Undoubtedly, exercising is of vital importance, but newest studies have discovered that the turmeric extract is also beneficial for maintaining cardiovascular health. In particular, it is especially effective in women who are experiencing age-related negative changes in the arteries.
The last year’s study in the American Journal of Cardiology pointed out that turmeric extract reduces the heart attacks after bypass by 56%. This study also includes another previous astonishing study from 2012, which claims that curcumin, the primary polyphenol in turmeric which gives the turmeric its golden color, is proven to be effective in improving the vascular function in women after menopause similar to aerobic training.
This study, published in journal Nutrition Research, was conveyed on 32 women after menopause and lasted for 8 weeks. The 32 women 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. They used ultrasound to measure the flow-mediated arterial dilation which shows the arterial elasticity and endothelial function.
In case the inner lining of the blood vessels changes due to some factor, that change would lead to development of atherosclerosis. Therefore, in order to prevent the mortality due to heart diseases, we should try to find an effective solution to reduce, prevent or reverse the endothelial dysfunction.
The first group (curcumin group) consisted of women who consumed 150g turmeric extract every day for 8 weeks which equals 25 g of nanoparticle curcumin. During the course of the study, these women made no alterations of their diet, and they didn’t exercise.
The second group was exercising aerobic more than 3 times a week. Besides the 2-3 supervised trainings, they had additional training at home. Also, they were riding a bike and walking for 30-60 long minutes. In 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 curcumin may prevent the age-associated decline in endothelial function in postmenopausal women.”
Even though this study promotes the health properties of turmeric thus stimulating people to start consuming it, turmeric nor any other supplement should replace regular exercising. On the other hand, extra workout cannot replace the turmeric’s role in maintaining the health and preventing diseases.
The combination of the two is the best solution as it merges the health benefits of the two methods. Therefore, although the study was conveyed separately, the best results are achieved by combining turmeric consumption with regular exercise.
The same researchers conducted another study in 2012, published in the American Journal of Hypertension. Namely, this time, the research investigated 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 related to aortic valve disease and high blood pressure and can lead to pathological hypertrophy of the area. Therefore, the conclusion of this study was again that the best effects are achieved by the combination of turmeric and exercising.
Furthermore, this combination also alleviated osteoarthritis symptoms and it is extremely beneficial in cases of pain and inflammation after workout.
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