11/20/2018 / By RJ Jhonson
Curcumin can help improve gastrointestinal function, according to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, adding yet another item to the already long list of health benefits from this turmeric-derived compound.
The gastrointestinal tract performs a very vital function. Apart from extracting nutrients from the food you eat, it also helps rid your body of potentially toxic waste materials. For this reason, keeping it healthy is one of the most important steps to ensuring good overall health.
To uncover the benefits that curcumin has on gastrointestinal function, the researchers conducted an in vivo and an in vitro study. Their in vivo study looked at the effects of curcumin on gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion rates of mice. They discovered that administering 200 mg/kg per day can improve both gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion in mice delayed by atropine (ATR). Atropine is a drug whose effects include slowing down motility or bowel movement.
They observed the same effect after 15 days of treatment in mice delayed by L-arginine, an essential amino acid. L-arginine is crucial to the formation of proteins in the body, but in very large doses, it causes gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea. Interestingly, these effects were not seen in mice with normal gastrointestinal propulsion.
For their in vitro study, they incubated isolated jejunum from mice with curcumin. The researchers observed that doing so reduced the spontaneous contractile waves of the jejunum (pertaining to how the tissue twitches and contracts in response stimuli like electricity) in a concentration-dependent manner.
What this means is that unlike the in vivo study which showed curcumin’s ability to accelerate gastrointestinal movement even when the tissues were forcibly relaxed and delayed by medication, the in vitro study showed the ability to reduce the movement of gastrointestinal tissue.
Because of these findings, the researchers concluded that curcumin has different effects on the gastrointestinal movement in vivo and in vitro. Moderate use of it by intragastric administration for more than 10 days, according to the authors, can be helpful in alleviating gastrointestinal disorders but does not offer any benefits for normal gastrointestinal propulsion.
Curcumin is a compound that is derived from the spice turmeric. It has been the subject of much discussion of late because of its many health benefits, including:
Learn more about curcumin and its benefits at Phytonutrients.news.
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atropine, curcumin, digestion, digestive health, digestive system, gastrointestinal function, gastrointestinal health, gastrointestinal movement, l-arginine, natural treatment, turmeric
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