Best Turmeric Supplement: The No.1 Product for Joint Health in 2024!

Have you ever scanned the spice aisle shelves only to be caught by a bright yellow powder?

That would be turmeric—a spice native to India and Southeast Asia with a long history of uses in native cuisines and medicine.

It’s been touted as a superstar for everything from inflammation and heart health to cancer prevention, brain function, and mood disorders.

So, what’s this powerful little spice all about?

This article breaks down the details of turmeric supplements—what it is, the health benefits of turmeric root and curcumin extract, how it supports joint health, and the best turmeric supplements for improving joint health and function.

Let’s get started!

Central Mechanisms Of Action For Turmeric And Curcumin

Antioxidant

Turmeric’s antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory properties are the two primary mechanisms of action that put turmeric on the map in the health and wellness space—and they explain many of the benefits for various conditions.

If you’re unfamiliar with antioxidants, they are volatile molecules that are missing an electron on their outer shell, which makes them incredibly volatile.

When free radicals collide with other molecules, they can cause serious damage, leading to DNA damage, protein death, and much more. As such, we want to neutralize free radicals as much as possible to avoid inflammation and entering a state of oxidative stress.

Some studies are showing that turmeric can increase the activities of antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, along with serum concentrations of glutathione peroxidase (GSH) and lipid peroxides ³.

Curcumin’s potent antioxidant effects are carried out by several different mechanisms, including:

• Scavenging various forms of free radicals, including reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS
• Modulating the activity of GSH, catalase, and SOD
• Inhibiting ROS-generating enzymes like lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase (LOX and COX)
• Scavenging peroxyl radicals (it’s considered a chain-breaking antioxidant)

Anti-inflammatory

Turmeric’s ability to reduce inflammation is another reason it’s touted as an effective natural treatment for various health conditions.

Oxidative stress underlines several chronic diseases, and its pathological processes are closely linked to inflammation; oxidative stress can easily be triggered by inflammation and vice versa ⁴.

It’s been suggested that inflammatory cells release free radicals at the site of inflammation, which can contribute to increasing levels of oxidative stress, showing a clear link between inflammation and oxidative stress.

And because inflammation has been implicated in developing several health issues—Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, MS, epilepsy, cerebral injury, CVD, metabolic syndrome, cancer, etc.—turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties may provide an adjuvant treatment route.

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Without getting too much into the details, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is the primary mediator of inflammation in most diseases; this mediation effect is regulated by the activation of a transcription factor called nuclear factor (NF)-κB.

While TNF-α may be the most potent NF-κB activator, it can also be activated by inflammatory cytokines, gram-negative bacteria, certain viruses, environmental pollutants, stress, UV radiation, and much more.

As such, any compounds that can downregulate NF-κB and NF-κB–regulated gene products have serious potential to fight these diseases ⁵.

And guess what? Curcumin shows much promise.

Evidence shows that curcumin can block NF-κB activation and suppress inflammation via several mechanisms beyond the scope of what we’re covering here, all of which still support its vast potential as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Also Read: Turmeric Dosage for Inflammation

Health Benefits Of Turmeric

Improves cardiovascular health

Your cardiovascular system works day in and day out to keep you healthy and functioning, and while there seems to be no end to the number of things that can harm it, curcumin isn’t one.

As a polyphenol with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, studies show that curcumin and turmeric may protect the cardiovascular system; it also possesses anti-carcinogenic, anti-thrombotic, and anti-proliferative properties.

Studies have shown that curcumin can modulate several signaling pathways involved in cellular growth, proliferation, survival, inflammation, and oxidative stress ⁶.

It’s had beneficial effects on several diseases, including cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction, aortic aneurysm, stroke, and diabetic cardiovascular complications.

Some of the beneficial actions of curcumin for cardiovascular health include:

• Reducing apoptosis
• Decreasing cholesterol accumulation
• Improving endothelial function
• Improving mitochondrial function
• Decreasing cardiac fibrosis
• Enhances muscle recovery

Muscle soreness is typically the reward for a job well done at the gym, but prolonged soreness, AKA delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), can interfere with training and decrease performance.

Although there are many supplements and strategies to combat muscle soreness and DOMS, turmeric might be a good one to consider.

While inflammation was previously thought to be detrimental to recovery from exercise, it’s not widely accepted that the inflammatory responses, if tightly regulated, are essential for the proper repair and regeneration of muscle tissue⁷.

However, when these responses become excessive or the inflammation doesn’t dissipate, it can damage tissue. In that case, an anti-inflammatory supplement can help mitigate inflammation and allow the repair process to continue.A study of 28 healthy untrained subjects assigned them to two groups: one received either curcumin (400 mg/day) for two days before and four days after muscle-soreness inducing eccentric exercise, and the other received a placebo ⁸. Results showed that the group consuming curcumin had substantially smaller increases in creatine kinase (CK), TNF-α, and IL-8 after resistance training than the other group.

Researchers concluded that curcumin could cause biological inflammation associated with muscle damage, facilitating and accelerating recovery and improving subsequent performance.

Boosts brain health

Science has long thought that once brain cells matured, they could not grow and divide.

They’ve since found that’s not the case, and neurons are, in fact, capable of forming new connections and multiplying in some regions of the brain.

One of the main drivers of neurogenesis is something called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); it is a gene involved in creating a protein that’s responsible for promoting the life of neurons ⁹.

As such, BDNF plays a vital role in memory and learning but is also found in brain regions linked to eating, drinking, and weight regulation.

However, several chronic diseases have been linked to low levels of BDNF, such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease, but there may be hope ¹⁰.

Studies find that curcumin may have positive effects on levels of BDNF. One study found that curcumin supplementation can stimulate developmental and adult hippocampal neurogenesis and specific biological activity that can improve neural plasticity and repair ¹¹.

By increasing levels of BDNF, curcumin may be effective in delaying or reversing several brain diseases and age-related cognitive impairments.

However, more studies are needed to confirm these effects.

Improves arthritis

We’ll talk more about this in a minute when we get to the beneficial effects of turmeric supplements or turmeric powder on joint health, but it’s one supplement that’s shown great promise for the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis.

Arthritis is a pervasive disease that’s highly prevalent in Western countries, characterized by pain and stiffness of the joints due to inflammation.

Since turmeric is such a powerful anti-inflammatory, it only makes sense that it may help combat symptoms of arthritis—and studies back it up.

One study found that in people with RA, curcumin supplements were more effective for reducing symptoms than the anti-inflammatory drug, while other studies have noted similar results in improving symptoms ^{12, 13}.

Other Supplements For Joint Health Benefits

Turmeric supplements and curcumin may have a significant backing of research for improving various conditions, including joint health, but they’re not the only ones.

Boswellia

Boswellia serrata is a large branching tree native to India, Northern Africa, and the Middle East that, like turmeric, has been used for centuries in folk medicine for its antiseptic, antiarthritic, and anti-inflammatory effects ¹⁶.

Many clinical trials show that Boswellia offers potent anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritis effects and improves pain and physical function for people with joint disorders ¹⁷.

Glucosamine & Chondroitin

Glucosamine and chondroitin are staples for joint health.

Glucosamine is an amino sugar naturally found in tissues that surround, cushion, and support the joints (cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and synovial fluids).

It helps to support the proteins used to form connective tissues, chondrocyte cells within joints that repair and regenerate cartilage, and synovial fluid that lubricates the joints for a smooth, comfortable range of motion.

Chondroitin, on the other hand, is a complex of large molecules that weave through the extracellular matrix of cartilage.

Because of its strong negative charge, it attracts and retains water to maintain proper hydration for lubricated, shock-absorbing cartilage, support healthy collagen production for stronger, more mobile joints, and promote chondrocyte cells for cartilage growth and repair.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)

A critical structural nutrient required for the formation and maintenance of collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, and other proteins that make up cartilage and connective tissues.