You’ll find curcumin, a spice has been linked to fighting cancer and inflammatory conditions, in a lot of curry dishes, and now there’s more reason that ever to get out your takeaway menus, as a new study, led by Dr. Somlak Chuengsamarn of Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand, has suggested that curcumin may help prevent the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.
You have prediabetes when your blood glucose level is higher than normal but not at the level defined as full-blown diabetes, meaning that it is between 100 and 125 mg/dL. For the nine-month study, 240 adults with prediabetes were randomly assigned to two groups, with 116 given six daily capsules of a placebo, and the remaining group taking six capsules of 250mg of curcuminoids every day. Curcumin is the main curcuminoid compound derived from the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) – a member of the ginger family.
The results were that 19, or 16.4%, of the placebo group developed type 2 diabetes, whilst no one from the curcumin group developed the disease. The researchers surmised that this was because curcumin appeared to improve the function of beta cells, which are the cells in your pancreas that release insulin. Curcumin has certain anti-inflammatory properties, and so this may the reason why it protects beta cells from damage.
Due to these results, the researchers concluded by saying that, even though they’re not sure exactly why curcumin helps to prevent type 2 diabetes, ‘because of its benefits and safety, we propose that curcumin extract may be used for an intervention therapy for the prediabetes population.’ This could ensure the wellbeing of millions of people who have prediabetes, as the condition not only progresses to type 2 diabetes, but also increases your wellness risk of heart disease and stroke.
However, if you are interested in adding curcumin to your supplement schedule, you should not rely on it alone. The American Diabetes Association advises that you can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% if you lose just 7% of your body weight, and you should also be getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. Remember to get your curcumin supplement from a reputable company that has been verified by an independent testing lab, or else simply look online for recipes that contain the spice.
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