioPerine, both of which can increase the absorption capacity several times.

2. Curcumin has liver-protecting effects

The liver is the most versatile organ in the human body. In addition to being able to eliminate various endogenous and exogenous toxins, it is also an important metabolic center with functions such as producing energy and synthesizing nutrients. It can be said that it can do everything except giving birth to children. The liver has excellent regenerative function and can repair and regenerate itself even if it is damaged. However, when the damage reaches a certain level, it is easy to cause various liver diseases (such as hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cancer, cirrhosis, etc.). Oxidative stress plays an important role in liver disease. Curcumin has a special antioxidant and NF-kB transcription factor inhibitory mechanism. Therefore, its liver protection effect has been revealed in many studies. It has the effect of preventing various toxins from damaging the liver (such as aflatoxin, iron excess, antibiotics, alcohol, carcinogen "thioacetamide" carbon tetrachloride, etc.), but most of them are animal and cell experiments. In addition, other studies have also found that curcumin has the effect of preventing fatty liver and reversing liver fibrosis caused by carbon tetrachloride. However, since it is an animal study, it still needs more human experiments to confirm it.

3. Curcumin has natural anti-inflammatory properties

The inflammation mechanism is very important to the human body. It means that the immune cells, white blood cells, are performing their tasks. They can help the human body fight against foreign pathogens and help repair wounds. Without inflammation, the human body cannot survive. Short-term inflammation is helpful, but if foreign pathogens cannot be removed or the healing ability is disturbed, it will evolve into chronic inflammation. Modern medicine has confirmed that chronic inflammation is the main cause of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer's disease and a variety of degenerative diseases. Therefore, fighting inflammation is a common method used by modern medicine to treat diseases. The strong anti-inflammatory ability of curcumin is comparable to many drugs. It can simultaneously inhibit the body from forming the second series of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, and can also inhibit the activity of the cell transcription factor NF-κB. It is effective for most inflammations and allergies, but the key point is that there are almost no side effects caused by Western medicine.

4. Improve functional dyspepsia

The digestive organ is the most important function for maintaining life. After eating, all nutrient absorption depends on it, just like the roots of a big tree, responsible for absorbing nutrients to make life thrive. But in this society where efficiency is important in everything, even the enjoyment of eating has begun to speed up, making people start to wolf down and overeat. The consequence is that not only do people fail to enjoy the deliciousness of food, but it also often causes gastrointestinal dysfunction, leading to symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, belching, and heartburn. Medically, these symptoms are named functional dyspepsia, which means that organic diseases such as gastrointestinal ulcers, inflammation, and tumors have been ruled out after careful examination. It is estimated that 7 out of every 10 patients who suffer from indigestion in clinical practice suffer from functional dyspepsia, which affects the quality of life of the Chinese people. Even in ancient Chinese and Indian medicine, turmeric is regarded as a digestive function promoter with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory (stimulates bile secretion, improves fat absorption), reduces flatulence, and improves ulcer effects.

One randomized study found that when patients with indigestion took turmeric for seven days, 87% reported improvements in abdominal pain, bloating, and belching (compared to 53% in the control group).

5. Curcumin can prevent and even fight cancer

Cancer is like an infectious disease in modern society. Although people never think it will happen to them, due to the growth of various environmental toxins, it has become one of the leading causes of death among Chinese people.

Numerous studies have found that curcumin can inhibit the development of cancer cells at multiple cellular and molecular levels. Studies have shown that it can reduce the proliferation and spread of blood vessels in cancer tumors, and can further lead to apoptosis of cancer cells.

Another study on colorectal precancerous lesions found that daily intake of curcumin can effectively reduce aberrant crypt foci by 40%, making it a promising anti-cancer ingredient.

6. Curcumin has a weight loss effect

Statistics show that in the United States alone, nearly half of adults and 30% of children are overweight, causing serious medical problems. Losing weight is not just for the sake of beauty, but because being overweight greatly increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and aging.

The latest research has found that curcumin has multiple regulatory abilities on fat cells, which can help you lose weight faster and healthier.

Inhibit adipocyte angiogenesis and promote adipocyte apoptosis: Adipocytes are similar to cancer cells and need to go through angiogenesis to obtain nutrients and grow stronger. It is estimated that each kilogram of fat requires 3.2 kilometers of blood vessels to supply it, and curcumin has been found in animal experiments to inhibit angiogenesis and indirectly starve fat cells to death.

Inhibition of NF-κB transcription factor: NF-κB is a protein complex that regulates inflammatory responses in cells and is positively correlated with metabolic syndrome and obesity.

Regulate the secretion of adiponectin and leptin: Adiponectin and leptin are hormones secreted by fat cells and are related to metabolism, inflammatory response and insulin resistance. It is generally believed that leptin resistance is also one of the causes of obesity.