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Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence.

Many high-quality studies show that it has major benefits for your body and brain.

Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of turmeric.

1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color.

It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb.

Recently, science has started to back up what Indians have known for a long time — it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties (1).

These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high. It’s around 3%, by weight (2).

Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day.

It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods.

Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, you need to take a supplement that contains significant amounts of curcumin.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000% (3).

The best curcumin supplements contain piperine, substantially increasing their effectiveness.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.

Summary

Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin.

2. Curcumin Is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound

Inflammation is incredibly important.

It helps your body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage.

Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over your body and kill you.

Although acute, short-term inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and inappropriately attacks your body’s own tissues.

Scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions (4, 5, 6).

Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.

Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory. In fact, it’s so powerful that it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs, without the side effects (7, 8, 9 ).

It blocks NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of your cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases (10, 11).

Without getting into the details (inflammation is extremely complicated), the key takeaway is that curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level (12, 13, 14).

Summary

Chronic inflammation contributes to many common Western diseases. Curcumin can suppress many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.

3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases the Antioxidant Capacity of the Body

Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind aging and many diseases.

It involves free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons.

Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids, proteins or DNA.

The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial is that they protect your body from free radicals.

Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure (15, 16).

In addition, curcumin boosts the activity of your body’s own antioxidant enzymes (17, 18, 19).

In that way, curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals. It blocks them directly, then stimulates your body’s own antioxidant defenses.

Summary

Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own but also stimulates your body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases

Back in the day, it was believed that neurons weren’t able to divide and multiply after early childhood.

However, it’s now known that this does happen.

Neurons are capable of forming new connections, but in certain areas of the brain they can also multiply and increase in number.

One of the main drivers of this process is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone that functions in your brain (20).

Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease (21, 22).

Interestingly, curcumin can increase brain levels of BDNF (23, 24).

By doing this, it may be effective in delaying or even reversing many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function (25).

It may also improve memory and make you smarter, which seems logical given its effects on BDNF levels. However, controlled studies in people are needed to confirm this (26).

Summary

Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in your brain.

5. Curcumin Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in the world (27).

Researchers have studied it for many decades and learned a lot about why it happens.

Unsurprisingly, heart disease is incredibly complicated and various things contribute to it.

Curcumin may help reverse many steps in the heart disease process (28).

Perhaps the main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease is improving the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of your blood vessels.

It’s well known that endothelial dysfunction is a major driver of heart disease and involves an inability of your endothelium to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors (29).

Several studies suggest that curcumin leads to improvements in endothelial function. One study found that it’s as effective as exercise while another shows that it works as well as the drug Atorvastatin (30, 31).

In addition, curcumin reduces inflammation and oxidation (as discussed above), which play a role in heart disease as well.

One study randomly assigned 121 people, who were undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, either a placebo or 4 grams of curcumin per day, a few days before and after the surgery.

The curcumin group had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack in the hospital (32).

Summary

Curcumin has beneficial effects on several factors known to play a role in heart disease. It improves the function of the endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.

6. Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer

Cancer is a terrible disease, characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.

There are many different forms of cancer, which still have several things in common. Some of them appear to be affected by curcumin supplements (33).

Curcumin has been studied as a beneficial herb in cancer treatment and been found to affect cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level (34).

Studies have shown that it can contribute to the death of cancerous cells and reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors) and metastasis (spread of cancer) (35).

Multiple studies indicate that curcumin can reduce the growth of cancerous cells in the laboratory and inhibit the growth of tumors in test animals (36, 37).

Whether high-dose curcumin (preferably with an absorption enhancer like piperine) can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be studied properly.

However, there is evidence that it may prevent cancer from occurring in the first place, especially cancers of the digestive system like colorectal cancer.

In a 30-day study in 44 men with lesions in the colon that sometimes turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day reduced the number of lesions by 40% (38).

Maybe curcumin will be used along with conventional cancer treatment one day. It’s too early to say for sure, but it looks promising and is being intensively studied.

Summary

Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer.

7. Curcumin May Be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and a leading cause of dementia.

Unfortunately, no good treatment is available for Alzheimer’s yet.

Therefore, preventing it from occurring in the first place is of utmost importance.

There may be good news on the horizon because curcumin has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier (39).

It’s known that inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and curcumin has beneficial effects on both (40).

In addition, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of protein tangles called amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques (41).

Whether curcumin can really slow down or even reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people is currently unknown and needs to be studied properly.

Summary

Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.

8. Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplements

Arthritis is a common problem in Western countries.

There are several different types, most of which involve inflammation in the joints.

Given that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory compound, it makes sense that it may help with arthritis.

Several studies show this to be true.

In a study in people with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug (42).

Many other studies have looked at the effects of curcumin on arthritis and noted improvements in various symptoms (43, 44).

Summary

Arthritis is a common disorder characterized by joint inflammation. Many studies show that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs.

9. Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression

Curcumin has shown some promise in treating depression.

In a controlled trial, 60 people with depression were randomized into three groups (45).

One group took Prozac, another group one gram of curcumin and the third group both Prozac and curcumin.

After 6 weeks, curcumin had led to improvements that were similar to Prozac. The group that took both Prozac and curcumin fared best (45).

According to this small study, curcumin is as effective as an antidepressant.

Depression is also linked to reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a shrinking hippocampus, a brain area with a role in learning and memory.

Curcumin boosts BDNF levels, potentially reversing some of these changes (46).

There is also some evidence that curcumin can boost the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (47, 48).

Summary

A study in 60 people with depression showed that curcumin was as effective as Prozac in alleviating symptoms of the condition.

10. Curcumin May Help Delay Aging and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases

If curcumin can really help prevent heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s, it would have obvious benefits for longevity.

For this reason, curcumin has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement (49).

But given that oxidation and inflammation are believed to play a role in aging, curcumin may have effects that go way beyond just preventing disease (50).

Summary

Due to its many positive health effects, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer, curcumin may aid longevity.

The Bottom Line

Turmeric and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.

If you want to buy a turmeric/curcumin supplement, there is an excellent selection on Amazon with thousands of great customer reviews.

It’s recommended to find a product with BioPerine (the trademarked name for piperine), which is the substance that enhances curcumin absorption by 2,000%.

Without this substance, most of the curcumin just passes through your digestive tract.

Magnesium deficiency, also known as hypomagnesemia, is an often overlooked health problem.

While less than 2% of Americans have been estimated to experience magnesium deficiency, one study suggests that up to 75% are not meeting their recommended intake (1).

In some cases, deficiency may be underdiagnosed since the obvious signs commonly don’t appear until your levels become severely low.

The causes of magnesium deficiency vary. They range from inadequate dietary intake to loss of magnesium from the body (2).

Health problems associated with magnesium loss include diabetes, poor absorption, chronic diarrhea, celiac disease and hungry bone syndrome. People with alcoholism are also at an increased risk (3, 4).

This article lists 7 symptoms of magnesium deficiency.

Twitches, tremors and muscle cramps are signs of magnesium deficiency. In worst case scenarios, deficiency may even cause seizures or convulsions (5, 6).

Scientists believe these symptoms are caused by a greater flow of calcium into nerve cells, which overexcites or hyperstimulates the muscle nerves (7).

While supplements may help relieve muscle twitches and cramps in individuals with a deficiency, one review concluded that magnesium supplements are not an effective treatment for muscle cramps in older adults. Further studies are needed in other groups (8).

Keep in mind that involuntary muscle twitches may have many other causes. For example, stress or too much caffeine may be causing them.

They may also be a side effect of some medications or a symptom of a neurological disease, such as neuromyotonia, or motor neuron disease.

While occasional twitches are normal, you should see your doctor if your symptoms persist.

Summary

Common signs of magnesium deficiency include muscle twitches, tremors, and cramps. However, supplements are unlikely to reduce these symptoms in older adults or people who aren’t deficient.

Mental health disorders are another possible consequence of magnesium deficiency.

These include apathy, which is characterized by mental numbness or lack of emotion. Worsened deficiency may even lead to delirium and coma (5).

Additionally, observational studies have associated low magnesium levels with an increased risk of depression (9).

Scientists have also speculated that magnesium deficiency might promote anxiety, but direct evidence is lacking (10).

One review concluded that magnesium supplements might benefit a subset of people with anxiety disorders, but the quality of the evidence is poor. Higher quality studies are needed before any conclusions can be reached (11).

In short, it seems that a lack of magnesium may cause nerve dysfunction and promote mental health conditions in some people.

Summary

Magnesium deficiency may cause mental numbness, lack of emotion, delirium, and even coma. Scientists have suggested that deficiency may also cause anxiety, but no strong evidence supports this idea.

Osteoporosis is a disorder characterized by weak bones and an increased risk of bone fractures.

Numerous factors influence the risk of developing osteoporosis. These include:

• aging
• lack of exercise
• poor dietary intake of vitamins D and K.

Interestingly, magnesium deficiency is also a risk factor for osteoporosis. Deficiency might weaken bones directly, but it also lowers the blood levels of calcium, the main building block of bones (12, 13, 14, 15).

Studies in rats confirm that dietary magnesium depletion results in reduced bone mass. Although no such experiments have been done involving humans, studies have associated poor magnesium intake with lower bone mineral density (16, 17).

Summary

Magnesium deficiency may increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, though many factors influence this risk.

Fatigue, a condition characterized by physical or mental exhaustion or weakness, is another symptom of magnesium deficiency.

Keep in mind that everyone becomes fatigued from time to time. Typically, it simply means you need to rest. However, severe or persistent fatigue may be a sign of a health problem.

Since fatigue is a nonspecific symptom, its cause is impossible to identify unless it is accompanied by other symptoms.

Another more specific sign of magnesium deficiency is muscle weakness, also known as myasthenia (18).

Scientists believe the weakness is caused by the loss of potassium in muscle cells, a condition associated with magnesium deficiency (19, 20).

Therefore, magnesium deficiency is one possible cause of fatigue or weakness.

Summary

Magnesium deficiency may cause fatigue or muscle weakness. However, these are not specific signs of a deficiency unless they are accompanied by other symptoms.

Animal studies show that magnesium deficiency may increase blood pressure and promote high blood pressure, which is a strong risk factor for heart disease (21, 22).

While direct evidence is lacking in humans, several observational studies suggest that low magnesium levels or poor dietary intake may raise blood pressure (23, 24, 25).

The strongest evidence for the benefits of magnesium comes from controlled studies.

Several reviews have concluded that magnesium supplements may lower blood pressure, especially in adults with high blood pressure (26, 27, 28).

Put simply, magnesium deficiency may increase blood pressure, which, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease. Nevertheless, more studies are needed before its role can be fully understood.

Summary

Evidence suggests magnesium deficiency may raise blood pressure. Additionally, supplements may benefit people with high blood pressure.

Magnesium deficiency is sometimes seen in people with severe asthma (29).

Additionally, magnesium levels tend to be lower in individuals with asthma than in people who do not have the condition (30, 31).

Researchers believe a lack of magnesium may cause the buildup of calcium in the muscles lining the airways of the lungs. This causes the airways to constrict, making breathing more difficult (7, 32).

Interestingly, an inhaler with magnesium sulfate is sometimes given to people with severe asthma to help relax and expand the airways. For those with life threatening symptoms, injections are the preferred method of delivery (33, 34).

However, evidence for the effectiveness of dietary magnesium supplements in individuals with asthma is inconsistent (35, 36, 37).

In short, scientists believe severe asthma may be a symptom of magnesium deficiency in some people, but further studies are needed to investigate its role.

Summary

Magnesium deficiency has been associated with severe asthma. However, its role in the development of asthma is not entirely understood.

Heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, is among the most serious symptoms of magnesium deficiency (38).

The symptoms of arrhythmia are mild in most cases. Often, it has no symptoms at all. However, in some people, it may cause heart palpitations, which are pauses between heartbeats.

Other possible symptoms of arrhythmia include:

• lightheadedness
• shortness of breath
• chest pain
• fainting

In the most severe cases, arrhythmia may increase the risk of stroke or heart failure.

Scientists believe that an imbalance of potassium levels inside and outside of heart muscle cells may be to blame, a condition associated with magnesium deficiency (39, 40).

Some people with congestive heart failure and arrhythmia have been shown to have lower magnesium levels than people who don’t have the condition.

Treating those with magnesium injections significantly improved their heart function (41).

Magnesium supplements may also help reduce symptoms in some people with arrhythmia (42).

Summary

One of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency is heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which may increase the risk of more serious complications, such as a stroke or heart failure.

The table below shows the recommended daily allowance (RDA) or adequate intake (AI) for men and women in the United States (43).

*Adequate intake

Although many people don’t reach the RDA for magnesium, there are plenty of magnesium-rich foods to choose from.

It is widely found in both plants and animal-sourced foods. The richest sources are seeds and nuts, but whole grains, beans, and leafy green vegetables are also relatively rich sources.

Below is the magnesium content in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of some of the best sources (44):

• almonds: 286 mg
• pumpkin seeds: 535 mg
• dark chocolate: 152 mg
• peanuts: 168 mg
• popcorn: 144 mg

For example, just 1 ounce (28.4 grams) of almonds provides 20% of the RDA for magnesium.

Other great sources of magnesium include:

• flaxseeds
• sunflower seeds
• chia seeds
• cocoa
• coffee
• cashews
• hazelnuts
• oats

Magnesium is also added to many breakfast cereals and other processed foods.

If you have a health condition that causes your body to lose magnesium, such as diabetes, it’s important to eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods or take supplements.

Talk with your doctor about creating a plan to increase your magnesium intake that works well for your needs.

Summary

Seeds, nuts, cocoa, beans, and whole grains are great sources of magnesium. For optimal health, try to eat magnesium-rich foods every day.

Magnesium deficiency is a widespread health problem.

Some studies suggest that 75% of Americans do not meet their dietary requirements for magnesium (1). However, true deficiency is much less common — less than 2%, according to one estimate (45).

The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are usually subtle unless your levels become severely low.

Deficiency may cause:

• fatigue
• muscle cramps
• mental health conditions
• irregular heartbeat
• osteoporosis

If you believe you may have a magnesium deficiency, your suspicions can be confirmed with a simple blood test. You should speak with your doctor to rule out other possible health problems.

Whatever the outcome, try to regularly eat plenty of magnesium-rich whole foods, such as nuts, seeds, grains, or beans.

These foods are also high in other healthy nutrients. Including them in your diet not only lowers your risk for magnesium deficiency, but it also supports your overall health.

• A new study has found that regularly eating leafy greens can boost muscle function, which in turn could help prevent falls and fractures.
• The body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, which can open up the blood vessels, improving blood flow and exercise performance.
• In the study, participants who ate the most nitrates — which are plentiful in leafy greens like spinach, kale, and lettuce — had 11 percent stronger lower limb strength.

Eating leafy greens can do wonders for muscle strength, according to new research from Edith Cowan University.

The study, which published in the Journal of Nutrition on March 24, found that regularly eating nitrate-rich leafy greens, like spinach and kale, can boost muscle function, which in turn may help prevent falls and fractures.

The body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, which can open up the blood vessels, improving blood flow and exercise performance.

Over time, a vegetable-rich diet can improve heart health and cognitive health.

“In general, leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-rich, calorie-light foods on the planet — packing a punch with numerous vitamins and minerals,” said Dr. Casey Kelley, a family medicine physician and the founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health.

The researchers evaluated health data from 3,759 Australians over a 12-year period.

Participants who ate the most nitrates — which are plentiful in leafy greens like spinach, kale, and lettuce — had 11 percent stronger lower limb strength.

Their walking speed was approximately 4 percent faster compared with participants who ate less leafy greens.

The researchers also surveyed the participants’ physical activity. They found that the vegetables boosted muscle strength regardless of whether the participants exercised.

Leafy greens are packed with nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide.

“Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels and causes them to widen. This allows for greater delivery of oxygen to the muscles,” said Dr. Niket Sonpal, an internist and gastroenterologist based in New York City.

Our muscles require more oxygen when we exercise. Sonpal said that oxygen is essential “for creating fuel while working out and is also important for muscle recovery.”

Increased oxygen flow could allow our muscles to perform more optimally, which may ultimately help increase muscle strength.

Muscle strength is a critical component of overall health. It helps with everyday tasks like lifting heavy objects, walking, and even getting out of bed.

“Muscle maintenance ensures that your entire system is functioning correctly and efficiently. After all, the human is one complete system, not disparate parts operating independently,” Kelley said.

Muscle strength is also crucial for joint and bone health as it helps prevent pain and injuries.

Lean muscle may facilitate weight loss and weight management. The process in which you achieve muscle strength — diet and exercise — could potentially boost cognitive health, said Kelley.

The new findings from Edith Cowan University build off previous evidence that links vegetables to heart health.

Nitric oxide can potentially help lower blood pressure. Studies have found that a vegetable-rich diet, along with other interventions, may be one way of treating cardiovascular disease.

The researchers found that lettuce, spinach, kale, and beetroot had the greatest health effects.

Other nitrate-rich leafy greens include fennel, radishes, parsley, cabbage, and arugula.

“Supplements are great for getting your daily servings of vegetables into your diet. However, it’s always preferable to eat your veggies and leafy greens,” Sonpal said.

According to Kelley, supplements may be beneficial for people who don’t like the taste of leafy greens, or people who need large doses of nutrients.

For most people, however, eating a cup of leafy greens each day is enough.

“They are often a cheaper option than adding a supplement and may provide a broader base of nutrients,” Kelley said.

New research has found that eating nitrate-rich leafy greens, like spinach and kale, can boost muscle function, which may ultimately help prevent falls and fractures in the future.

The body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, which may help improve blood flow, in turn enhancing exercise performance.

Building overall muscle strength through diet and exercise may help people avoid falls or bone fractures in the future.