Turmeric health benefit claims might not be right
The claims of multiple health benefits from consuming turmeric might not be true.
Researchers from a number of American universities have conducted a scientific literature review into the health benefits of curcumin, the compound behind most of turmeric’s reported health benefits.
The review, which was published on 11 January 2017 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, concluded curcumin has limited, if any, therapeutic benefits.
Some of the alleged health benefits of curcumin include:
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Improves brain function
- Lowers the risk of brain disease
- Lowers the risk of heart disease
- Helps prevent and treat Alzheimer’s Disease
- Helps with depression
- Helps with arthritis
However, scientific researchers reviewed key findings from thousands of scientific articles only to find that curcumin is not readily absorbed by the body, and so its therapeutic benefits could only be limited.
The researchers said although turmeric could have health benefits, it would not likely have the long list of benefits some say it has.
However, it was concluded that future studies might need to adopt a more holistic approach, studying all of the components of turmeric, not just curcumin, since some health benefits might be found in other turmeric compounds.
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