You should never take health advice from some random dude sitting in a beach chair, especially if he has potato chip crumbs on his shirt. But, don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got no advice to give, just a few observations about something called turmeric and a related chemical, curcumin.<\/p>\n
Turmeric is a spice that\u2019s supposed to be good for you. It\u2019s yellow and it\u2019s what gives curry its color. It is related to the ginger plant and, in fact, the word for turmeric in Chinese is \u201cyellow ginger.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is said to reduce inflammation. We\u2019re apparently vulnerable to inflammation without even knowing it. So we might look OK on the outside, but our gizzards, or whatever internal workings keep the lights on, can be inflamed anyway. Many serious health problems are said to be rooted in chronic inflammation. <\/p>\n
Now, you\u2019re probably going to ask me, \u201cSaid by whom?\u201d Well, I will answer that. It was said by some guy I once heard on a late-night radio show. And he wasn\u2019t just any guy. He was, as a matter of fact, a very convincing guy. <\/p>\n
I forgot all about that particular convincing guy for a while, but I soon noticed that normal, everyday people were talking about turmeric. It\u2019s got quite a following as an herbal health supplement. Well, if the smart, sophisticated folks were buying this stuff, typically as 1-lb. tubs of ground turmeric root, I sure didn\u2019t want to get left behind. So I bought a tub of the stuff, too.<\/p>\n
Thus began my turmeric regimen. And thus ended it, too. I never figured out a way to conveniently consume the stuff. Just stir it into a cup of something, they said. Well, I insist on keeping coffee just that, coffee, but I did try turmeric in my tea. I have lots of tea, because I prefer coffee. People give me tea, because I prefer coffee. So this turmeric things was an excuse to balance my inventory. Unfortunately, this experiment didn\u2019t do either the tea or the turmeric any favors. <\/p>\n
Now what? Put it in soup, they said. Egads, we\u2019ve gone from being a mere supplement to being a driving force behind meal planning. No, thanks.<\/p>\n
I do have a practical solution, though: doughnuts. If Winchell\u2019s could mix turmeric into a doughnut, the problem would be solved. <\/p>\n
After my 1-lb. container of turmeric found its way to the nook of the pantry where I keep spare faucet washers and a 22-year-old jar of pimentos, an article in Forbes crossed my desk. Forbes mentioned that UCLA had done a study related to turmeric, so I looked up some of UCLA\u2019s Web postings. <\/p>\n
The active ingredient of turmeric, or at least the main active ingredient, is something called \u201ccurcumin.\u201d According to UCLA, only 5 percent to 10 percent of turmeric is curcumin. UCLA had very positive things to say about the health effects of curcumin. <\/p>\n
There are various issues pertaining to \u201cabsorption\u201d and \u201c bioavailability\u201d of curcumin. Just because you eat it doesn\u2019t mean your body is going to make full use of it. Since UCLA\u2019s scope of interest here was brain health, bioavailability is a tougher nut to crack, because our brains are well-filtered from the usual junk circulating in our bodies. So the University of California Regents and Veteran\u2019s Affairs developed and patented a technique to improve curcumin\u2019s bioavialability for the brain. They licensed this process, called \u201cLongvida,\u201d to an outfit called Verdure Sciences. <\/p>\n
How this specific context meshes with the general health context is an issue I\u2019ve yet to resolve. Would a Longvida-process curcumin capsule be a better general supplement than a teaspoon or two of turmeric powder? I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s certainly an option for those so inclined, and I\u2019ve noticed that several brands of curcumin capsules are on the market. <\/p>\n
Anyway, that\u2019s where we are with the turmeric and curcumin thing. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve got any wisdom, you can send it along. With you, UCLA, and, hopefully, Winchell\u2019s on the case, I know this matter is in very good hands. <\/p>\n
In the meantime, as you can see, I\u2019ve still got a half-bag of potato chips to keep me occupied. Here, have a few. As the French say: \u201cA Sante!\u201d To health!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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