Thesis Statement: Since ancient days, the use of turmeric as a medicinal herb is quite common. But is it as healthy as people claim it to be? In this article, we’re going to take a look at the health benefits of turmeric and also explore the reasons why you should make it a part of your everyday diet.
Turmeric has many health benefits, which is why it should be a vital ingredient in your daily diet. It has more use than as a spice to give yellow-orange color to the curry. People have been using it for ages to cure wounds and get rid of the pain. You can easily use turmeric in your daily diet as an everyday ingredient for cooking. Or if you can’t use it, you can also use turmeric supplements by the recommendation of the doctor to maximize its effect.
Among the benefits of turmeric is the presence of curcumin, a substance that is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. As an antiseptic, it treats wounds and pain-causing areas. Additionally, you can prevent many chronic diseases like early aging, heart disease, brain damage, and even cancer by using it.
The following are some benefits of using turmeric that might convince you to incorporate it in your daily diet.
Table of Contents
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Turmeric
Inflammation can be helpful in fighting germs and the natural healing process of the body if it is for a short span. However, chronic inflammation can be dangerous for your body. Long-term inflammation can enhance the risk of heart disease, brain disease, and many other ailments.
Turmeric contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, turmeric can help reduce the risk of diseases such as those listed above.
However, before starting to take curcumin supplements, you should consult with your doctor because taking too much curcumin causes the blood to become thin. As a result, there might be a chance of severe bleeding if taken without precautions.
Antioxidant Effects of Turmeric
Many oxidative agents like oxidizing compounds, free radicals, and highly reactive substances, which have free electrons, may enter your body. These compounds are highly reactive. They can react with body proteins like DNA, RNA, and other components, and may cause serious damage to your body’s normal functioning. It may cause early aging as well.
In order to reduce or neutralize the effects of these oxidative agents, turmeric can be helpful because it has antioxidant properties, which help to neutralize the free radicals and highly reactive compounds. Using turmeric also stimulates the body’s natural antioxidants to perform well.
Medicinal Use of Turmeric
As we know, turmeric has curcumin in its ingredients, but the amount of it is about 2-3% only in its extract, which is not enough to fulfill the requirement. To increase the quantity of curcumin and to get all the benefits, people generally use turmeric supplements.
Curcumin is a fat-soluble compound that the body cannot absorb easily. For this purpose, it is observed that its absorption increases when you take it with black pepper. Therefore, turmeric supplements usually contain black pepper because black pepper contains the molecule “Piperine,” which enhances its absorption and makes it more efficient. Therefore, by having black pepper in them, turmeric supplements become more effective and fat-soluble. Due to this, it is good to take it with fat-rich food to make it soluble.
Turmeric for Heart Diseases
Chronic inflammation, oxidative compounds, dis-functioning of the endothelium, and damage to the inner membrane of the heart may cause serious heart diseases and may lead to a heart attack as well. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidizing effects as well that can reduce the risk of heart diseases.
Turmeric also helps to enhance the proper functioning of endothelium and protects the inner membrane of the heart from getting damaged. This results in proper control of blood pressure and blood clotting. These factors cause serious damage to the heart. Turmeric helps regulate their proper functioning.
Research shows that the use of turmeric and exercise in daily routine reduces the risk of heart attacks by 60%.
Turmeric for Brain Diseases
Neurons are an important part of the brain’s control system. These channels connect the brain to the rest of the body. The brain regulates all body functions. The division of these neurons might result in an increase in the number of neurons in specific parts of the brain.
However, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) plays an indispensable role in cell division. The protein produced by BDNF is responsible for enhancing the neuron’s lifespan. It also aids the brain’s memory and learning processes.
Brain damage and disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, and stress are caused by a lack of BDNF. Turmeric pills are being tested on animals and have been discovered to help raise BDNF levels in the brain as well as lessen the chance of Alzheimer’s disease. It also helps in improving memory.
Final Words
In order to avoid the diseases above, you must incorporate turmeric into your daily diet. As you can see, there are many advantages of using turmeric, so in order to get the most out of turmeric benefits, you should take turmeric supplements. It is important to take these supplements at the correct dosage and according to the advice of your doctor. By including it as a part of your daily routine, you will not only prevent many diseases, but you will also benefit from its many health benefits.