ROLE OF CURCUMIN IN BOOSTING IMMUNITY

Lately, everyone is looking to boost their immune system. But here’s the thing—you can’t magically “beef up” your immune system in a day. Instead, it takes a while for dietary and lifestyle changes to kick-in. When attempting to support immune health, it’s essential to understand that excessive immune activity can be just as worrisome as having a suppressed or “sluggish” immune system.

Immunity is our body’s natural defence against disease-causing bacteria and virus. It can considerably reduce the odds of getting sick. The ultimate goal when attempting to achieve optimal immune health is to have a well-balanced immune system that responds appropriately when challenged. Because new research suggests that curcumin may help promote optimal immune balance, we’re here to tell you about it.

What is Curcumin?

Curcumin is a group of compounds (curcuminoids) derived from the root of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa).Curcumin shows a pivotal role in the diseases prevention through the modulation of biological processes. It shows role in the prevention of pathogenesis due its effective scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Turmeric aids in making our immunity stronger, the main life-saving ingredient in turmeric is about 3-5 % of Curcumin; a phyto-derivative, which contains healing properties.

Curcumin’s immune balancing properties

As mentioned, our bodies react to a variety of factors that can cause innate immune cells to excessively activate. Unfortunately, hyperactivation of these innate cell types results in the excessive production of acute-phase proteins, which can be damaging to our health. Additionally, chronic activation of these proteins may result in the suppression of antiviral defenses. Fortunately, several human studies have found that curcumin supplementation lowers blood levels of various acute-phase proteins. This research suggests that curcumin helps normalize certain parts of the immune system that tend to become overactive.

Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties –

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color.

It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb.

Recently, science has started to back up what Indians have known for a long time — it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties.

These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high. It’s around 3%, by weight

Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day.

It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods.

Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, you need to take a supplement that contains significant amounts of curcumin.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%.

The best curcumin supplements contain piperine, substantially increasing their effectiveness.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.

Curcumin Is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound

Inflammation is incredibly important.

It helps your body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage.

Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over your body and kill you.

Although acute, short-term inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and inappropriately attacks your body’s own tissues.

Scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.

Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory. In fact, it’s so powerful that it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs, without the side effects

It blocks NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of your cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases.

Without getting into the details (inflammation is extremely complicated), the key takeaway is that curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level.

Omega-3 boosting properties

Experimental studies have shown that curcumin may increase the body’s ability to make DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid critical for human health. Specifically, curcumin appears to boost the enzymes that are involved in converting ALA to DHA, suggesting that curcumin may help increase omega-3 levels. Because omega-3s can make their way into the membranes of immune cells, it is thought that omega-3s can alter immune cell activity. In fact, resolvins (substances derived from the omega-3s EPA and DHA), as the name suggests, helps resolve excessive innate immune responses and lowers the production of cytokines caused by injury or infection. Resolvins also appear to enhance the ability of the innate immune cells to remove microbial invaders. It’s promising to think that curcumin may increase omega-3 levels to the degree that it supports immune health.

Conclusion

Curcumin appears to have immune-balancing properties that may be particularly helpful for those with chronic stress. Additionally, curcumin may help promote optimal immune responses through its prebiotic-like properties, omega-3 boosting ability, and cortisol-lowering effects.

Reference-
https://www.nuffoodsspectrum.in/opinion/28/6435/fight-coronavirus-infections-and-boost-your-immunity-with-curcumin.html#:~:text=Boosts%20Immunity%3A%20Curcumin%20helps%20up,reduce%20symptoms%20and%20provides%20relief