Curcumin supplementation is shown to halt the progression of diabetes in pre-diabetics

Wednesday, September 18, 2013 by: John Phillip
Tags: curcumin, diabetes, prevention

(NaturalNews) Curcumin, the native Indian spice derived from turmeric has been touted for decades as a powerful tool in the fight against cancer development and progression, Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disorders due to its natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The spice compound has recently attained 'superstar' status along with other nutrients including resveratrol, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids in the fight against chronic diseases that plague millions of aging individuals.

A group of researchers publishing in Diabetes Care have found that supplementation with a standardized compound extracted from turmeric may help prevent diabetes in people at high risk. Diabetes and prediabetes, the precursor stage of the disease, afflicts as many as one-third of the US population, placing as many as 100 million individuals at dramatically increased risk for heart disease, cancer and dementia as well as early death.

Study finds curcumin halts the deadly progression to diabetes in pre-diabetic individuals

To conduct the study, scientists reviewed a cohort of 237 pre-diabetic participants in Thailand. Prediabetes is defined as a fasting blood glucose reading between 100 and 124 mg/dL, although many forward-thinking natural practitioners believe the lower reading should be 85 mg/dL. Researchers found that over nine months, a daily dose of curcumin appeared to prevent new cases of diabetes among people with clinically diagnosed pre-diabetes.

Study participants received a daily regimen of three curcumin capsules containing 240 mg of curcuminoids each twice per day or placebo capsules for nine months. Physical examinations were conducted over the enrollment period to gather data on body weight, waist circumference, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin and C-peptide, all biomarkers used to assess the progression of diabetes.

At the end of the nine month period, 16.4 percent of the study's participants receiving the placebo developed diabetes, with a fasting plasma glucose level above 126 mg/dL, or an oral glucose tolerance test level of 200 mg/dL or higher at two hours. Among those receiving the curcumin supplemented protocol, no cases of diabetes occurred. Additionally, the researchers determined that the supplemented group had significantly improved pancreatic beta cell function (beta cells release insulin to control serum blood glucose levels) and decreased levels of insulin resistance.

The study authors concluded "Our study showed that the curcumin extract can effectively prevent the prediabetes population from developing type 2 diabetes mellitus... because of its benefits and safety, we propose that curcumin extract may be used for an intervention therapy for the prediabetes population." This study used a daily regimen of 730 mg of a standardized curcumin extract to achieve the results reported. Most health-minded adults will want to supplement with 500 to 1,000 mg of curcumin each day to prevent the damaging health effects of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Sources for this article include:

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2012/07/02/dc12-0116
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_127711.html
http://www.lef.org

About the author:
John Phillip is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.