Health All about... turmeric Turmeric has had lots of positive press about its medicinal qualities, but whats really behind the research? ISTOCK.COM / FCAFOTODIGITAL WORDS: PETER STANNETT T urmeric is a member of the ginger family, and is grown in south Asia for use in cooking and medicine. Curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric and has many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed by the bloodstream and excreted quickly, so its health benefits are limited. There are several other substances that can enhance how its absorbed, however, and research has shown that pepper is one of these. So combining pepper and turmeric in a dish could potentially magnify its health benefits. Cooking or heating does not affect how curcumin works. Its solubility increases in water, which means more of it is likely to pass into and through your bloodstream. Whats more, taking it in small doses less than 10g a day is not toxic. Turmeric and pain So, how effective is turmeric or, more correctly, curcumin in treating pain? Lets delve into the research. One study randomly put participants into two groups: one to receive 2g of turmeric and one to receive 0.8g of ibuprofen daily for six weeks. They found that both groups pain levels improved when walking and climbing stairs, and there was greater improvement in the turmeric group. However, these results need to be treated with caution as there were several limitations: n Different amounts of each substance were taken the turmeric was taken four times a day, whereas ibuprofen was only taken twice a day n The sample size was small and uneven: 52 in the turmeric group and 55 in the ibuprofen group n The amount of ibuprofen used was too small to produce a desired effect n It was a single-blinded study. In 2014, the same research group ran a double-blind, randomised control trial, using 1.5g of curcumin extract and 1.2g of ibuprofen a day. Both studies concluded that the curcumin extracts worked just as well as ibuprofen in improving pain and movement. Study results A 2017 review of 13 studies that combined the results of 1,101 participants suggested, however, that the effectiveness of turmeric is still uncertain. There are many reasons for this, including small sample sizes, badly designed studies and differences in pain scores. They identified that the 2014 study had an average baseline score of five, which was possible by including those with lower pain scores. By including people with lower levels of pain, any differences in pain scores between the two groups may have been less pronounced than if they had just included people with higher levels of pain. Many research articles and other sources of information suggest that turmeric has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties. The effects are statistically significant, but all the studies have their flaws. Better research is needed to establish the health benefits of turmeric and how good it is at relieving pain. n Find out more at versusarthritis.org/alternative-treatments GLOSSARY nA ntioxidant Stops the oxidation of molecules, which can eventually damage cells n Clinical significance The effect of a drug n Single-blinded means the people in a trial dont know whether they are in a placebo group or the active group, where the real drug is used n Double-blinded means that neither the experimenter nor those in the trial know which group participants are in n Statistically significant The result did not happen by chance it was produced by the intervention
