Curcumin

Phytochemical

The yellow pigment in turmeric with anti-inflammatory profile stronger and broader than prednisolone in vitro

Food Sources

Foods that contain Curcumin.

Turmeric
Source: How Not to Age

Health Benefits

Health conditions that Curcumin may influence, based on research.

Improves

Osteoarthritis
Systematic review and meta-analysis: turmeric/curcumin extracts alleviate symptoms of joint arthritis | Systematic review and meta-analysis found turmeric extracts effective for knee osteoarthritis treatment
Source: How Not to Age
Ulcerative Colitis
Curcumin for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis
Source: How Not to Age
Alzheimer's disease
Case reports of turmeric improving behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's; meta-analysis of curcumin on cognitive function had mixed results; clinical trials with isolated curcumin showed no benefit
Source: How Not to Age

Protects Against

Aging
Curcumin extends lifespan in yeast, C. elegans, and Drosophila; anti-aging effects in aged rat brain regions | Studied for longevity effects in mouse models, but results mixed
Source: How Not to Age
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS)
Half of subjects with MGUS who took curcumin responded with a drop in abnormal antibody levels; zero out of nine on placebo improved.; Half of the subjects with MGUS who had particularly high abnormal antibody levels responded positively to curcumin supplements.
Source: How Not to Die
Colorectal cancerless than 1 teaspoon turmeric per day
Curcumin reduced aberrant crypt foci (precancerous lesions) in smokers' rectums by nearly 40% within 30 days. Six months of curcumin plus quercetin cut polyps by more than half.
Source: How Not to Die
Pancreatic Cancer
In advanced pancreatic cancer patients who didn't respond to standard chemo, curcumin helped stall the disease in 5 out of 15 patients.
Source: How Not to Die
Parkinson's disease
Curcumin reduces the incidence of NF-kB mediated neuroinflammation and targets Toll-like receptor-4
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Alzheimer's disease
Curcumin lessens the assemblage of Abeta peptides in neural tissue and its associated inflammation; oral intake can reduce deposition and oligomerization of Abeta peptide and phosphorylation of tau protein; can bind with metal ions Cu(II) and Zn(II); Epidemiological studies suggested curcumin, prevalent in Indian population's diet, is responsible for the significantly reduced (4.4-fold) prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in India compared to United States
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Osteoarthritis2 g per day turmeric extract
Patients administered turmeric extracts at 2g per day had significant reduction in pain compared to ibuprofen; pain on walking and stairs decreased over time
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Cancer
Combination of resveratrol and curcumin enhances autophagy, modulates apoptosis and provides protection against cancer
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity

Reduces Risk Of

Neurodegenerative Disease
Curcumin reduces the incidence of neuroinflammation; lowers the levels of C-reactive protein; functions as antioxidant, chemopreventive, chemosensitizer, chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory agent
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Cancer
Curcumin has anticancer effects
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity

Biological Mechanisms

How Curcumin works at a cellular level.

PromotesReduces inflammation
Anti-inflammatory profile stronger and broader than prednisolone in vitro | Meta-analyses: curcumin reduces IL-6 and TNF-alpha
PromotesSirtuin Activation
SIRT1 activation by curcumin pretreatment attenuates mitochondrial oxidative damage
SupportsTriggers cancer cells to self-destruct
Curcumin reactivates death receptors in cancer cells and activates execution enzymes called caspases that destroy cancer cells from within.
PromotesActivates Nrf2
Some well-known phytochemicals which strongly induce Nrf2-mediated stress response include curcumin, quercetin, genistein and eugenol.; Curcumin activates signalling pathways downstream of anti-ageing modulators AMPK and NRF2, and suppresses inflammatory processes mediated by NF-kB
PromotesHormesis
Curcumin is not a direct anti-oxidant but a hormetin which induces stress response pathways. Curcumin's biphasic hormetic response on proteasome activity and heat-shock protein synthesis in human keratinocytes.; Curcumin (curry, turmeric) is a mild DNA damage inducer that activates the cell's own stress response mechanisms as a hormetin
PromotesReduces Amyloid Accumulation
Dietary curcumin given to Alzheimer's transgenic mice for 6 months resulted in suppression of inflammation and oxidative damage in the brain; curcumin also inhibits NFkB activation preventing cell death
PromotesBinds and removes excess iron and metals from the body
Curcumin acts directly as ROS scavenger and metal chelator preventing DNA glycosidase direct inhibition by free iron and copper in the brain
PromotesmTOR Suppression
Curcumin (curry) targets mTOR and PI3K pathways as a potential geroprotector; Several polyphenols have been found to inhibit or influence mTOR, such as curcumin
PromotesEpigenetic Regulation of Aging Genes
Curcumin in curry is an HDAC inhibitor; considered a potential geroprotector for epigenetic regulation of aging
PromotesClears senescent (zombie) cells
Curcumin analog EF24 is a novel senolytic agent; curcumin modulates ageing through multiple mechanisms
PromotesInduces mitophagy
Nutrients such as resveratrol, curcumin, astaxanthin and spermidine are increasingly being promoted as effective in enhancing mitophagy.
PromotesReduces inflammation and improves insulin sensitivity
Curcumin enhances insulin sensitivity, modulates bodyweight change, and mitigates pathogenesis of diabetes. 30-day treatment of curcumin (500 mg/day) decreased serum levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-4 of obese patients.
PromotesAutophagy
InhibitsInflammaging
Curcumin is anti-inflammatory, reduces hypertension and ROS.
PromotesCalorie Restriction Mimicry

Recipes with Curcumin

Recipes featuring foods that contain Curcumin.

Sources

How Not to Age
How Not to Die
Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Young Forever