Turmeric (Curcuma longa) may benefit diabetes and heart patients by lowering insulin and triglyceride levels as well as by providing cardiovascular protection after cardiovascular by-pass surgery, announces a recent press release for Diabetes Support Supplements, a new dietary supplement from ProactiveLife.

A new study from researchers at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and Chiang Mai University of Thailand investigated the impact of the spice turmeric on certain cardiac markers. The research concluded that adding turmeric to an otherwise high fat meal actually lowered  insulin levels and triglycerides. Both triglyceride and insulin levels decreased by about one-third for individuals including turmeric in the meal.

As researcher Sheila West explains:

“Elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease. It [The result of the study] was surprising. I didn’t expect such a large decrease.”

For the study, the researchers looked at 121 patients whose average age was 61 years old. All of the participants in the study underwent scheduled cardiac by-pass surgery. For three days before the surgery until five days  after, half of the participants took encapsulated turmeric while the other half took a placebo. Only 13.1 percent of the group taking the turmeric had heart attacks during the recovery period after the surgery compared to 30 percent of the placebo group.

The researchers concluded that the turmeric group had a 65 percent lower change of a heart attack than the placebo group.

As the researchers of the Penn State and Chiang Mai University study explain, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the curcuminoids in turmeric may account for cardioprotective effects of the spice.

As  Bharat Aggarwal, a researcher who studies the use of turmeric in cancer therapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, comments on the present studies, “It’s very, very encouraging.” Aggarwal further states that “research has suggested inflammation plays an important role in the development of a range of diseases, including heart disease — and curcumins could have an effect on those pathways.”

Other studies have also concluded the benefits of turmeric for cardiovascular health and type 2 diabetes. In a study from from Srinakharinwirot University in  Thailand, researchers discovered that turmeric  reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes. Another study published in a 2011 issue of Functional Foods in Health and Disease also concluded that turmeric along with olive leaf extract and fenugreek have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as specific insulin sensitizing qualities.

A research team at Columbia University found turmeric could play a significant role in preventing type 2 diabetes:

“Administration of turmeric or curcumin to diabetic rats reduced the blood sugar, Hb and glycosylated hemoglobin levels significantly. Turmeric and curcumin supplementation also reduced the oxidative stress encountered by the diabetic rats.”

ProactiveLife, the makers of Diabetes Support, claim that the supplement contains ten ingredients including turmeric and cocoa powder that naturally lower blood sugar while providing cardiovascular support.

Will you be adding turmeric into your diet?

Turmeric Improves Diabetes By Lowering Insulin Levels, Also Lowers Triglycerides And Improves Cardiovascular Health is a post from: The Inquisitr