Turmeric, a yellow/orange powder that stains your fingers and everything it touches, may just be the natural remedy you didn’t know you were looking for. Turmeric powder itself comes from the turmeric root and is often used in Indian cuisine (Ex. curry). 

Before you rush off to the store and stock up on turmeric, it’s not the powder itself that is the remedy but rather a polyphenol found in it. 

Curcumin is the active ingredient found in turmeric that is responsible for its health benefits. A powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, curcumin has great potential to maintain your health as you age. 

Battling Inflammation

If left unchecked, long-term chronic inflammation can lead to pro-inflammatory diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel disease, ulcers and many more.  

Oftentimes the disease itself will worsen the inflammation and create an even greater risk for other diseases as we age. Being able to control the inflammation in the body is often key to prevention, improving symptoms, and stopping the progression of the disease itself or even possibly reversing it.

There are many powerful anti-inflammatory drugs available, however, all come with side effects with chronic use. Sometimes these side effects can be worse than the disease being treated itself.

Curcumin’s ability to reduce inflammation has been widely studied for many years. In some cases, it’s even proven to be as effective in reducing inflammation as some of the most commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs. Not to mention without any of the side effects. 

Low-grade chronic inflammation often goes unnoticed until it manifests itself as a pro-inflammatory disease. Preventive measures that are safe for long-term daily use are crucial in battling this type of inflammation.

Antioxidants are key to long term health

Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage to our cells and keep us healthy as we age. To read more on the role of antioxidants, check out this past blog. 

Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant that also has the ability to activate the body's own cellular antioxidant defenses. It’s even been shown to be a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin E. 

Additionally, curcumin’s potential role in many different cancers has been studied and found to be effective in prevention of cancer and improving treatment outcomes. 

In short, a diet rich in antioxidants are attributed to prompting a longer lifespan with less disease and complications of aging. Many of the people who live to be over a 100-year-old benefit from having a genetic superiority in the body's own antioxidant defenses.   

Using curcumin for health benefits

You may think since curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, why not just start eating more curry. Although this is true, the problem is that the curcumin content found in turmeric is only 2%-6%. 

Although a therapeutic dose has yet to be established, it has been found to be safe and well tolerated up to amounts of 8 grams per day. Most studies have found that 500mg - 1,500mg of curcumin per day is enough to promote its beneficial effects. However, in some cases such as specific cancers, higher amounts were needed to get the desired effects. 

If you do a quick online search, you’re bound to find numerous curcumin supplements. However, many of them may be misleading. If you look at the supplement facts label it will show you what the supplement is composed of.

Many curcumin supplements tend to contain mainly turmeric root powder with a smaller amount of curcumin extract. Typically, this extract will state how much curcumin it is standardized for. This can range anywhere from 10% - 95%. 

In order to get 500mg - 1,500mg you may need to take 10+ capsules! Luckily, there are many supplements that offer curcumin extract only, greatly reducing your dose to only 1 or 2 capsules. 

Don’t forget the black pepper!

As powerful as curcumin is, by itself it is almost useless in the body. This is because the body is really good at rapidly breaking it down from its active form. In order to get the health benefits of curcumin, we have to slow down the metabolic breakdown of its active form. 

Luckily, this is easy to do with several options. The most commonly used is BioPerine which is a black pepper extract. Other options are use of liposomal curcumin (which typically comes in a liquid) or nanoparticles. Make sure to check the supplement label as these are not always included with curcumin supplements. 

You can also purchase BioPerine by itself and take it along with curcumin. Although it’s simpler to get a supplement with both included, and typically requires taking less capsules, aim to get a ratio of 10:1 curcumin to BioPerine to get the greatest bioavailability of curcumin. 

The Key Takeaway

• Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant polyphenol compound found in the turmeric root.

• Controlling inflammation and free radicals in the body is key to long-term health as we age.

• Turmeric powder only contains 2% - 6% of curcumin.

• Curcumin extract is the preferred ingredient in supplements with a high standardized value. Aim for 500mg - 1,500mg per day taken with food.

• Curcumin is rapidly broken down in the body and requires an adjuvant to slow down its breakdown.

• BioPerine is the most commonly used additive to slow down metabolic breakdown. Look for supplements containing BioPerine at a ratio of 10:1 curcumin to BioPerine. 

• Liposomal curcumin and nanocurcumin are other options that are safe and effective to use as well.

If you have more questions on the use of curcumin, how much, what type, etc., contact me at adamskowyra@dietitian2go.net. 

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD