1.Natural Anti Inflammatory Effects
Inflammation is a defense mechanism that is critically important when you have an injury or infection. It helps the body isolate affected areas and fight foreign invaders. Without inflammation, dangerous pathogens would have a clear path to take over your body entirely. However, inflammation is a #somewhat #blunt #tool and can sometimes become chronic for no good reason. When that happens, you are put at risk for all sorts of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Curcumin has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties that it rivals some medicines designed specifically to relieve inflammation, but without dangerous side effects. Curcumin is known to block the NF-kB molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and activates inflammation. So when you eat turmeric or take a curcumin supplement, you are reducing inflammation at the cellular level.
2.Improved Antioxidant Capacity
Antioxidants are able to block oxidative damage, which is one of the mechanisms behind aging and disease. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons – these can bounce around your body and react with fatty acids, protein, or DNA. The effects of this process show externally on your skin in the form of premature aging, or internally in the form of disease, especially cancer.
Antioxidants like curcumin #bind #with #free #radicals and neutralize them before they do damage. But that’s not all that curcumin can do. It also seems to stimulate a body’s own antioxidant enzymes to work harder. In this way you get double protection from eating turmeric.
3.Pain Relief
Many of the so-called “pain relievers” that you can buy over the counter aren’t really targeting pain but rather inflammation. Ibuprofen is a prime example. As it turns out, curcumin is at least as effective as these chemical anti-inflammatory medicines.
Studies have shown it to be particularly #effective #in #reducing pain experienced by arthritis sufferers. In fact, curcumin was found to be even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug for people with the rheumatoid #type #of #arthritis. Curcumin can also be helpful for people with injuries or post-exercise soreness.
4.Cancer Prevention
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases faced by human and animal-kind. It occurs when the growth of certain cells becomes rapid and uncontrolled. Unchecked cancer cells then grow tumors and spread to other parts of the body. There are many different forms of cancer, but some of them may be vulnerable to curcumin. Studies have shown that it can #slow #the #growth and spread of cancerous cells, as well as even cause their death in some circumstances.
More studies are needed to determine exactly what role curcumin may play in cancer treatment, but there is already convincing evidence that it can help prevent the development of cancer in the first place. This is true especially when it comes to digestive cancers like stomach or colorectal cancer.