I was invited recently at the exclusive VIP Bioglan Curcumin Breakfast Pop Up Shop to celebrate the launch of new Curcumin Super-Charged Supplement. The Urban Kitchen founder, Toral Shah, Nutritional Scientist (MSc NutrMed) and cancer nutrition specialist was special guest at the event. Among other useful information that I can’t wait to share with you below, I found out that curcumin can fight against depression, anxiety or general body inflammation and can also be used in cancer prevention and treatment.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in Turmeric plant, a type of ginger and currently the spice of choice in the wellness world that has long been used as a medicinal plant in Asia, particularly in India. Favoured by herbal medicine practitioners for centuries, curcumin is commonly used for health benefits including relief of whole body inflammation in particular joint inflammation and mobility, as well as brain and liver health. Many of curcumin’s medicinal properties work by reducing oxidation and inflammation by neutralizing free radicals, prevention oxidative and DNA damage.
The Urban Kitchen founder, Toral Shah, Nutritional Medicine, Nutritional Scientist and Chef spoke at the event about the benefits of curcumin and how we can optimize health through improving food, diet and lifestyle. She use evidence based science knowledge along with her chef training to help support others to lead a healthier life by eating delicious and nutritious food.
Eat at regular times with some protein at each meal
The following information is Urban Kitchen founder, Toral Shah, Nutritional Scientist (MSc NutrMed) and cancer nutrition specialist intellectual property and work.
- Cardiovascular disease – The inflammatory effects of cumin support healthier heart and artery and veing health by reducing arthersclerosis, reducing blood pressure and increasing endothelial function. (Appendino2012, Akazawa2012)
- Diabetes – Curcumin can increase insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant people and adiponectin, which is particularly important in pre-diabetic or type 2 diabetes. Given that almost 10% of our NHS budget is spent on diabetes care, this could support reduce diabetes incidence in a cost effective manner. (Cheungsamaran2012)
- Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s disease – Curcumin supplementation seems promising to delay the onset and progression of neurodegenerative and cognitive decline. This may be partly due to the increase in BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) which drives the process of formation of new neurone connections. Curcumin has a an impact on microscopic plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, potentially due to its anti-inflammatory properites.. However, there needs to be further research done. (Small 2017, Kodali2018, Desai 2016, Rainey-Smith 2016, Baum 2008)
- Kidney health – curcumin supplementation increases kidney function for those with impaired kidney function. This may be due to curcumin’s ability to moderate binding of autoantibodies and inflammation led release of TNF. (Khajehdehi2012)
- Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis – Curcumin has an acute effect on maintaining remission in patients who have had ulcerative colitis but this effect ends after supplementation ends. This is due to anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. Further RCT studies are required for curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease. (Hanai2006, Holt 2005)
- Oesto-arthritis – curcumin supplementation has a functional improvement in patients being able to walk twice as much after taking this supplement for 8 months and almost halving osteoarthritis symptoms. Having more mobile elderly people not only makes a difference to their health, it helps with weight management and quality of life. (Belcaro2010)
- Pain – Higher doses of curcumin ie approx. 500mg can decrease post-operative, arthritic and general pain. This might be due to curcumin’s general down regulation effect of inflammation which means it can be a safe complement (Agarwal 2011, Di Pierro2013, Belcaro2010)
Medical applications in depression, anxiety or general body inflammation
- Depression and anxiety – using curcumin as an add-on seems to reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety more than a placebo but more longer term studies need to be done with higher dosage of curcumin (Sanmukhani2014, Esmaily2015, Lopresti2017, Bortolato2017)
- Inflammation – curcumin decreases diseases or conditions where inflammation is implicated. This means it is important in a range of different therapeutic uses including against ulcerative colitis, osteoarthritis, kidney conditions. (Chainani-Wu 2012, Hanai2006, Khajehdehi2012)
- As an antioxidant – curcumin has been shown to prevent oxidative damage that causes aging and other health issues. Several RCT (gold standard for research) demonstrated that anti-oxidant profiles and release of nitric oxide is notably increased when taking a curcumin supplement. (DiSilvestro2012, Kalpravidh2010, Baum 2008, Biswas 2010)
We were served with delicious turmeric-based drinks at High Mood Food.
Curcumin in cancer prevention and treatment
- Curcumin has potential for therapeutic uses in cancer treatment as in vitro and animal studies have shown that it has anticarcinogenic properties via inhibition of tumour growth. (Huang 1992, Conney1991)
- Curcumin has been found to regulate many cell signaling pathways which moderates tumour cell growth, potentially by changing the structure of membrane proteins. (Aggarwal 2007, Bilmen2001).
- Over 50% of cancers have loss of function mutations in the p53 gene so this is a potential target for treatment, particularly as malignant cells with this mutation are sometimes resistant to chemotherapy. Curcumin has been shown to upregulate the expression of p53, decreasing TNF-alpha and increasing cell apoptosis.
Uses on prostate, colorectal and breast cancers
Prostrate cancer – soy isoflavones and curcumin work together to reduce PSA levels through anti-androgen levels, reducing prostate cancer risk. (Ide 2010)
Colorectal cancer – curcumin has been shown to improve the health of colorectal cancer patients by upregulating p53 expression. (He 2011, Caroll2011)
Breast cancer – several clinical trials have tested curcumin activity in breast cancer patients. One of these trials showed that curcumin reduced radiation dermatitis (Ryan 2013) whilst a phase 1 trial showed that curcumin escalated docetaxel advanced and metastatic breast cancer (Bayet-Robert 2010).
Why Bioglan Active Curcumin stands out above any product currently available in the UK?
Bioglan Active Curcumin uses a 95% curcuminoid extract (the active ingredient) whereas regular turmeric powder is most commonly between 2-6%. This supplement also contains a black pepper extract, which is an essential ingredient for efficient absorption of curcumin within the body. Studies have shown that enhances the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2000%.
Tip:
If you would like curcumin to work on the intestine, it doesn’t require piperine or fat to be absorbed.
Bioglan Active Curcumin also contains copper to help maintain healthy connective tissues, vitamin D to support bone health and muscle function, plus vitamin C to boost collagen formation and cartilage health. Take 1 tablet daily, with a cold drink. Not to be taken with a hot drink. Is suitable for vegetarians and doesn’t have allergens. Bioglan Active Curcumin can be found exclusively at any Holland and Barret store or online for £24.99. Alternatively can be bought from the Bioglan website.
Photo credit: Nobull, Corina Stoicescu
