A “Spicy” Solution For Healthy Blood Sugar Metabolism

You might not even be aware of the tug-of-war between glucose and insulin that takes place in your body every day. But if you’re dealing with blood sugar balance, it’s happening all the same—and while getting a handle on the metabolic mayhem that occurs due to imbalanced blood sugar is critically important to your lasting health, it can also present a frustratingly stubborn challenge to overcome.

Luckily, new research shows that achieving healthy blood sugar balance might be simpler than you think… so long as you have a daily dose of turmeric-derived curcumin on your side.

As part of a recent animal study, researchers fed rats a high-fat diet for 75 days, in order to induce insulin insufficiency and interfere with blood sugar metabolism. For the last 15 days of the study, the rats, which had been separated into five groups, were given the following supplementation regimens—one group was fed a normal diet and given placebo supplementation; another group was fed a high-fat diet and given placebo supplementation; a third group received a high-fat diet and curcumin supplement; the fourth received a high-fat diet and a conventional insulin-balancing agent; and a fifth was fed a high-fat diet followed by both curcumin and a conventional remedy—in order to assess the relative effectiveness of each approach in the effort to balance blood sugar.

Results revealed that curcumin supplementation offers clear support for healthy blood sugar and optimal insulin efficiency—and its unique ability to balance the body’s natural inflammatory responses may be the secret behind its metabolic benefits. Analysis also showed that among the rats supplemented with curcumin, the inflammatory cytokine known as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) was also effectively balanced—and that this powerful botanical antioxidant was also able to stimulate fat breakdown, thereby reducing free fatty acids in the blood.¹

The researchers’ conclusion: Curcumin—the active component of a humble Indian spice turmeric—could prove to be a critical ally in your quest for superior blood sugar balance. But you don’t have to down ten bowls of curry to get more of it in your diet today. You can also find curcumin as the featured ingredient in the optimized turmeric extract Longvida® RD, available from Vitamin Research Products®.

Reference:

1. El-Moselhy MA, Taye A, Sharkawi SS, El-Sisi SF, Ahmed AF. The antihyperglycemic effect of curcumin in high fat diet fed rats. Role of TNF-a and free fatty acids. Food Chem Toxicol. 2011 May;49(5):1129-40.