STUDY: A Pinch of Turmeric as Effective as an Hour of Exercise

Exercising is the crucial component of having a fit body. But, recent studies indicate that turmeric extract is also beneficial for maintaining cardiovascular health. It is especially beneficial in women who are facing age-related negative changes in the arteries.

While conventional medicine denies turmeric’s health benefits and doctors avoid recommending it to their patients, number of studies indicate that turmeric provides great effects in cases of cardiovascular diseases.

According to last year’s study by the American Journal of Cardiology, turmeric extract reduces the heart attacks after bypass by 56%. The study supports a previous 2012 study according to which curucmin is proven to be effective in improving the vascular function in women after menopause similar to aerobic training.

Another study published in journal Nutrition Research included 32 women after menopause and lasted for 8 weeks. They were divided in 3 groups: curcumin, exercise and non-treatment control.

The researchers examined the health of the inner lining of the blood vessels which is known as endothelium by using ultrasound to measure the flow-mediated arterial dilation which shows the arterial elasticity and endothelial function.

If there were changes in the inner lining of the blood vessels, they’d lead to development of atherosclerosis. So, to prevent the mortality due to heart diseases, we need an effective solution to reduce, prevent or reverse the endothelial dysfunction.

The first group that was given 150g turmeric extract every day for 8 weeks which equals 25 g of nanoparticle curcumin, didn’t make any diet changes and didn’t exercise.

The second group of women had additional training at home besides the 2-3 supervising trainings. They were also riding a bike and walking for 30-60 long minutes. During the first phase of the training, 60% of the participants had maximal heart rate and 70-75% maximal heart rate later.

The researchers found an increased flow-mediated dilution in the curcumin and exercise group so they stated:

“The present study showed that regular ingestion of curcumin or regular aerobic exercise training significantly improved endothelial function. The magnitude of improvement in endothelial function to the same extent, suggesting that curcumas may prevent the age-associated decline in endothelial function in postmenopausal women.”

Still, note that neither turmeric nor any other supplement should replace regular exercising, but extra workout cannot replace the turmeric’s role in maintaining the health and preventing diseases. The best thing to do is combine them both.

In another study co conducted by the same researchers in 2012 and published in the American Journal of Hypertension, they researched the combined effect of exercise and curcumin together in women after menopause and the way this combination improves the heart muscle stress tolerance.

The findings promoted that “regular endurance exercise combined with daily curcumin ingestion may reduce LV [left ventricular] afterload to a greater extent than monotherapy with either intervention alone in postmenopausal women.”

Chronic heightened left ventricular afterload is linked to aortic valve disease and high blood pressure and can lead to pathological hypertrophy of the area. That’s why the concludes that the best effects are achieved by the combining turmeric and exercising.

Furthermore, this combination also decreased osteoarthritis symptoms meaning it is extremely beneficial in cases of pain and inflammation after workout.