Turmeric & Arthritis - National Arthritis Week 2020
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease of the bone and cartilage of the joints, or rheumatoid arthritis, initiated by an immunological response, is a debilitating condition. From the diagram you can see that there is an interaction between oxidative stress and inflammatory factors. Whilst inflammation can be a good thing, as a first response to many negative factors, prolonged issue can bear directly on oxidative stress & cartilage damage. At the same time impaired metabolism – for whatever reason, age, genetics, physical impact – promotes oxidative stress which can reduce cartilage replacement, as well as promoting inflammation.
Turmeric is a spice that has been used in Eastern cultures for many centuries as a treatment for certain conditions. Medical interest has more recently been focused on the role of turmeric in the interaction of oxidation and inflammation. Containing over 100 bioactive ingredients from the essential oils to the flavonoid curcumin (and tetracurcuminoids, curcumimoids, etc.), turmeric has a multitude of beneficial properties.
In the case of arthritis, however, there is a range of antioxidative functions between the terpenes and curcuminoids, as well cues that interact with the pro-/anti-inflammation cycle. These components help promote the antioxidative, and help decrease the oxidative enzymes, reducing oxidative stress, whilst also reducing the activation of MMP. This combination of effects does help limit cartilage erosion, and the subsequent impact on underlying bone damage. By acting over a range of metabolic pathways, turmeric can help support cartilage integrity, aiding the optimisation of the collagen synthesis/breakdown cycle, and maintain the joints.
However, these components need to get into the relevant areas; curcumin, in particular, is difficult to absorb, and it is almost immediately inactivated and eliminated by a process called glucuronidation. Both the Golden Paste and the TurmOil supplements contain black pepper whose active ingredient, piperine, reduces glucuronidation, extending the activity of curcumin for several hours, allowing it to function. At the same time piperine can improve the absorption of all the turmeric actives, through regulation of tight junctions in the intestinal wall. This is further enhanced by either the short chain fatty acids of coconut oil, or the polyunsaturates of linseed oil.
Both Golden Paste and our Turmeric Capsules have been formulated to ensure that the turmeric bioactives not only get absorbed but also have the time to optimise their function.
