Turmeric has long been known as an indispensable spice in every Vietnamese kitchen. Moreover, turmeric also brings many wonderful health benefits thanks to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The following article will provide more information about other benefits of turmeric for human health.
1. Turmeric Helps Prevent Depression
Several compounds in turmeric may help support your health. The most prominent of these is curcumin, which has the ability to ease the symptoms of depression and help antidepressants work better.
Depression can occur due to low levels of BDNF in the body – a neurotrophic factor from the brain. Because turmeric can increase BDNF levels, this popular spice is expected to become an effective antidepressant.
Turmeric helps improve depression
2. Prevent and treat type 2 diabetes
Researchers have found that curcumin in turmeric has effective anti-inflammatory effects and keeps your blood sugar levels stable. Therefore, turmeric is considered a useful remedy to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes.
A study conducted on 240 adults with prediabetes showed that after they supplemented with curcumin from turmeric for 9 months, their rate of diabetes was significantly reduced. In addition, another study has also found that curcumin has the ability to reduce blood glucose levels, thereby improving a number of other problems related to diabetes.
Consuming turmeric can help people with diabetes control their disease more easily, while preventing dangerous complications caused by diabetes, such as cataracts or nerve damage. In addition, compounds from turmeric also help the body reduce insulin resistance – which increases your blood sugar levels.
3. Helps prevent many types of viruses that are harmful to the body
When you feel unwell, you can sip a cup of turmeric tea to dispel fatigue. Many scientific evidences have shown that curcumin in turmeric can help you fight the harmful effects of many types of viruses, including seasonal flu virus and herpes virus. However, you should note that turmeric only contains about 3% curcumin, while our body often has difficulty absorbing this essence well, so drinking turmeric tea is not a cure and you should not rely too much on it.
4. Helps Reduce Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
A recent study found that women who took curcumin supplements from turmeric for three consecutive menstrual cycles experienced a reduction in symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as menstrual cramps, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, and lack of energy.
This is due to the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, while some PMS symptoms are related to inflammation in the body. Health care professionals also recommend that people with PMS take turmeric supplements about twice a day for a week before their period to reduce PMS symptoms.
Drinking warm turmeric will help reduce menstrual cramps
5. Helps reduce bad cholesterol “LDL” in the blood
In addition to the above great health benefits, turmeric also helps you reduce bad cholesterol “LDL” in the blood. Moreover, turmeric also has the ability to protect the cardiovascular system very effectively. A small study has shown that regular use of turmeric helps prevent heart attacks in people who have had coronary artery bypass surgery.
6. Turmeric has the ability to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
People with Alzheimer’s disease often have a chronic inflammatory condition. Many people believe that using turmeric can fight Alzheimer’s disease because it has natural anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is currently not much solid scientific evidence that using turmeric is an effective measure to prevent the disease.
7. Helps relieve pain caused by arthritis
Turmeric has been shown to have the ability to reduce joint pain, stiffness and arthritis. However, we need more specific studies to recognize that turmeric is really an effective treatment for arthritis.
If you want to try turmeric for joint pain, you can help your body absorb the natural curcumin by eating turmeric with black pepper.
8. Prevents Cancer
Some studies in both labs and animals have found that turmeric can stop the growth of tumor cells and help detoxification enzymes work better. However, people who are undergoing cancer treatment should consult their doctor before using turmeric because it can affect some chemotherapy drugs you are taking.
9. Helps improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
According to the results of a study on 200 adults and in mice, the use of turmeric can help improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as abdominal pain. In addition, turmeric is also being studied further to treat diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
10. Helps treat headaches
In fact, turmeric is closely related to ginger – a widely known natural headache remedy. It is therefore no surprise that turmeric is also recommended as a treatment for headaches, especially migraines.
11. Helps to “eliminate” acne effectively
Turmeric is also used a lot by women in beauty. Because it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, many people use it to make turmeric masks for skin care, or eat turmeric to fight stubborn acne.
In addition to being a spice, turmeric also has many health benefits. You can add turmeric to your daily dishes to enhance the flavor of the dishes, while ensuring your health.
