Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

The majority of studies examining the health benefits of turmeric have focused on the curcuminoids found in turmeric. A recent study, however, suggests that the polysaccharides found in turmeric also have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can provide relief from osteoarthritis pain.

The study included 120 participants over the age of 40 who had osteoarthritis in their knees. Over the course of 42 days, the participants took one of the following interventions twice daily:

1. 500 mg of Turmacin™ (an extract of turmeric polysaccharides)

2. 750 mg of glucosamine sulphate in combination with 500 mg of Turmacin™.

3. 750 mg of glucosamine sulphate

4. 400 mg of a placebo

All the participants were assessed on day zero, day 21 and day 42 for severity of osteoarthritis pain and physical functioning.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that the Turmacin™ supplement group showed improved joint movement, less joint tenderness, better joint effusion, and less joint grating and crunching. They also reduced usage of over the counter pain medication.

The study was conducted by researchers with Natural Remedies Private Limited. It was published in the December 2012 issue of Inflammopharmocology.

Turmeric has been used in folk remedies for years to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. Recent studies have suggested that it may also protect against prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and arthritis. All of these benefits are attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.

Yellow curry is a great source of turmeric, but if your stomach can’t handle curry or you don’t care for Indian food, considering taking a high quality supplement.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Curcumin is the pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color. A recent study suggests that supplementation with curcumin may improve flow-mediated dilation (FMD) as much as aerobic exercise in postmenopausal women.

FMD measures the ability of an artery to contract as blood flows through it and the higher your FMD, the better. Previous research suggests that every 1% reduction in FMD is associated with a 12% increased risk in developing cardiovascular problems.

The study included 32 postmenopausal women who were separated into three different groups. For eight weeks on a daily basis, the women either:

1. Underwent no intervention and acted as controls;

2. Completed an aerobic exercise regime;

3. Took 25 mg of curcumin daily.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted an increase of FMD by 1.5% in both the exercise and curcumin groups but no changes were noted in the control group. This suggests that curcumin could potentially be an alternative for people who need to increase their FMD, but are unable to exercise.

The study was conducted at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. It was published online ahead of print on October 17, 2012, in Nutrition Research.

Curcumin has been used in folk remedies for years to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. Recent studies have suggested that it may also protect against prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and arthritis. All of these benefits are attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin.

Yellow curry is a great source of curcumin, but if your stomach can’t handle curry or you don’t care for Indian food, considering taking a high quality supplement.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Curcumin is the pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color. A number of studies have found curcumin to have beneficial properties for people with existing health problems.

A recent study has found that it may offer a variety of benefits for healthy people as well. These benefits include lower triglyceride levels and lower levels of other health markers.

Participants in the study included 38 healthy, middle-aged adults. For four weeks, the participants were given either an 80 mg dose of curcumin or a placebo. The researchers took blood and saliva samples at the beginning and end of the study to compare levels of different health markers.

At the end of the study, the researchers noted significant improvements in a number of health markers including lower levels of:

1. Triglycerides

2. A protein associated with Alzheimer’s

3. A marker for heart disease

4. A marker for liver disease

The study was conducted at Ohio State University and published on September 26, 2012, in Nutrition Journal.

Curcumin has been used in folk remedies to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. Recent studies have suggested that it may have also cancer fighting properties. All of these benefits are attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin.

Yellow curry is a great source of curcumin, but if your stomach can’t handle curry or you don’t care for Indian food, considering taking a high quality supplement.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Long term obesity is one of the most common causes of high triglycerides. A recent study suggests that curcumin may lower triglyceride levels in obese people. Curcumin is the pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color.

Participants in the study included 30 obese adults. Over the course of 30 days, they took either one gram of a curcumin complex or a placebo. After a two week washout period, the groups switched interventions for another 30 days.

At the end of the study, triglyceride levels were between 10 and 13% lower in the curcumin group. However, they observed no changes in cholesterol, BMI, or body fat.

The researchers believe that curcumin helps fat and muscle cells better process insulin, resulting in the lower triglyceride levels seen here.

The study was conducted by researchers at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran and the University of Keele in England. It was published online ahead of print on May 12, 2012, in the journal Phytotherapy Research.

Turmeric has been used in folk remedies to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. All of these benefits are a result of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.

Turmeric is most commonly found in curry, but to get all of the health benefits of curcumin you’d have to eat a lot of Indian food. If you’re interested in consuming more curcumin, consider taking a high quality daily supplement.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

The spice turmeric contains curcuminoids, which are pigments that give the spice its yellow color. A new study has found that curcuminoids may help people with type-2 diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control by reducing levels of free fatty acids.

Previous studies have shown that free fatty acids play a key role in the development of insulin resistance. Decreasing free fatty acid levels could help lower glucose levels in type-2 diabetics.

One hundred overweight or obese adults with diagnoses of type-2 diabetes participated in the study. Over the course of three months, half of the group took a supplement of 300 mg of curcuminoids and half took a placebo.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted a reduction in blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, free fatty acids and hemoglobin A1C. Hemoglobin A1C is a marker of excess blood glucose present over an extended period of time.

The study was conducted at Harbin Medical University and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It was published online ahead of print on August 29, 2012, in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

Turmeric has been used in folk remedies to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. All of these benefits are a result of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.

Turmeric is most commonly found in curry, but the researchers of this study pointed out that the amount of curcuminoids present in these supplements were much higher than would be reasonably possible to get through diet alone. They recommend taking curcuminoids as a supplement.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Did you ever think that eating Indian cuisine could potentially alleviate arthritis pain? Probably not, but studies have shown that curcumin – the primary bioactive ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric – could reduce inflammation.

The latest in this line of studies examined the effects of a patented, high bioavailability curcumin on people suffering from arthritis. The results were compared the effects of diclofenac sodium, a pharmaceutical drug commonly prescribed for joint pain. The findings were published online ahead of print on March 9, 2012, in Phytotherapy Research.

The study was conducted by researchers at Baylor University Medical Center and the Nimala Medical Centre in India. They recruited 45 individuals who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and administered one of three different interventions: 1,000 mg per day of the enhanced curcumin, 100 mg per day of diclofenac sodium or a combination of the two.

After eight weeks of supplementation, all three groups reported joint health improvements on the Disease Activity Score assessment as well as reduction in tenderness and swelling of joints. However, the group that only received curcumin showed the highest percentage of improvement, and also showed reductions in markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein.

Additionally, the curcumin group reported no adverse side effects, while the diclofenac sodium group experienced a 14% dropout rate due to adverse effects over the course of the study.

Curcumin has been used in folk remedies to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. Recent studies have even suggested that it may have cancer fighting properties. All of these benefits are attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin.

This study utilized a curcumin that is absorbed 7 to 10 times better than normal curcumin, so adding turmeric to your daily diet probably wouldn’t provide enough to see similar results. Only a supplement with high bioavailability would be able to provide you with enough curcumin to be effective.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Over 27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, or joint pain, and many sufferers take prescription medication to combat the ailment. According to researchers from the Anugraha Medical Center in India, a supplement containing curcumin and boswellia may be more effective at fighting joint pain than pharmaceuticals.

Both curcumin and boswellia have been used in folk remedies to combat arthritis pain.

Indian researchers from the Anugraha Medical Center may have done just that, They presented a study at the 2011 World Congress on Osteoarthritis (September 15-18, 2011) showing that a supplement known as Rhulief may be more effective at fighting joint pain than pharmaceuticals.

The study included 28 participants with moderate levels of osteoarthritis between the ages of 18 and 65. They were randomly assigned to consume 500 mg of Rhulief or 100 mg of celecoxib (the generic name for Celebrex®), a pharmaceutical commonly prescribed to combat joint pain.

After 12 weeks, 93% of the herb group participants could walk more than 1000 meters, compared to only 86% of the pharmaceutical group. Additionally, 93% of the herb group self reported reduction or elimination of pain, compared to 79% of the drug group.

The researchers also noted that there were no adverse side effects present in the herb group, including changes in liver and kidney function.

Overall, the herb treatment outperformed the pharmaceutical treatment in pain relief, walking distance and joint line tenderness scores. It performed as well as celecoxib in range of joint movement, and crepitus, which is a crunching sensation in the knees that often accompanies arthritis.

Curcumin and boswellia serrata have been linked to numerous other health benefits. Curcumin has been shown to combat head and neck cancer cells, ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. Boswellia serrata is a common folk remedy for a variety of inflammatory issues.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

People in India have been using turmeric for various folk remedies for years. Now a study conducted at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Center suggests that curcumin—a main component of turmeric—can battle neck and throat cancers.

The findings were published on September 15, 2011 in Clinical Cancer Research.

Following up on promising animal studies that demonstrated the cancer inhibiting properties of curcumin, the researchers conducted a human study. They recruited 21 adults suffering from head and neck cancers for the study. They also included a control group of 13 participants with tooth decay and 5 healthy participants.

The scientists tested the saliva of the test group and then gave them two 1,000 mg supplements of curcumin. An hour after consumption, the scientists again tested the saliva for protein levels and IKK-B kinase activity. IKK-B kinase is an enzyme that inhibits kappa kinase and promotes cancer growth.

The test group showed a significant reduction in IKK-B kinase activity as well as a reduction in the number of pro-inflammatory, cancer-causing cytokines in the saliva. When tested again at an independent Maryland lab, the same results were seen.

The researchers believe that the curcumin helped block the pathways between cancer-causing cells and tumors, inhibiting the growth and spread of the cancer.

The researchers pointed out that eating turmeric in your daily diet wouldn’t provide enough to get these cancer-fighting benefits. Only a supplement could provide you with enough curcumin to be effective. They hope to combine turmeric consumption with other cancer treatments to improve the chance of recovery.

Turmeric has also been used in folk remedies to ease menstrual cramping, help heal wounds, and to improve the appearance of skin. All of these benefits are a result of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A combination of vitamin D3 and curcumin may boost the immune system and clear beta-amyloid deposits (protein plaques linked to Alzheimer’s), says a recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Curcumin is the source of the popular spice Tumeric, the main spice in curries and many other spicy Asian dishes. Curcumin is what gives curry its characteristic bright yellow color and distinctive spicy taste.

For the study, UCLA researchers took blood samples from 9 Alzheimer’s patients, 1 patient with mild cognitive impairment and 3 healthy control subjects.

The researchers then isolated certain white blood cells which are key players in the immune system response to foreign substances.

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the effect of vitamin D3 and curcumin on harmful beta-amyloid. The build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits is associated with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress. This destruction of brain cells is related to loss of cognitive function and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

In the study, the researchers found that curcumin enhances the binding of beta-amyloid to the white blood cells. This makes it easier for the body to absorb and neutralize the beta-amyloid before it can lead to plaque build-up in brain cells.

As important, it was also found that vitamin D3 strongly stimulates the absorption of beta-amyloid by the white blood cells.

By improving both the binding and absorption of beta-amyloid, less of this harmful molecule will be in circulation to attach to and harm healthy brain cells and hopefully reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

The research is still in its early stages and therefore no specific dose of either compound can be recommended. However, these findings show great promise as a natural way to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s and generally boost the immune system.

Continued research into the prevention of Alzheimer’s is gaining importance due to the aging populations and soaring rates of Alzheimer’s. The direct and indirect costs of the disease are staggering, with the US alone spending over 100 billion dollars annually.