Report details heart-healthy benefits of turmeric and other spices

Turmeric, a spice that is commonly used in curry dishes across Asia, is well-known to have many substantial health benefits, most of which can be ascribed to the bioactive ingredient it contains: curcumin. In addition to lending the spice its trademark golden color, curcumin has been shown to help treat many different ailments including rheumatoid arthritis and breast cancer.

Recently, the health benefits of curcumin were referenced in a report from the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India. According to an abstract available on PubMed titled “Dietary spices as beneficial modulators of lipid profile in conditions of metabolic disorders and diseases,” turmeric is one of several culinary ingredients that can help manage cholesterol and triglyceride levels and prevent unhealthy and potentially harmful buildup of fat, particularly in the liver. A Lipid profile refers to a test that gauges the amount of fat and fat-like substances in the blood stream, and is typically performed to determine an individual’s risk of heart disease.

As this blog previously noted, past research has revealed that curcumin supplements may also be able to undo liver damage and restore healthy cells.  Since the liver plays a vital role in processing nutrients and eradicating toxins from the body, it is important to promote the health of this organ.

Curcumin, the study authors note, has been shown to reduce levels of both lipids, which may make it appealing to individuals who are concerned about their long-term heart health.

“[The] health implications of the hypocholesterolemic effect of spices experimentally documented are cardio-protection, protection of the structural integrity of [red blood cells…] and prevention of cholesterol gallstones by modulation of the cholesterol saturation index in bile,” the abstract states.

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 4:06 pm. Both comments and pings are currently closed.