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We all need a little more of a health boost in our lives. What about you? Are you looking for an all-natural, health-promoting dietary supplement? Well, no need to look any further! Our Wellness Surge natural Premium Super Green Powder is exactly what you have been craving. One of the ingredients in our green juice powder is turmeric root extract. Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is a yellow spice that has been used for thousands of years in Asia for cooking and medicinal uses. The turmeric root extract in Wellness Surge’s Premium Green Juice Powder contains 95% curcuminoids. Curcuminoids are a family of active compounds within turmeric. Curcumin is the primary curcuminoid in turmeric and is responsible for the activities and therapeutic properties of turmeric.
Antioxidant Properties of Turmeric Root Extract
Turmeric root extract and its curcuminoids have antioxidant-boosting properties. This means that they contain compounds that actively work against free radicals. So what are free radicals, you may ask? Well, free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage the cells in your body. When there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body, it results in oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can result from a number of factors, including environmental influences such as air pollution, pesticides, and even psychological or emotional stressors¹. In a study of forty patients with mild-to-moderate primary knee osteoarthritis², curcuminoids in capsules were taken daily for six weeks. At the end of the six weeks, compared to the placebo group, the people that received curcuminoid treatment displayed significantly fewer markers of oxidative stress and higher levels of critical antioxidants such as glutathione. Another important thing to note is that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the development of type II diabetes mellitus and its corresponding vascular complications. In one recent study³ of patients with type II diabetes mellitus, curcuminoid supplementation caused a significant elevation in serum total antioxidant capacity and a reduction in markers of oxidative stress.
Turmeric Root Extract, Stress, and Mood
A research study that came out in 2019⁷ examined the effects of a curcuminoid rich diet on resilience to a social stressor. In mice, a well characterized way to study the stress response is through the use of a model called social defeat stress. During chronic social defeat stress, the experimental mouse is, over the course of (usually) 10 days, exposed to repeated social interactions during which they are encountered by a larger, more aggressive mouse. This repeated stress results in a multitude of outcomes, including anxiety-like behaviors, social avoidance, anhedonia, and more. Well, in this 2019 study, if the experimental mouse consumed a diet rich in curcuminoids they were much more likely to be resilient. In other words, they displayed less of the deleterious effects of social defeat stress. Interestingly, the resilient mice displayed less amounts of a stress hormone called corticosterone following another later physical stressor and also displayed lower levels of inflammatory factors.
Not only has turmeric root extracts been shown to decrease stress, it has also been shown to have a positive effect on mood. In one research study⁸, daily injections of curcumin decreased the depression-like behavior displayed by rats. These same rats that received curcumin also had an increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus (the memory center of the brain). BDNF is not only a memory molecule, but it also plays a role in mood and responses to stress. BDNF has, in fact, been implicated in the mood-lifting effects of antidepressants. It follows then that some of the positive effects of curcuminoids are a result of increasing BDNF within the brain. These positive effects have even been seen in a study with human subjects⁹. When human subjects took 1000 mg of curcumin daily for six weeks, mood-promoting effects were observed. Moreover, these mood improvements were associated with increases in BDNF levels found in blood plasma, as well as with decreases in inflammatory factors and the stress hormone cortisol.
Turmeric Root Extract, Curcuminoids, and Inflammation
The curcuminoids contained in the turmeric root extract also have powerful anti-inflammatory effects⁴. In other words, they reduce inflammation. In general, inflammation is designed to protect your body from injury. However, when inflammatory cytokines are produced in excess, inflammation can be detrimental to your health. For instance, excessive inflammation in your joints can cause arthritis.
So, how can turmeric root extract and curcuminoids help? In an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis⁵, a curcuminoid‐containing turmeric extract greatly promoted joint health while also preventing the activation of inflammatory markers. Another study of induced rheumatoid arthritis ⁶ in rats demonstrated that curcuminoids were able to promote a reduction in the symptoms of arthritis! However, while these studies are promising, more research that utilize human populations are needed.
Cognitive Decline and Turmeric Root Extract
There is also research that suggests the curcuminoids found in turmeric root extracts can even help with conditions related to cognitive decline. A hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques which accumulate in brain cells and eventually kills them. The idea that Alzheimer’s disease is a result of the buildup of these plaques is called the “amyloid hypothesis”¹⁰ and is the predominant hypothesis for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In one research study¹¹, scientists discovered that curcuminoids were able to promote amyloid-β uptake by macrophages of Alzheimer’s disease patients. This study is also supported by animal research. For instance, another study¹² found that curcumin not only reduced markers of oxidative stress in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, but, importantly, it also decreased amyloid pathology within the mice’s brains. Thus, turmeric root extract and the associated curcuminoids could be a promising tool in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Take Home Message
Turmeric root and curcuminoids won’t solve every problem, but science does support its potential for helping to promote health in several different domains. Curcuminoids are high in antioxidants, can have anti-inflammatory properties and are beneficial toward managing stress-induced anxiety. Try Wellness Surge natural Premium Super Green Powder today to experience the health-promoting effects of turmeric root extract with 95% curcuminoids!
Sources
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3. Panahi, Yunes, et al. “Antioxidant effects of curcuminoids in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.” Inflammopharmacology 25.1 (2017): 25-31.
4. Anto, Ruby John, et al. “Anti‐inflammatory activity of natural and synthetic curcuminoids.” Pharmacy and Pharmacology Communications 4.2 (1998): 103-106.
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6. Funk, Janet L., et al. “Turmeric extracts containing curcuminoids prevent experimental rheumatoid arthritis.” Journal of natural products 69.3 (2006): 351-355.
7. Aubry, Antonio V., et al. “A diet enriched with curcumin promotes resilience to chronic social defeat stress.” Neuropsychopharmacology 44.4 (2019): 733-742.
8. Hurley, Laura L., et al. “Antidepressant-like effects of curcumin in WKY rat model of depression is associated with an increase in hippocampal BDNF.” Behavioural brain research 239 (2013): 27-30.
9. Yu, Jing-Jie, et al. “Chronic supplementation of curcumin enhances the efficacy of antidepressants in major depressive disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.” Journal of clinical psychopharmacology 35.4 (2015): 406-410.
10. Hardy, John, and Dennis J. Selkoe. “The amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease: progress and problems on the road to therapeutics.” science 297.5580 (2002): 353-356.
11. Zhang, Laura, et al. “Curcuminoids enhance amyloid-β uptake by macrophages of Alzheimer’s disease patients.” Journal of Alzheimer’s disease 10.1 (2006): 1-7.
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