According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 25 million Americans live with some variant of this metabolic disorder. Of this number, 5 percent are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. In these cases, the body does not actually produce insulin, which is essential to convert sugars from food into energy. As such, most people with type 1 diabetes have to undergo routine insulin injections, monitor their diet and closely track their blood sugar levels from childhood.
Type 1 diabetes qualifies as an autoimmune disease. Researchers from Buenos Aires, Argentina, recently sought to find out if curcumin, the bioactive ingredient in turmeric, may be of some benefit in diabetes treatments. Curcumin has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and research has indicated that it may help manage rheumatoid arthritis, another autoimmune disorder. More specifically, the researchers posited that curcumin supplements may counter the mechanisms in type 1 diabetes that cause the destruction of pancreatic β-cells.
Using an animal model, the scientists observed that curcumin supplements, when taken in conjunction with current type 1 diabetes treatments, may delay this process or prevent it entirely.
“Curcumin treatment led to significant delay of disease onset and in some instances prevented autoimmune diabetes by inhibiting pancreatic leukocyte infiltration and preserving insulin expressing cells,” the study abstract states. “These findings reveal an effective therapeutic effect of curcumin in autoimmune diabetes by its actions on key immune cells responsible for β-cell death.”
Curcumin has been touted for its medicinal properties for centuries, and Western researchers are finally investigating the efficacy of these long-held beliefs. Check back for more news on curcumin research and click here to read information about Nutrivene Longvida Curcumin.