4 Secret Spices That Improve Your Health

 

Spices can do much more than make tasty meals, and many don’t realize just how helpful herbs and spices can be when it comes to their family’s health. From stimulating healthy circulation to an improved memory, these four secret spices can be used to improve your health and quality of life.

 

1. Turmeric

Turmeric has been used for thousands of years both in cooking and as a medicine. One of the most important components of turmeric is curcumin, an antioxidant that has been shown to reduce the risk of heart failure as well as inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells. This specific antioxidant has also been shown to reduce the amount of certain plaques within the brain that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

 

2. Coriander

Many are surprised to hear that coriander and cilantro actually come from the same plant. While cilantro is the leafy herb on top of the plant, coriander is made from grinding the seeds of this plant. When ground up, coriander can be used much like pepper and has been shown to aid with digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome. Ground coriander is a great addition to dressings, vinaigrettes, and cooking oils, and you can find it at grocery stores and natural herb stores.

 

3. Fennel Seeds

A number of double-blind studies have been carried out on fennel and fennel seeds, revealing that nearly 40 percent of participants had relief from intestinal issues and colic. Fennel can be used to add a flavor similar to licorice, and many cultures eat this herb and its seeds as a post-meal treat. It can also be added to teas or sprinkled over salads and soups for a unique flavor and texture combination.

 

4. Cloves

When it comes to healing properties, few spices are as powerful as cloves. Cloves are at the top of the list for antioxidants that will reduce one’s chances of developing certain cancers. This spice has been used for 2,000 years and can either be ingested or infused in oils and sprays. Cloves also have anti-bacterial properties, which give it the ability to kill certain forms of fungus such as athlete’s foot. When used in teas or baking, cloves may also aid in digestion and encourages healthy teeth and gums.

 

Scientists are just now uncovering how powerful many herbs and spices truly are. Whether you are looking to add them to your next meal, to infuse tea, or to apply them topically, these four options are a great way to improve your family’s overall health and well-being.

 

Categories: Antioxidants, cilantro, cloves, coriander, curcumin, fennel seeds, natural herbs, spices that improve health, tumeric

Could Curcumin Reduce Diabetes Risk where Fitness Fails?

When your wellness is at risk of diabetes, there are several things that doctors recommend so that you can guard your wellbeing against the disease. The major recommendations include improving your fitness levels, losing weight and eating a healthy diet, but as many patients with prediabetes – a precursor to full-blown type 2 diabetes – are in such a position due to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours in the first place, making the fitness changes can be problematic. Isn’t there an easier way to reduce your diabetes risk?

According to a new Thai study, published in journal Diabetes Care, a compound found in curry spice may help prevent diabetes in people at high risk. Turmeric spice contains a compound known as curcumin, and the researchers found that nine months worth of curcumin supplements may prevent new cases of diabetes. Previous lab research has found that curcumin may be able to fight inflammation and oxidative damage to body cells. These are two processes thought to feed a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, especially among those with prediabetes.

For the study, 240 prediabetic adults in Thailand were either given curcumin supplements or a placebo. Those in the curcumin group followed a daily regime of six supplement capsules, each containing 250 milligrams of “curcuminoids”. The results of the nine-month study revealed that 19 of the 116 placebo patients had developed type 2 diabetes, while none of the 119 patients taking curcumin had developed the condition. The beta cells are the cells in your pancreas that release the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin, and the researchers found that the supplement seemed to improve the function of beta-cells, possibly due to the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin.

Study leader Somlak Chuengsamarn of Srinakharinwirot University in Nakomnayok, Thailand, commented, ‘Because of its benefits and safety, we propose that curcumin extract may be used for an intervention therapy for the prediabetes population.’ However, before you head to your nearest health food shop and stock up on curcumin supplements, a diabetes expert not involved in the study warned that it’s still early days. Constance Brown-Riggs, a certified diabetes educator and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, noted, ‘This looks promising, but there are still a lot of questions…If I was talking to a patient about this, I’d say concentrate on eating healthy and overall lifestyle.’

Categories: curcumin, Diabetes, Research

Could Curcumin Beat Weight Loss for Reducing Diabetes Risk?

If you’re obese, your wellbeing may be at risk to weight-related conditions, such as diabetes. However, according to a new Thai study, published in journal Diabetes Care, a compound found in curry spice may help prevent diabetes in people at high risk. Turmeric spice contains a compound known as curcumin, and the researchers found that nine months worth of curcumin supplements may prevent new cases of diabetes.

According to previous lab research, curcumin may be able to fight inflammation and so-called oxidative damage to body cells. These two processes are thought to feed a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, especially among those with prediabetes. This is a condition in which you have abnormally high blood sugar levels that may be a precursor to full-blown type 2 diabetes. Study leader Somlak Chuengsamarn of Srinakharinwirot University in Nakomnayok, Thailand, commented, ‘Because of its benefits and safety, we propose that curcumin extract may be used for an intervention therapy for the prediabetes population.’

For the study, 240 prediabetic adults in Thailand were either given curcumin supplements or a placebo. Those in the curcumin group followed a daily regime of six supplement capsules, each containing 250 milligrams of “curcuminoids”. The results of the nine-month study revealed that 19 of the 116 placebo patients had developed type 2 diabetes, while none of the 119 patients taking curcumin had developed the condition. The beta cells are the cells in your pancreas that release the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin, and the researchers found that the supplement seemed to improve the function of beta-cells, possibly due to the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin.

However, before you head to your nearest health food shop and stock up on curcumin supplements, a diabetes expert not involved in the study warned that it’s still early days. Constance Brown-Riggs, a certified diabetes educator and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, noted, ‘This looks promising, but there are still a lot of questions.’ While longer-lasting larger trials have found that lifestyle changes – such as weight loss and exercise – can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes, this study only nine months and you cannot be sure that the supplements you buy actually contain the ingredients, or the amount of ingredient, listed on the label. Brown-Riggs asserted, ‘If I was talking to a patient about this, I’d say concentrate on eating healthy and overall lifestyle.’

Categories: curcumin, Diabetes, Research

Three Supplements You Should Take Once You Turn 50

At some point in life, you stop hearing your mum tell you to ‘drink your milk to grow big and strong’, and start hearing your kids nagging you to ‘take your calcium pills to avoid osteoporosis.’ Wellness experts argue that it’s vital to take your vitamins past the age of 60, ‘as the absorption of nutrients and minerals and vitamins can decline,’ explains Dr. Mickey Barber, president of Cenegenics Carolinas. ‘We don’t absorb as efficiently as we once did.’

According to Barber, ‘Unless you’re growing your own food and it’s all organic, pesticide and hormone free, you cook all your own meals [and] you never eat out, you’re going to need at least a multivitamin.’ It’s impossible to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from every meal, but scary supplement studies can make you think twice about pill popping. So which supplements are safe and recommended to take when you’re over 50? (Providing you have your doctor’s blessing, of course!)

Firstly, for a natural health boost, you can’t go wrong with curcumin. This is a substance found in turmeric and Indian dishes, but you can also take it in supplement form. Barber says curcumin is ‘a powerful anti-inflammatory. There are some studies that show it can reduce [brain] plaques in those with Alzheimer’s disease.’ Likewise, Barber heartily recommends a vitamin B12 supplement once you’ve reached the half-a-century mark. He explains that vitamin B12 is ‘very important for neurologic function, cognition and memory,’ and people who have a B12 deficiency have been shown to suffer from dementia or peripheral neuropathy, which is numbness in your hands and feet caused by nerve damage.

Dr Barber adds, ‘It’s surprising to me how many Americans have poor GI health, especially people over 45 and 50. Some signs of it are constipation, bloating, gas [and] just a general feeling that you’re bloated in your gut.’ Several things, such as chlorinated water and antibiotics, destroy the good bacteria in your gut, which means that your body won’t be able to absorb any of your vital vitamins. Therefore, Dr Barber suggests over 50s take probiotics, which are supplements of live bacteria to replace the good bacteria the body can lose. You can lower your dose once your gut re-colonises.

Categories: curcumin, probiotics, vitamin B12

Spice Up Your Life: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Curcumin

If over-the-counter or prescription medications are your current method to improve your joint wellness, you may want to spice things up a bit. This is according to numerous studies which have found that curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric which is considered beneficial because of its anti-inflammatory properties, can improve your wellbeing when you have rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects women two to three times more than men, characterised by inflammation of the lining in your joints, which leads you to accumulate fluids. This means that your joint lining expands, causing damage to the adjacent bone, and you can experience pain, swelling, and limited movement as a result. Most often, your joints in your fingers are affected but RA can also spread to your toes, ankles, knees, elbows, hips, and shoulders. On more rare occasions, the disease can also harm your eyes, lungs, heart, blood, nerves, and skin.

A new study published in Phytotherapy Research said that their finding ‘provides the first evidence for the safety and superiority of curcumin treatment in patients with active RA.’ For the study, 45 patients were randomly assigned into three groups which, every day, took either 500 mg curcumin 50 mg diclofenac sodium daily (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) or both. Everyone improved, but patients in the curcumin group had the highest percentage of improvement. The study also found that curcumin was not found to cause any adverse reactions, which is an important factor to consider. The drugs currently prescribed to treat rheumatoid arthritis are associated with significant side effects.

Another study published in The Journal of Clinical Immunology recently noted curcumin has the ability to suppress your body’s production of a specific B cell-activating factor involved in rheumatoid arthritis. Whilst in a recent issue of the International Journal of Molecular Science, a team of experts, who reviewed the literature on the potential preventive abilities of phytochemicals such as curcumin and resveratrol in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, found the compound worked in other ways. These scientists said that curcumin can inhibit your body’s production of inflammatory substances such as prostaglandin E2 and induce cell death.

 

Spice Up Your Life: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Curcumin

Categories: curcumin, Research, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)