Turmeric is an important anti-inflammatory supplement, but its use requires caution.

Curcumin is a great supplement, but for some people it can lead to serious health problems, explains geneticist and molecular biologist

Curcumin is an active compound found in Curcuma longa, a plant mostly common in Indian cuisine. Curcumin supplements are famous for their potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, which are great for reducing pain and can be used in cancer treatments. Furthermore, they improve cardiovascular and cognitive health, preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

Turmeric: the treatment to be done with the active compound curcumin

However, with the popularization of this type of supplements, they have started to be used indiscriminately which could lead to a number of problems. Second geneticist and molecular biologist Susanna Massaraniit is necessary to analyze each patient individually before starting the supplementation.

“Curcumin is a really great supplement, but for some people it can potentiate some serious health issues. It’s all about looking at the individual patient in terms of genes and cost-effectiveness (not money, but health) for that patient in a certain point in life. Medicine can no longer be practiced without considering these particularities”says the pro.

“Importantly, what we find in the supplements is not food-based turmeric, but curcumin, which is the bioactive compound, which makes them more concentrated. Ingesting turmeric itself is one thing, using isolated curcumin indiscriminately is a ‘other”says Susana Medeiros.

According to Dr. Fabiano de Abreu AgrelaPost PhD in Neurosciences, biologist and genomics student of Susana Massarani, after learning more about the substance from the geneticist, changed her view on curcumin.

“Curcumin, found in turmeric, is an ingredient that may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by improving memory and mood in people with mild age-related memory loss, but Professor Susana brought me an intuition that, in addition to the studies that affirm these benefits, just as we must analyze the nutritional process based on the genetic alterations that each individual can bring”says Fabian.

Curcumin-based supplements are freely sold with concentrations greater than 90% of the substance promising improvements in circulation, cognition and sexual performance, but it is vital to be careful when consuming these products without medical supervision.

About the risks, Susana says so “the risk would be to reduce the expression of genes that would already be reduced in the case of the patient carrying variants that decrease their expression. In the case of COMT, MAOA and MAOB, their further reduced expression can increase the predisposition to depression, cancer and several neurological conditions and psychiatric disorders as they are involved in these characteristics.”

“The important thing is that the person knows their genetic information so that an integration works and does not become a blow in the foot”concludes Dr. Fabiano de Abreu.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.