Imagine a world where the spices in your kitchen and the vitamins you take add flavor to your food and help keep your heart healthy.
Scientists from Urmia University of Medical Sciences recently explored this idea, particularly for people with type 2 diabetes. They focused on the power duo: turmeric compounds and vitamin D.
Turmeric, a bright yellow spice, is no stranger to the world of healing. Its active components, called curcuminoids, have been celebrated in Asian medicine for ages.
Among these, curcumin shines the brightest. Known for fighting inflammation, it also has properties that may prevent cancer and tumor growth.
Vitamin D, on the other hand, is more than just a nutrient. It’s a multitasker – part nutrient from our diet and part hormone made by our body. It’s famous for building strong bones by helping our body hold onto calcium and phosphorus.
But there’s more to vitamin D than just bones. It reduces cancer cell growth, keeps infections at bay, and tones down inflammation.
Plus, many body parts have unique spots for vitamin D, hinting at its diverse roles, which scientists are eagerly studying.
In the past, experiments showed that both curcuminoids and vitamin D could help control blood pressure and body weight in diabetic animals. But what about humans with type 2 diabetes? The findings weren’t as clear.
To dig deeper, the research team set up an experiment. They gathered 80 people with type 2 diabetes, all of whom had low vitamin D levels.
They were divided into four groups, each receiving different treatments for 12 weeks: just curcuminoids, just vitamin D, both, or none (placebos).
Before and after this period, their blood pressure was checked. The results were fascinating. Vitamin D alone lowered both the top (systolic) and bottom (diastolic) blood pressure numbers.
Curcuminoids, however, showed a strong effect in lowering only the diastolic number. Intriguingly, when combined, curcuminoids seemed to block vitamin D’s effect on systolic pressure but worked together to reduce diastolic pressure.
Both turmeric compounds and vitamin D might be helpful for blood pressure in those with type 2 diabetes. But why they affect the two blood pressure numbers differently remains a puzzle.
For those keen to try, turmeric can be found in everyday items like curry powder, curry dishes, and certain roots like mango ginger. And for a dose of vitamin D, consider foods like salmon, sardines, cod liver oil, egg yolks, and fortified foods like some mushrooms and canned tuna.
Published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN by Shirin Ebrahimkhani and team, this study serves as a reminder that sometimes, health solutions might be hiding in plain sight, in our kitchens and daily diets.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, and high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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