Diabetes And Turmeric: Is It Good

Or Bad?
By Jasmine Burns 7 Comments

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Turmeric has been used in Indian and Chinese medicine for centuries. Also known as
Curcuma longa, it belongs to the ginger family.

Curcumin is the yellowish/orangish powder which gives turmeric its beautiful color in
curry powder. In some Asian cuisine, especially in Indian food, turmeric is used extensively
for cooking purposes.

It is widely used in many regions of the world for its pain-relieving features, improving
digestion and liver functions. Due to its anti-inflammatory nature, it is also used in treating
bruises, aches and much more.

Health benefits of turmeric

Turmeric has shown to promote good health and prevent diabetes. The antioxidant
properties in turmeric help fight infection and inflammation. A combination of study
review by Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and McGill University show that the use
of turmeric can treat diabetes related complications such nephropathy, retinopathy and
microangiopathy.

Another study shows the effects of turmeric on triple-negative breast cancer. In this study,
researchers concluded that curcumin, the bright yellow active ingredient in turmeric, can
potentially inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells “possibly due to a change in the
signaling pathway of the cancer’s underlying molecular mechanism.”

Turmeric is also found to have properties which improve the skin’s hydration. One study,
where the extracts of turmeric were used on damaged skin for six consequent weeks,
showed subjects with improvements in hydration and in the sebaceous glands (which has
lubricating properties) of their skin.

In brief, some of the most fascinating positive health benefits of turmeric are the following:

 Anti-inflammatory
 Relieves pain (including joint pain, arthritis)
 Improves digestion
 Improves liver functioning
 Fights cancer
  Reduces the swelling of joints
 Reduces oxidative stress
 Helps in weight loss
 Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels
 Decreases the risk of heart diseases

Is turmeric consumption good in the

management of diabetes?

Curcumin can alleviate the following activities related primarily to diabetes: higher blood
sugar levels and the inability for the body to respond to the insulin.

In patients with Type 1 diabetes, inflammation and slow cell death destructs pancreatic
cells. Inflammation in the pancreas causes the malfunctioning of insulin in the body.
Additionally, it also contributes to insulin resistance. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory
property can modulates protein’s activities and their pathways in the body.

Turmeric plays a key role in reversing pancreatic damage in people with diabetes.
Dysfunctional beta cells in the pancreases, where insulin is known to be produced, can be
repaired with the consumption of turmeric, which therefore can reverse the damage to the
pancreas. All this to say that turmeric is great in stabilizing blood sugar levels which can
make diabetes more manageable.
Furthermore, turmeric has shown to reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress happens when
the body loses balance between its natural antioxidant defences and the production of
reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species are oxygen containing molecules which
bring vitality to the functioning of normal cells. When these oxygen species increase in
number, they can cause inflammation and cell death. Neither is good. Turmeric use
increases the levels of enzymes called the antioxidant. This helps in reducing the oxidative
stress found in diabetes.

It helps with the following in diabetes management:

 Repair and regenerate pancreas cells

 Lower blood sugar levels
 Lower oxidative stress
 Decrease inflammation
 Lower cholesterol

Controlling blood sugar

Research has shown that turmeric can be used effectively to treat high blood sugar levels. A
2013 study shows that curcumin helps in decreasing blood sugar levels as well as other
complications caused by diabetes. The study consisted of rats; therefore more research
needs to be on done human models.

The administration of turmeric for 56 days resulted in a decrease in blood levels in rats. The
study also employed the same model on diabetic mice to show how effective the use of
curcumin is on glycaemia. The study furthermore suggested that beta cells were faster and
lived longer in rats that were given curcumin.
 For more informative articles I suggest the following:
 What are Basal Rates of Insulin?
 10 Superfoods for Diabetes
 FORA Test N’Go Voice Bluetooth Blood Glucose Meter Review
 The Relationship between Diabetes and Sweeteners
 Beta Cells and Diabetes

Another study discovered that curcumin decreases blood levels and improved the
sensitivity of insulin by reducing serum free fatty acids and increasing fatty acid oxidation.
For three months, 100 subjects who were overweight and have type 2 diabetic were
randomly given curcumin or placebo. Their bodyweight, A1c, fasting glucose, lipids, and
lipoprotein lipase were tracked. Supplements containing curcumin significantly decreased
fasting blood levels and insulin resistance in type 2 patients. Use of curcumin also led to a
significant decrease in serum, triglyceride fats, and an increase in lipoprotein lipase.

Turmeric is not supposed to be a replacement for your diabetes medication or diabetes care.
You should be using turmeric as a supplement to your diabetes management. We
recommend that for any addition to your diet of any supplement must be discussed with
your doctor. You will have to start with a very small dose, working your way up to more in
quantity.

Preventing diabetes
In a study conducted in Thailand, it was shown that turmeric was efficient in delaying the
development or onset of type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. For 9 months, subjects
with prediabetes were placed in both placebo and controlled trial groups where they were
randomly receiving curcumin or placebo capsules. After the end of the study, 16.4% people
in the placebo group were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes whereas nobody in the curcumin
treated group were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The same study furthermore suggested
that curcumin also improved the beta-cells functioning which make insulin in the pancreas.

Help with weight loss

One study conducted in India showed that the consumption of turmeric brought fat and
cholesterol levels down in animals with diabetes. Excess weight and high cholesterol are
some of the risk factors for diabetes. The first thing a person with diabetes is recommended
to do is to lose the excess weight and to follow a diet low in cholesterol and carbs.
Turmeric can help control cholesterol and reduceobesity and excess weight gain. Because
turmeric can balance and control our sugar levels, fat accumulation is prevented. It
furthermore controls our triglyceride levels as well.

Decrease complications that come with diabetes

Research has shown the effectiveness of turmeric on reducing diabetes associated

complications such as liver disorders, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy,
cardiovascular disease. What’s more is that curcumin has also shown to improve erectile
dysfunction caused due to diabetes by increasing the blood flow to the male genitalia.

How much turmeric should I consume? (daily dose)

It is very important that you consume the right dose of turmeric in order to prevent the
development of diabetes. If not taken the right amount or the right way, it can have the
opposite health effects.
The University of Maryland’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, suggests
the following daily dose of turmeric:

 Cut root: 1.5-3 grams per day

 Dried, powdered root: 1-3 grams per day
 Fluid extract (1:1): 30-90 drops per day
 Tincture (1:2): 15-30 drops, 4 times per day

How can I add turmeric to my diet?

Turmeric can now be found at any one of your local or independent groceries. It has carved
itself a reputation in North America. The good thing about turmeric is that it is pretty easy
to use as part of your diet. You can sprinkle a little of it on top of mostly any food. Though
the color will change, it will give your food an added hint of taste. If you do not want to add
it to your food or are bored of adding it to your food all the time, you may even consider
adding turmeric to your drinks.

Many will use a pinch of turmeric on their scrambled eggs, on top of roasted vegetables, to
their rice, in their soup. To use it in your drink, you can add some of it to your smoothie or
just to a plain glass of milk. In some regions of India, it is also popular to add turmeric to
tea. To get the best health benefit of this spice, pair it with good old pepper. Pepper is
known to improving the bioavailability of turmeric. Honestly, you can top any food with a
pinch of turmeric and still get the health benefits without having to alter the taste of your
meal.

What does the research show?

In all research we have looked at, turmeric has come through a shining knight in armor.
Both studies done on animal and human models demonstrate the efficacy of turmeric on
blood glucose levels and preventing type 2 diabetes. However, the research community is
looking to do more human based research as most of the data presented is based on animal
model researches.

Are there any side effects or dangers of turmeric?

While turmeric is popular for its various health benefits, one must also be aware of the side
effects caused if turmeric is overconsumed or not properly consumed. High dose of
turmeric should be avoided in those who have gallstones. Some people may even be
allergic to turmeric. High doses of turmeric can cause one or many of the following:
  Nausea
 Heavy menstrual flow
 Hypotension
 Diarrhea
 Liver problems
 Gallbladder disease

It can also have bad reactions with anti-coagulants such aspirin or warfarin. Side effects can
also include acne and ulcers. Due to its thinning of the blood activity, it is advised that
women who are pregnant and/or are lactating must avoid turmeric.

Further reading:
 7 Commandments For Better Diabetes Management
 Author Voice: Eric O’Grey
 9 Popular Diabetes Management Apps of 2017
 Author Voice: James J. DiNicolantonio
 Amylin for Diabetes Management

Over to you
We hope this article on turmeric and its great benefit for your diabetes management help
shed some light. We would love to hear from you, our reader. Please leave your comments
in the box below.

TheDiabetesCouncil Article | Reviewed by Dr. Jerry Ramos MD on September 14, 2018

References:

1. https://foodrevolution.org/blog/turmeric-diabetes/
2. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/11/2121
3. https://1md.org/article/curcumin-diabetes-1md

 Was this Helpful ?

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 Last Updated: Saturday, September 15, 2018
Last Reviewed: Saturday, September 15, 2018
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About Jasmine Burns

Jasmine Burns is a certified diabetes educator, registered nurse with extensive experience in
diabetes care and management. When not writing you will find Jasmine reading and exploring
her local community.
Comments

1. Mark says

February 22, 2018 at 10:25 am

is Tumeric ok not having a gall bladder, assuming it is.

I also heard diabetics are better off with raw turmeric vs a supplement, any validity
to that?

Article most helpful

 Reply

o Liz Wallis says

March 26, 2018 at 12:30 pm

No, raw turmeric is poorly digested, and if it’s not digested, the active constituents won’t
be available for absorption. It doesn’t stay in the intestinal tract long enough for more
than a minimal amount to be broken down. Turmeric needs to be cooked, and in the
traditional Indian cuisine where it’s so widely used, it always has been cooked.

But to reply about raw vs a supplement, most supplements are not actually turmeric,
regardless of what the label says. Most of them are just a highly concentrated extract of
one of the active ingredients in turmeric (the curcuminoids) with all the others stripped
out. And many products don’t even contain all three of the curcuminoids, just one or two
of the less significant ones. What is there will be at a far higher concentration than the
body needs or can use, so most of it just ends up down the toilet anyway.

Turmeric is a food, not a dietary supplement. Its role as a food in the Indian diet is what
prompted Western researchers to begin investigating it. It works very well as a whole
food without the need to extract any one part and discard the others.

Turmeric does need to be consumed along with a healthy fat or oil, since it is not water-
soluble. It also helps to add freshly ground pepper, which inhibits the metabolic
processes in the small intestine that convert it to a less effective form. The pepper also
inhibits another metabolic conversion in the liver that would allow the kidneys to quickly
remove it. So it really is helpful to include the pepper.

You might want to check out the Turmeric User Group on Facebook. If you’ve seen
comments about ‘golden paste,’ it originated in that group. The group is science and
data focused, and avoids the exaggerated claims that are made in many other places
about turmeric.
 Reply

 llois says

April 24, 2018 at 10:27 am

Some authors say that turmeric reduces blood sugar, so it should be taken with caution to
avoid hypoglycemia. Is this true or not.

Reply

 Karen Johnson says

July 3, 2018 at 2:23 am

I’m searching for an answer to this question too. Hopefully someone knows correct the answer to
this

Reply
 Liz Wallis says

December 17, 2018 at 2:02 pm

Turmeric does not directly reduce blood sugar. But it can reduce insulin resistance, which would hav
the same effect. That would be pertinent for type 2 diabetics and for type 1 diabetics who also suffer
from metabolic syndrome. Presumably those people would be insulin dependent and therefore
checking blood glucose regularly. But anyone taking diabetes meds should be doing the same thing

2. Nicholas says

May 3, 2018 at 9:23 am

The article on Turmeric is very useful. Thank you so much.

Reply
3. Sonia - Beta Analytic says

September 13, 2018 at 10:40 am

According to the American Botanical Council, turmeric powder and extracts have
been subject to deliberate, economically motivated adulteration. Many bright yellow
turmeric powders may currently be adulterated with synthetic dyes, which may
pose a health risk. We should buy turmeric products from companies with strict
quality control measures.

Reply