Curcuma longa

Turmeric/Nutrient Depletion:

  • GlucoseGlucose: Curcumin was found to decrease blood sugar in a diabetic patient (258). In an animal study, turmeric extracts exhibited hypoglycemic effects in type 2 diabetic mice (267). Administration of tetrahydrocurcumin and curcumin to diabetic rats resulted in decreased levels of blood glucose (506).
  • IronIron: In vitro research has suggested that curcumin may be an effective iron chelator (285; 286). Turmeric has been found to inhibit and reduce iron availability in a dose-dependent manner (287). In animal research, curcumin induced a dose-dependent decline in hematocrit, hemoglobin, serum iron, and transferrin saturation; the appearance of microcytic anisocytotic red blood cells; and decreases in spleen and liver iron content (288). However, in human research, turmeric did not inhibit iron absorption (289).
  • LipidsLipids: Hypolipidemic effects of curcumin have been shown in animal research (521; 522; 319; 518; 523; 524; 519; 520; 525; 526).
  • Vitamin AVitamin A: In in vitro research, curcumin inhibited beta-carotene-15,15'-dioxygenase activity, the enzyme responsible for providing vertebrates with vitamin A (829).