5 Important Benefits of Turmeric.
Turmeric is known to be one of the most effective natural supplements today. Not only does is have benefits on the body, but also the brain too. Many studies have done which show just how beneficial turmeric can be. It originates from India as a spice and medicinal herb.
Turmeric has been shown to have the same medicinal properties as Curcumin. Both turmeric and curcumin come from the same family of compounds called curcuminoids. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, which is a strong anti-oxidant and has powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
So let’s have a look into turmeric and exactly how it’s benefiting our body and why it’s so important…
1- Turmeric and it’s benefits on inflammation…
There are two forms of inflammation, both acute and chronic. Inflammation is like stress, a little bit of it is beneficial (acute), but too much of it (chronic) will have adverse effects on the body. Too much inflammation may allow pathogens to take over your body, and eventually kill you. Many chronic illnesses, including; heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions have been closely link to inflammation being one of the main contributing factors.
2- Antioxidant properties in turmeric…
When we use the term oxidative damage, we are referring to the damage of a structure by a molecule containing oxygen. Antioxidants are so important because they protect the body from free radicals, which are high unstable and reactive molecules.
The chemical structure of curcumin allows it to act as a potent antioxidant by neutralising free radicals, and boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.
3- Curcumin has been closely linked with improved brain function…
Curcumin boosts levels of your brain hormone, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). This hormone is a type of growth hormone which increases the growth neurons and fights various degenerative processes in your brain. Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
4- Turmeric can help prevent cancer
Cancer comes in many different forms, but all forms of cancer have several things in common. Curcumin has shown to have beneficial affects during the treatment of cancer. It can be found to positively reduce cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level. There has been evidence to suggest that curcumin can help prevent cancer from developing in the first place.
5- Curcumin can help prevent and treat other chronic illnesses like Alzheimer’s Disease, depression and arthritis.
Most chronic illnesses are normally the result of inflammation, and from what we know about curcumin, it has great properties to reduce inflammation. The good thing about curcumin is, it can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.
In terms of disorders like arthritis, which we know is characterised by joint inflammation, many studies have shown that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis.
