Turmeric+ in a different league
George Nichols looks at a new product that hits joint problems fast
IT’s something that is linked to both curry and football, yet this is one of the health-giving superfoods. Turmeric, the ancient Asian herb, most generally known as the flavouring and bright colouring in many Friday night dishes, is the hot new treatment for joint problems.
Football stars at FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao have already used an exciting new British-developed diet supplement, Turmeric+.
Physiotherapists at Barcelona’s Olympic Training Centre are also trying it out along with other training centres and football clubs in Britain and France.
Turmeric is increasingly seen as the best way to keep the body’s joints in lifelong working order. Turmeric+ is being used to reduce the risk of inflammation caused by intensive training and for treating damaged joints without exposing elite athletes to problems caused by standard over-the-counter painkillers.
“We are always looking for something that’s better than paracetamol or aspirin, which don’t work very well and cause side effects,” says Francek Drobnic, head of research at the Barcelona centre. The Barcelona research was revealed at Fifa’s Football Medicine Strategies Conference in London in April.
The powerful effect of the plant extract on joint health has also been welcomed by regular doctors, who are concerned that everyday patients are risking their health through long-term painkiller use to keep joint agony at bay. Turmeric shot into the Premier League of natural drugs after scientists noticed populations with high intakes of turmeric as a curry spice had lower rates of arthritis and joint damage.
Research showed that the key element of turmeric’s effectiveness is curcumin, which comes from the rhizomes, the underground stems of the turmeric plant.
These stems are boiled, dried and then ground up to produce the medicinal powder, which is the same as that used by Asian cooks for its unique peppery flavour and its rich colour.
Scientific studies found that turmeric works by interrupting the chemical pathways and signalling mechanisms involved in joint inflammation and arthritis. Until now it has been difficult to boost the body’s absorption of natural turmeric enough for it to have a rapid effect on the aches and pains from joint damage.
That has all changed with the launch of Turmeric+, a formulation by
Absorption
Cambridge scientists that combines turmeric with another plant extract, soy lecithin, which aids absorption by the body.
There are now 22 published clinical research papers confirming its effect: that Turmeric+ is 30 times better absorbed, or “bioavailable”, than natural turmeric alone
Longer-term studies are expected to show that Turmeric+, part of the FutureYou range developed by Cambridge Nutraceuticals, is the most effective treatment for joint health currently available.
With the new football season well underway, Turmeric+ is poised to be the star striker in the fight against joint problems.