The sporty spice!
THE things we are most t passionate i t about can often require that we stay active, so looking after our joints and muscles is vital, especially as we get older.
This is why dressage and fitness enthusiast Anne Evans, aged 57, discovered the power of turmeric.
Anne ( pictured), from Cirencester, has been riding horses for 20 years and also loves gardening. Despite leading an active life, she began to find her joints were not quite what they used to be.
‘Little niggles can restrict the amount of fun you can have — and I was determined this wasn’t going to happen to me,’ she says. Just over a year ago Anne started searching for a way to support her joints without taking medication, and found a supplement made by a Cambridge-based company.
She says, ‘After much research with the help of my husband, a bio-chemist with a very good understanding of how the body functions, I decided that the curry spice turmeric was something I should try. The next challenge I faced was deciding how best to incorporate it into my diet.’
While millions of us add turmeric to our meals, research shows that you need to consume it daily and absorb enough of it to reap benefits.
The component of turmeric that is known to be beneficial is curcumin. However, this only accounts for 3 per cent of standard turmeric powder.
What convinced Anne to try the supplement was the fact that it only contains the curcumin from turmeric, and is supported by 28 clinical studies — more than any other.
Anne says: ‘It was the study at the Olympic Research Centre in Barcelona that really caught my eye. Knowing it was used by international footballers and elite athletes made me think it could do something for me.’
The curcumin is combined with soy lecithin, a patented combination that allows it to be absorbed by the body. Studies show the formulation is 30 times more absorbable than standard turmeric.
A year on, it is proving to be a real winner. Anne regularly goes horse riding and to the gym and Pilates classes.
She says: ‘I love the product and have told many of my friends about it. When you discover something this good, you need to share the benefits. This goes well with my mantra of being fit for your life.’