When you hear about supplements for men, you hear about the usual suspects: magnesium, iron, B-12, etc. One that you don’t hear about often, however, would be tumeric, which is a shame, as it’s a spice that’s greatly beneficial for your body. This goes especially for men who simply want to live a healthy life.
What is turmeric, though? What can it do for you, and what are some ways you can take it? Well ask no more, because I’ve got you covered. Come with me while I give you the rundown as to how turmeric can help you live a healthier life. You can consume turmeric by using the spice or taking turmeric supplements or gummies.
What is Turmeric?
Unless you’ve only ever eaten bread and water your entire life, you’ve most likely eaten some food with turmeric. It’s most common in Indian foods and gives it that nice pop of yellow, but it’s also occasionally used in traditional medicines in India and China. It’s a spice like ginger, one that comes from the root of a native Asian plant. It’s ground up into an orange dust and makes your food flavorful; I myself use it often for the flavor and (occasionally, don’t tell anyone) to make my food seem more yellow than it really is.
However, what you really need to know about turmeric is that it contains a phytochemical called curcumin, which is an active compound in which the benefits are extracted. Because it’s mainly found in turmeric, it’s used interchangeably, so if you see me refer to one or the other, know that I’m talking about the same thing.
Speaking of benefits, though, what can turmeric actually do for you? Well you’ll be pleased to know that it’s host to a plethora of benefits.
What are the Benefits of Turmeric?
Turmeric has many health benefits for men, and here I’ll show you what it can do for you.
- Enhancing cognitive function. As you age, you become more and more susceptible to conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. These conditions, unfortunately, lead to cognitive decline, a loss of your functional capacity, a general decrease in one’s quality of life. Those are just the major ones, and slow cognitive decline can still happen even without these diseases. This may be attributed to chronic low-grade inflammation, something that curcumin can assist with given its anti-inflammatory properties.
- May prevent weight gain. Turmeric isn’t going to burn fat, or anything, but there has been a continuous link between inflammation and weight gain, as fat tissue can alter levels of hormones and release inflammatory compounds. As mentioned, turmeric can help combat this through its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Improves reproductive health. So sperm is vulnerable to reactive oxygen species, as well as oxidative stress. This means, in short, that having plenty of antioxidants is critical to men’s reproductive health. Curcumin is a very strong antioxidant as it turns out, and thus has the ability to greatly reduce oxidative stress and help protect your reproductive health. Studies have shown that turmeric can increase your sperm count and concentration. It has also been shown to increase one’s libido by increasing your testosterone levels, which is known as the “male sex hormone”. So, if you’re thinking about having a child, or simply want to perform more in bed, turmeric can help you get that extra boost you need.
- Quickens muscle recovery. For those who like to exercise, one of the more annoying things is waiting for your muscles to finally recover so you can have another go. Thankfully, turmeric can actually help with quickening your muscle recovery. How? Well, it’s well known that one of the biggest reasons why muscle recovery takes so long is because of the inflamation. Your muscles need to heal and settle down. Curcumin has a distinct anti-inflammatory property to it that can assist when it comes to helping those muscles heal. It has been shown to blunt increase in inflammatory cytokines and creatine kinase. Ergo, it allows one to get back to performing quicker after a bout of exercise-induced muscle damage.
- Improved joint function. Arthritis is a very real possibility in your future, and it’s very important that you make sure you take care of your joints so you won’t have to go through so much pain in your later years. When paired with ginger supplementation, curcumin has been shown to improve one’s arthritis symptoms. This is mainly due to its anti-inflammatory properties, as much of the pain associated with joints is due to inflammation and joint deterioration. While curcumin can’t do much for the deterioration, it can certainly assist with the inflammation, thus taking away the pain and improving function.
- Improving cardiovascular function. This should not be overlooked. I know that I’ve stated that curcumin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but it also holds anti-thrombotic, anti-carcinogenic, cardioprotective properties. All of these work together to support a healthy cardiovascular system as it reduces oxidative stress, decreases serum lipid levels, protects the myocardium from ischemic damage, reduces serum cholesterol levels, and may prevent diabetic cardiovascular complications. So, yeah, it can help with your heart health, and in this day and age, especially for men, it’s important that you keep that in check.
How to Take Turmeric
So how should one take turmeric? I’m sure many of you are sitting there thinking, “well I can just put more turmeric in my food, right?” As delicious as that sounds, I’m afraid that’s a no go. Putting in an extra shake of the spice isn’t going to do anything other than make your food more yellow.
One thing that I neglected to mention is that turmeric doesn’t do much of anything unless it’s in bigger, concentrated doses. When I mean concentrated, I mean like actual supplements.
Thankfully, turmeric supplements are relatively cheaper and more efficient than eating a spoonful of the powdered stuff every night. You can find them as pills or even gummies if that suits your fancy. Just remember to take one every day and you’ll be on your way to reaping those health benefits.
Hi, I’m Ashley! I help big-hearted spiritual individuals reach new levels of success, self love, and confidence.
