Curcumin: the Workout Herb Your Muscles Will Love
Curcumin is probably enjoying a greater pile up of scientific studies than any other natural supplement right now. And the new uses just keep getting added. The latest claim for curcumin is as a workout herb. Curcumin is able to prevent the muscle soreness that lingers after a workout. . . .
This double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave 59 moderately trained men and women between the ages of 19 and 23 either a 250mg supplement containing 50mg of curcuminoids—the active ingredients in the herb turmeric, a 1000mg supplement containing 200mg of curcuminoids or a placebo each day for 8 weeks.
Everyone then took part in intense, muscle damaging downhill exercise. The researchers measured markers of inflammation as well as creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage.
Compared to the placebo group, the people who took the 200mg curcuminoid dose evaluated their muscle soreness to be significantly better 24 hours after the exercise. Regardless of the dose of curcuminoids, the increase in creatine kinase from before exercise to after exercise was significantly less than in the placebo group, especially in the men. This advantage over placebo suggests that the curcumin users didn’t just feel less muscle soreness, they actually had less muscle fiber injury and may enjoy shorter recovery periods.
Curcumin may work because it is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and the primary causes of muscle damage are free radical damage and inflammation.
So, on top of its many other important uses, curcumin may be a great herb to take to improve your workout.
The FASEB Journal 2017;31(1):lb766
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The Natural Path is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. For health problems, consult a qualified health practitioner for a comprehensive program.