Turmeric has long been used for its health advantages in traditional eastern medicine. Turmeric's major bioactive component, curcumin, is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant with significant antioxidant effects.
While turmeric and curcumin are generally considered safe to take, too much of a good thing can be harmful. Large amounts can harm your kidneys, which is one of the hazards. This is because too much curcumin can drastically raise uric acid levels in the body, raising the risk of kidney stone development.
What are some of turmeric's drawbacks?
There are several other risks associated with consuming too much curcumin, including:
- Upset stomach, acid reflux, diarrhoea, dizziness, and headaches are all mild side effects.
- If you have a bleeding issue, you should avoid turmeric because it thins the blood.
- Blood thinners, antidepressants, antibiotics, antihistamines, cardiac medicines, and chemotherapy therapies interact badly with turmeric. It can also cause blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low, making diabetic treatments ineffective.
- Turmeric can make stomach issues like acid reflux and gallstones worse.
- If you're taking iron supplements, you shouldn't consume turmeric since it limits iron absorption.
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid taking turmeric supplements but can eat turmeric-flavoured foods. These supplements may create difficulties by stimulating uterine contractions.
Before using turmeric supplements, consult your doctor about your overall health and any diseases you may have, such as gastrointestinal issues or kidney stones.
What is the maximum amount of turmeric that may be consumed safely?
Turmeric extracts containing mainly curcumin in quantities exceeding 1 gram per day are used in studies that illustrate the health advantages of turmeric. Because it's challenging to get so much curcumin in a regular diet, turmeric is often taken as a supplement with a significantly higher curcumin level.
A daily dose of curcumin supplement of roughly 1.4 milligrams per pound of body weight, up to 12 grams, is generally considered safe. Anything more than that may result in adverse side effects
What are turmeric's potential health benefits?
In several preclinical investigations, curcumin has shown promise in treating heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, gastrointestinal problems, and metabolic syndrome.
Turmeric has several health benefits when used in moderation:
- Curcumin's anti-inflammatory capabilities are significant, and it can be as effective as anti-inflammatory drugs without the adverse side effects. It can help relieve swelling, pain, and discomfort caused by chronic inflammation in joints and wounds. Turmeric can treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and pancreatitis because inflammation is often at the base of these chronic disorders.
- Curcumin can help with rheumatoid arthritis pain as well as gastrointestinal pain caused by inflammatory bowel disease.
- Turmeric has significant antioxidant qualities, which protect the body from free radicals, harming healthy cells. It can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, fight ageing, and enhance metabolism (age-related eye changes).
- Turmeric's inherent antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal qualities aid in stimulating the immune system and preventing infection.
- Reduces cancer risk: Turmeric has been found to destroy cancerous cells at the molecular level, interfering with cancer growth, development, and spread. Turmeric may be particularly useful in treating and preventing digestive system cancers, such as colorectal cancer. It may also be used to counteract the effects of carcinogenic additives in processed foods.
- Curcumin's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may help to avoid heart disease and other cardiovascular issues. Curcumin also helps to prevent atherosclerosis by lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol.
- Curcumin helps to delay the development of the disease. Turmeric pills combined with metformin may assist persons with type 2 diabetes to maintain blood sugar control.
- Curcumin prevents the accumulation of protein tangles in the brain known as amyloid plaques, related to Alzheimer's disease.
- Curcumin increases the amounts of neurotrophic factors in the brain and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which can benefit patients with depressive symptoms.
- Turmeric stimulates the gallbladder to generate bile, which improves the digestive system's efficiency. Turmeric can also help with enzymatic processes, acid generation, and proper nutrient absorption in the gut and reduce bloating.
- Turmeric can help the liver detox by increasing the production of essential enzymes that help break down and remove pollutants. Turmeric also improves blood circulation, which benefits the liver.
- Curcumin supplements can help with joint function, bone loss prevention, and bone tissue preservation.
- Promotes healthy skin: Turmeric's anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties may help with the following:
- Prevent Acne
- Reduce the appearance of dark circles
- Give your skin a healthy glow.
- Heal your wounds
- Scars can be minimized.
- Reduce the severity of eczema and psoriasis
- Delay the appearance of wrinkles.
When consumed alone, turmeric does not readily enter the body. To get the most health advantages from turmeric, combine it with black pepper, which includes a component called piperine, which increases turmeric absorption in the body. Cooking turmeric with oil also helps in the absorption of more curcumin by the body.