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Diet is one of the most important paths to weight loss and health. A poor diet is likely to limit the effectiveness of your efforts, and potentially lead to weight gain, while also contributing to other health complications. Conversely, a good diet will help your efforts towards weight loss, and often brings additional health benefits beyond decreasing weight. For this reason, finding a diet that works for you is paramount when embarking on your weight loss journey.
A good diet is not necessarily one that leaves you hungry throughout the day, or one that deprives you of all your favourite foods. Sure, limiting calories and minimising intake of unhealthy foods is a step in the right direction, but what you consume is of equal importance to what you leave out. As such, introducing certain foods considered to have health benefits into your diet can be important.
Turmeric is a part of the diet of many people looking to lose weight. It is considered to have a range of health benefits, from a healthier heart to improving weight loss. But is this impression true, or are you better off looking for alternatives for your diet? In this article, we will answer this question, cover the potential benefits of turmeric, and whether you might consider adding it to your diet.
What is turmeric?
Turmeric is a widely used spice that is most popular in East Asian and Indian cuisine and traditional medicine. The use of turmeric in these regions goes back thousands of years, and is still often used today to season a wide range of dishes. Turmeric can also be used as a medicinal agent, due to its anti-inflammatory properties and other health benefits. More recently, turmeric has garnered a reputation for being a useful weight loss tool. But is there evidence for this reputation?
Can turmeric help with weight loss?
Some research has been conducted into the role of turmeric in weight loss. From this research, evidence suggests that turmeric may have a positive influence on weight loss due to a number of reasons. Initial research found that curcumin, a chemical compound present in turmeric and other plants within the same family, possesses anti-inflammatory properties that can have a positive effect on obesity. Further studies suggest that curcumin may also reduce the speed of fat tissue growth, helping to both lose weight and slow down its return.
In addition to lab research, human studies have been conducted to assess the weight loss properties of turmeric. These studies have been relatively few in number with limited participants, given the early stages of the research. That being said, these studies show promise, with participants reporting difficulty in losing weight seeing progress after adding 800mg of curcumin to their diet twice per day. Other studies have also linked improved progress with weight loss to adding turmeric to their diet.
While these results are encouraging, they can’t be taken as ironclad proof that turmeric has a direct causal relationship with weight loss. Further human research is required to assess this relationship, though the early stages do look promising.
Also Read: What Are the Stages of Weight Loss?
Can turmeric offer other health benefits?
In addition to a potential weight loss aid, turmeric is considered to have various other health benefits. Primarily, turmeric is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, due to its curcumin content. This benefit leads to another health benefit provided by turmeric, namely its ability to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Reducing inflammation and oxidation in the body contributes to a healthier heart, but the main contributor is the improvement of endothelium function. Endothelium refers to the microscopic lining around our blood cells, and is responsible for the regulation of blood pressure. Should this endothelium begin to deteriorate, blood clots, high-blood pressure, and other issues become more likely to occur. Turmeric and curcumin help maintain the endothelium, reducing the risk of these issues.
Along with a healthier heart, turmeric may even contribute to a healthier brain. Specifically, it is suggested that turmeric, due to its curcumin content, can improve brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is connected to memory and learning. By boosting BDNF, turmeric may help reduce the risk or symptom development of brain disorders such as Alzheimers, which carry a much-reduced level of BDNF.
Does turmeric have negative side effects?
Turmeric is generally considered to be a safe substance to consume for most people. However, as with any substance, it does have its downsides. While a healthy individual is not likely to experience any negative side effects from consuming turmeric, individuals with certain pre-existing health conditions might. These health conditions include diabetes, iron deficiency, bleeding disorders such as anemia, and kidney stones. Additionally, as there is little research on the effect of consuming turmeric during pregnancy, it is strongly advised to consult a doctor for advice on the subject.
Adding turmeric to your diet
Adding turmeric to your diet is as simple as adding any other spice. Turmeric is regularly added to a variety of dishes to enhance flavour and texture, though it is also used to brew tea. The spice is most often consumed in large quantities with black pepper, as this addition contains piperine, which helps the body absorb the curcumin contained within turmeric. As a result, the absorbed curcumin can have a much greater effect than if consumed without the addition of black pepper.
Should you use turmeric?
Turmeric is believed to have a wide range of health benefits, with few negative side effects for the majority of the population. As such, it can be tempting to view turmeric as a miracle spice, capable of helping weight loss and providing a range of other health benefits.
While some research does suggest turmeric to be a helpful substance, it won’t be a solution in and of itself. If you are looking to lose weight and improve your general health, adding turmeric to your diet could have a small, but still beneficial, effect over time. However, adding turmeric without improving other aspects of your diet and introducing exercise is not likely to net you much of a result.
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