Controlling blood sugar (glucose) levels is essential to avoid possible health complications such as diabetes, a chronic disease that can affect organs such as the kidneys, the heart and the arteries.
The United States National Library of Medicine indicates that glucose can be elevated as a result of infections, certain medicationshormonal imbalances or serious illnesses, in addition to an unbalanced diet and lack of regular physical activity.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), normal blood sugar readings range from 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) fasting, or without eating. When readings are between 100 and 125 mg/dL, they are classified as impaired fasting hyperglycemia.
When a person has two or more fasting blood glucose tests that are at or above 126 mg/dL, they may have diabetes. It is natural for blood sugar levels to rise after eating; however, it is important to validate that these increases are not high, as it can also be an early sign of type 2 diabetes.
There are some natural products that, due to their properties, can help regulate sugar. One of them is turmeric, whose main active compound is curcumin and it is to which almost all the medicinal benefits of the spice are attributed. It is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral.
The Diabetes Self Management portal ensures that a scientific article from the University of Chinese Medicine in Beijing, together with McGill University in Montreal, reviewed various studies on curcumin, which have been developed in rats and mice. He found that in many of these investigations this component reduced the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood.
Additionally, some of these studies conclude that curcumin improves the function of insulin, the hormone that is responsible for regulating sugar, by allowing the passage of glucose from the blood to the cells, where it is converted into energy.
The aforementioned website cites another study involving 240 people and conducted in Thailand. This research found that curcumin prevented prediabetes from progressing to diabetes. “Approximately 16% of the 116 people who received placebo (inactive treatment) progressed to type 2 diabetes in ten months. Nobody in the group that received 250 milligrams of “curcuminoids” daily progressed, “he says.
Regarding the subject, the Revista Médica portal indicates that “preclinical and clinical findings have revealed that curcumin has beneficial effects on insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases, improving insulin sensitivity , preventing the development of diabetes and attenuating body weight gain”.
Good for preventing Alzheimer’s
On the other hand, one of the great benefits of turmeric is that it helps prevent Alzheimer’s, according to the study Protective effects of the Indian spice turmeric, against amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s disease, quoted in a newspaper article The universalfrom Mexico.
“According to research, turmeric may help prevent the amino acid amyloid-β (present in the brains of people with the disease) from being generated. This is because the spice has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, reach brain cells and protect neurons from various toxic attacks of aging and amyloid-β in humans, thus helping to ward off the symptoms of the disease. ”, argues the aforementioned publication.
Although it is a natural product that can help prevent these conditions, one cannot speak of a medical treatment, let alone that it replaces the medications that can control the diseases, so it is always important to consult a specialist to know the guidelines to follow.