Latest Articles

News image

Migraine Associated With Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

According to research, women who have migraines with aura could be more likely to...

News image

Insomnia and Short Sleep Duration Associated With Increased Mortality Risk

According to research, men with insomnia and sleep duration of six or fewer hours...

News image

Walnut Consumption Significantly Decreases LDL Cholesterol

Researchers have found that high-walnut-enriched diets significantly decreased total and LDL cholesterol for the...

News image

Dietary Fat Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

According to a study, high intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy...

News image

New Evidence Why Repair of Myelin Fails in Multiple Sclerosis

Research has uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with...

News image

Memory Test Helps Understand Parkinson's Disease Effect on Behavior

A new neuropsychological memory test developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, is helping to uncover...

News image

Patient Receives Cardiac Stem Cells in Clinical Trial

Doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have announced the completion of the first procedure...

Most Read

News image

New Technique Could Be Useful In the Early Detection of Alzheimer's

A diagnostic technique which may greatly simplify the detection of Alzheimer's has been discovered...

News image

Prostate Cancer Therapy Increases Risk of Bone and Heart Side Effects

Prostate cancer patients who undergo therapy to decrease testosterone levels increase their risk of...

News image

New Blood Test Increases the Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

According to a study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a new blood test used...

News image

3-D Images of Eyes Developed to Reveal Details of Macular Degeneration

To get a better look at the abnormalities that cause age-related macular degeneration, the...

News image

Olive Oil Intake Reduces Blood Pressure and Could Reduce Cancer Risk

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is native to the Mediterranean basin and parts of...

News image

Drug Free Treatment for High Blood Pressure Successfully Tested

Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of a drug free treatment for high blood pressure...

News image

Home UVB Therapy for Psoriasis as Effective as Hospital Treatment

A study has concluded that for patients with psoriasis, treatment with ultraviolet B (UVB)...

The Health Benefits of Turmeric E-mail
turmeric

Turmeric powder is made from the Curcuma longa shrub by fist drying and then crushing the stalk of the plant.

Turmeric was used in ancient times on the Indian subcontinent to treat various illnesses such as rheumatism, body ache, skin diseases, intestinal worms, diarrhoea, intermittent fevers, hepatic disorders, biliousness, urinary discharges, dyspepsia, inflammations, constipation, leukoderma, amenorrhea, and colic.

The health benefits of turmeric include possible cancer prevention, promising Alzheimer's treatment, and powerful anti inflammatory properties.

 

Health Benefits of Turmeric

  • Cancer Prevention
    A growing body of research suggests that curcumin, the major active constituent of the dietary spice turmeric, has potential for the prevention and therapy of cancer.

    Animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated that curcumin has the potential to fight tumors occurring from prostate cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer.
    In a search for alternative and preventive therapies for prostate cancer, a laboratory study was conducted on the ways in which curcumin could interfere with the growth factor signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. The results indicated that curcumin might be a novel modality by which one can interfere with the growth pathways of the prostate cancer cell and prevent it from progressing.

    In a human study involving chronic smokers ingesting turmeric over a period of thirty days, results showed a significant drop in the cancer causing compounds of tobacco smoke.

    All these studies suggest that curcumin has enormous potential in the prevention of cancer.
  • Alzheimer's
    Preliminary studies suggest that turmeric has a potential role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, and further studies are underway in this regard.

    Alzheimer's involves amyloid beta (Abeta) accumulation, oxidative damage, and inflammation, and risk is arguably reduced with increased antioxidant and anti-inflammatory consumption. Turmeric’s phenolic pigment curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and can suppress oxidative damage, inflammation, cognitive deficits, and amyloid accumulation. When fed to aged mice with advanced amyloid accumulation, curcumin labeled plaques and reduced amyloid levels and plaque burden. This data suggests that low dose curcumin effectively disaggregates Abeta as well as prevents fibril and oligomer formation, supporting the rationale for curcumin use in clinical trials preventing or treating Alzheimer’s.

    Using blood samples from Alzheimer's patients, researchers have found that bisdemethoxycurcumin, the active ingredient of curcuminoids found in turmeric root boosted immune cells called macrophages to clear amyloid beta.

    In-vitro studies have found curcuminoids (a mixture of curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin and demethoxycurcumin) found in turmeric, to possess acetylcholinesterase (Alzheimer’s has been linked to a deficiency in the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine) inhibitory and memory enhancing activities, demonstrating that curcuminoids mixture might be better than curcumin as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.
  • Anti-inflammotory
    Studies have shown that curcumin also possesses powerful anti-inflammatory properties, by inhibiting levels of cyclooxygenase-2, an enzyme instrumental in the creation of molecules that causes inflammation.
  • Arthritis
    In vivo studies have demonstrated the possibility of turmeric in the treatment of arthritis, but further studies are required to establish effectiveness.
Nutrient Values of Turmeric per 100g
Calories
354kcal
Energy Value
1481kj
Total Fat
9.88mg
Carbohydrates
65g
Protein
8g
Dietary Fiber
21g
Sugars
3g
Sodium
38mg
Zinc
4.35mg
Potassium
2525mg
Vitamin C
25.9mg
Magnesium
193mg
Copper
0.603mg
Calcium
183mg
Iron
41.42mg
Vitamin E
3.1mg
Vit. B3 (Niacin)
5.14mg
Vitamin B6
1.8mg
Vit. B1 (Thiamine)
0.152mg
Vit. B2 (Riboflavin)
0.233mg

The consumption of supplemental doses of turmeric can significantly increase urinary oxalate levels, thereby increasing risk of kidney stone formation in susceptible individuals. References:
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
4. Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, Bharti AC. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):363-98. PMID: 12680238.
5. Ringman JM, Frautschy SA, Cole GM, Masterman DL, Cummings JL. A potential role of the curry spice curcumin in Alzheimer's disease. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2005 Apr;2(2):131-6. PMID: 15974909
6. Funk JL, Frye JB, Oyarzo JN, Kuscuoglu N, Wilson J, McCaffrey G, Stafford G, Chen G, Lantz RC, Jolad SD, Sólyom AM, Kiela PR, Timmermann BN. Efficacy and mechanism of action of turmeric supplements in the treatment of experimental arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Nov;54(11):3452-64. PMID: 17075840.
7. Tang M, Larson-Meyer DE, Liebman M. Effect of cinnamon and turmeric on urinary oxalate excretion, plasma lipids, and plasma glucose in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1262-7. PMID: 18469248.
8. Dorai T, Gehani N, Katz A. Therapeutic potential of curcumin in human prostate cancer. II. Curcumin inhibits tyrosine kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor and depletes the protein. Mol Urol. 2000 Spring;4(1):1-6. PMID: 10851300.
9. López-Lázaro M. Anticancer and carcinogenic properties of curcumin: considerations for its clinical development as a cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Jun;52 Suppl 1:S103-27. PMID: 18496811.
10. Pari L, Tewas D, Eckel J. Role of curcumin in health and disease. Arch Physiol Biochem. 2008 Apr;114(2):127-49. PMID: 18484280.
11. Ahmed T, Gilani AH. Inhibitory effect of curcuminoids on acetylcholinesterase activity and attenuation of scopolamine-induced amnesia may explain medicinal use of turmeric in Alzheimer's disease. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2008 Oct 1. PMID: 18930076.
12. Yang F, et al. Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2005 Feb 18;280(7):5892-901. Epub 2004 Dec 7. PMID: 15590663.
13. Milan Fiala, et al. Scientists Isolate Chemical In Curry That May Help Immune System Clear Plaques. University of California. 2007.