Turmeric has taken the world by storm in the past few years. Not that it is a newly discovered spice, but because it hadn’t made its way to the west until recently. Turmeric has so many benefits, one of which is aiding in weight loss.
In addition to answering your question, ‘Can turmeric help you lose weight’?, we’ll also cover the following topics.
Losing Weight Safely
Can Turmeric Help You Lose Weight?
Using Turmeric
Turmeric And Ginger Tea
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When you’re trying to lose weight, make sure you are doing it in the safest way possible. This is a must. There are a lot of different synthetic weight loss pills on the market that promise a lot and deliver almost nothing. Although they may help in weight loss, nobody knows how these pills impact the overall health of your body.
Using natural ingredients can assure you that the body is going to remain at its optimal health while you’re losing weight. Turmeric is by no means a magic pill or an end-all to the weight loss struggle. But it surely does play a large role in the body’s ability to lose weight.
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Adding turmeric to the diet, while continuing with an exercise program, is a great way to continue reaching your weight loss goals.
So, now that you know you should add turmeric to your healthy lifestyle plan, let’s talk more about what it is and the specifics of what turmeric does for your body. Especially, let’s look at how turmeric can help you lose weight.
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Turmeric Accelerates Diet Induced Weight Loss
We already know the importance of diet in the weight management process. An ideal weight loss diet plan will ensure that your calorie consumption every day is less than the calories you burn through exercise and other daily activities; this allows you to lose weight.
A recent study has shown that turmeric makes achieving weight loss through dietary changes even easier. During said study, a group of overweight people were made to follow a healthy lifestyle and a strict weight loss diet plan. Some of those participants didn’t experience significant weight loss and some got treated with curcumin, the primary active ingredient of turmeric. The treatment triggered more prominent weight loss in those individuals taking curcumin; their BMI (body mass index) also decreased considerably.1
Turmeric Has Thermogenic Action
Thermogenesis is a metabolic process that involves burning calories in the body for energy expenditure. This process promotes weight loss.
Increasing thermogenesis in the body through diet is seen as a practical and feasible approach towards weight management.
Turmeric has components that have thermogenic action; therefore, it has a potential of being a thermogenic substance. This means that the intake of turmeric in the diet can promote weight loss by its thermogenic action. An increased metabolic rate in the body burns calories and stored energy, promoting weight loss.
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Prevents Accumulation Of Fat And Triggers Fat Loss
Obese or overweight individuals often suffer from fat accumulation in their adipose tissues and tissues in organs like the liver and stomach.
Curcumin, the most important curcuminoid present in turmeric, prevents the accumulation of fat in adipose tissues.2
Suppresses Obesity-Related Inflammation
Inflammation has strong links with excessive fat accumulation in the human body, or obesity. Inflammation occurs primarily due to certain adipokines (examples include TNF- α and IL-6) produced by adipose tissues.
In obese individuals, adipokines with inflammatory actions tend to cause oxidative stress. This often leads to other health disorders like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.
Being an anti-inflammatory agent, curcumin works by targeting the inflammatory actions of adipokines. It has been found that regular consumption of turmeric can reduce obesity-related inflammation significantly.3
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Turns White Adipose Tissues Brown
Brown adipose tissues are known for playing a vital role in the heat production process of the human body. Our body produces heat through combustion of lipids and glucose.
This makes brown adipose tissue an integral part of the weight loss process. Curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric, helps in turning white adipose tissues brown by increasing the level of norepinephrine and thereby promotes weight loss.4
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Turmeric Has Anti-Diabetic Action
The risk of diabetes is one of the most common among overweight or obese individuals. Therefore, prevention of this disease becomes very important.
Tumeric comes in handy here as well. It is known for its efficacy in the treatment and prevention of diabetes. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of the curcuminoids, especially curcumin, have great anti-diabetic effects. These substances lower blood sugar levels.
Curcumin has also been found to be significantly active against diabetes associated with obesity.5
READ MORE: How I Healed My Diabetes With Ayurveda, Will Turmeric Lower Blood Pressure?
There are so many ways that turmeric can be incorporated into your diet. A small spoon of turmeric sprinkled on your plate is a great starter and it doesn’t only help in weight loss, but it tastes great too.
It can also be used in different teas. Here is a tea recipe that you can try right now.
To prepare this drink you will need the following ingredients.
Ingredients
1 inch long piece of turmeric root
1 inch piece of ginger
150 ml of water
3 to 4 cinnamon sticks.
Directions
Take a pot and pour the water into it. Put in the ginger and turmeric roots and allow them to boil together for five minutes. Ideally, you should continue boiling until the flavors of the herbs are properly infused in the water.
Now put in the cinnamon sticks and allow the mixture to boil for two more minutes. Drink and enjoy.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard if you have the right resources to take advantage of, combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Can turmeric help you lose weight? Using turmeric for weight loss is indeed an advantage that you should make use of. While it’s not a ‘magic pill’, it does have a plethora of health benefits that will take you closer to achieving your fitness goals.
READ MORE: Easy 4 Step Ayurvedic Weight Loss Plan + Home Remedies For Over Weight, Triphala For Weight Loss
References
1. Di, F, et al. “Potential Role of Bioavailable Curcumin in Weight Loss and Omental Adipose Tissue Decrease: Preliminary Data of a Randomized, Controlled Trial in Overweight People with Metabolic Syndrome. Preliminary Study.” European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26592847.
2. Öner-İyidoğan, Y, et al. “Curcumin Prevents Liver Fat Accumulation and Serum Fetuin-A Increase in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet.” Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23430567.
3. Aggarwal, Bharat B. “Targeting Inflammation-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Diseases by Curcumin and Other Nutraceuticals.” Annual Review of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 21 Aug. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144156/.
4. Chainani-Wu, N. “Safety and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Curcumin: a Component of Tumeric (Curcuma Longa).” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2003, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12676044.
5. Zhang, Dong-wei, et al. “Curcumin and Diabetes: A Systematic Review.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3857752/.
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