Curcumin for Inflammation: Does It Really Work?

Author's Bio: Marcie Vaske, MS, LN, CNS

Hi, and welcome back to our channel.

Today we're going to talk all about curcumin and answer the question, does curcumin actually support our inflammation? Can it reduce inflammatory markers? We'll talk about how it works, who can benefit from it and how you can add it into your daily routine.

But before we begin, my name is Marcie Vaske, and I'm a licensed nutritionist with Flusso Nutrients. At Flusso nutrients, we try very hard to educate you all on different kinds of supplements so that you can make an educated and wise decision about supplements that you take.

Now, always make sure you talk to a supplement literate practitioner if you have any questions regarding supplements that may be good for you, and to make sure there aren't any contraindications with other supplements you're taking, and of course, medications.

So with that, let's dig back into our topic today, which is all about curcumin.

[Video Transcript Below + Supplement Links Discussed In Video]

What is Curcumin?

And curcumin is the bright yellow compound that's found in turmeric. And turmeric is a spice that's commonly found in Indian cuisine as well as traditional medicine. Now, curcumin is really known for its potent anti-inflammatory effects as well as its abundance of antioxidants.

How Does Curcumin for Inflammation Work?

And the way that it works, number one is it helps bed blocking a molecule that turns on genes linked to inflammation. It also helps inhibit an enzyme that actually produces pro-inflammatory compounds. It also, it works by modulating cytokines. And what this means is that these cytokines are signaling proteins that are involved in inflammation. So it helps to just reduce all of this or actually block making curcumin a powerful anti-inflammatory. So now we know what curcumin is, we know how curcumin works, but what is the research saying about curcumin as a anti-inflammatory?

What Does the Research Say?

Research does say that chronic inflammation is reduced by consuming curcumin, and they're reducing the markers of inflammation in our body with conditions like arthritis, metabolic syndrome, and even inflammatory bowel disease. So studies have shown or noted that there's actually reductions in CRP and CRP is actually a marker of systemic inflammation in the body. And some studies have shown that curcumin is actually more or just as effective as NSAIDs for people struggling with osteoarthritis. So things like ibuprofen, curcumin is having a similar result in relieving joint pain and showing fewer side effects.

Now, another one that research is showing is with the gut and brain health. So emerging research is showing us that curcumin's anti-inflammatory properties is actually giving good gut health benefits and reducing and kind of modulating mood regulation through the gut brain access. So while curcumin has been shown to be a fantastic anti-inflammatory, there are some side effects and also some drawbacks.

Bioavailability of Curcumin

One is that the bioavailability of curcumin, there's a bit of a challenge with that. So curcumin taken, or curcumin just basically on its own is poorly absorbed. So if you've been looking at curcumin supplements, you'll see that it's oftentimes paired with pepper, black pepper, for example, or using liposomal formulations as well as taking curcumin nanoparticles. So these are going to be more bioavailable. It's really wise to be paying attention to what kind of curcumin you're actually purchasing. And just because it says turmeric or curcumin on the front doesn't mean you're going to get all the benefits unless it's actually paired with one of those.

Is Curcumin Safe?

We know what the benefits are of curcumin, we know how it works. We know that it can be really helpful, but is it safe? Curcumin is actually considered safe up to doses of one to two grams per day, so that would be 1000 or 2000 milligrams per day.

Now, high doses have been found to give a little bit of gut upset. So you might get maybe some acid reflux feelings or heartburn or even just irritable bowel, like you feel like you have to go to the bathroom or more abdominal pain. But if you're taking really high doses now, also it can interact with medications like blood thinners and diabetic drugs. So you want to be careful that if you're on either of those not consuming or taking curcumin.

Who Should Avoid Curcumin?

Other individuals who should maybe be leery of using curcumin would be those with gallbladder issues because curcumin actually aggravates or stimulates, I should say, the bioproduction. So this can aggravate gallstones or bilar obstructions. So if you're having some gallbladder issues, stay away from curcumin. Also, curcumin is not recommended for people who have gerd. So gastro esophageal reflux disease because curcumin can actually worsen acid reflux, indigestion, and even bloating. So if you have gerd, no curcumin for you.

Other people who should monitor or maybe not use curcumin would be those with anemia or low iron levels. Curcumin may inhibit the absorption of if you're taking an iron supplement, for example, or if you're just low on iron in general. So I would just stay away from curcumin if you're struggling with iron levels. So we know what curcumin is, we know how it works, we know who it can benefit, and we also know the people who should maybe stay away from curcumin.

Recommended Dosage and Tips

So if you're kind of fitting in the category of, well, maybe I could actually benefit from this, what is the dose that you want to be taking of curcumin? And all the time you want to make sure that you're taking them in divided doses. And I always say start low with supplements no matter what.

So a dose of 500 milligrams to 1000 milligrams per day is a good kind of base range. Now, you can, as I said earlier, making sure the curcumin that you're taking is paired with black pepper or any more bioavailable form. And lastly, when you do take the curcumin, make sure that you're taking it with food just to reduce any risk of some stomach upset. There have been some people who can take the curcumin, but they take it at empty stomach and they aren't feeling very good. So just make sure you take it with some food and it should be good. Now, if you're struggling with osteoarthritis, more of an inflammatory disease or chronic inflammatory condition, you'll want to bump that dose of curcumin up just slightly.

So as you would start at 1000 milligrams and you could get up to 2000 milligrams, and again, starting on the lower end, making sure your body tolerates it and work up, you're feeling good with it. I would say that anything above 2000 should not be taken. So don't go above that. If it's not working at 2000 milligrams, then you're probably just going to say, well, maybe it's just not working for me.

Final Thoughts and Recommendation

And so curcumin can really offer a lot of anti-inflammatory benefits. I do have a lot of clients that take curcumin and do feel that edge is taken off, especially with osteoarthritis, for example.

I hope that this video provided more information for you to make a wise decision on a supplement such as curcumin and how you can implement that into your daily life. I will link to a supplement that you can purchase. It's high quality, it's a great supplement.

A lot of my clients use it, and you should feel safe in doing so. If you want to also shop around, at least you'll have some more details on what kind of curcumin you need to be looking for just by viewing the one that I'm linking below.

And of course, leave any questions that you have and comments. We love to get them and we love to answer them to help you help yourself.

So thanks for watching.

Check out the high-quality supplements we discussed in this video - links below for your convenience!

1) Curcumin 400x: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com/curcumin-400x-r268

2) ALL PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com & https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients