Health Beneficial Effects of Turmeric Curcuma longa and Ginger Zingiber officinale

Health Beneficial Effects of Turmeric Curcuma longa) and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 

Srinivasan Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore - 570020, India. 

FIGURE 17.1. Chemical structure ofbloactive compound of turmeric (Curcuma longa). 

Daily administration of curcuminoids (0.5 g) to healthy human volunteers produced a 33% reduction in blood lipid peroxide levels (Soni and Kuttan 1992). This was accompanied by an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decrease in total serum cholesterol as a result of curcumin administration (500 mg/day for 7 days) (Quiles etal. 2002). The reduction in serum lipid peroxides and cholesterol suggests the potential of curcumin against arterial diseases. Supplementation with turmeric extract reduced oxidative stress and attenuated the development of atherosclerotic fatty streaks in rabbits fed on a high-cholesterol diet (Quiles etal. 2002). 

Oxidation of LDL plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Turmeric extract decreased the susceptibility of LDL to lipid peroxidation, thus suggesting its value in the management of cardiovascular disease (Ramirez-Tortosa et al. 1999). In healthy hiunans, the daily intake of 200 mg of turmeric extract resulted in a decrease in total blood lipid peroxides as well as in HDL- and LDL-lipid peroxidation (Miquel et al. 2002). The beneficial influence of dietary curciunin on the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation was examined in an animal study. Dietary curcumin significantly inhibited the in vivo iron-induced LDL oxidation as well as copper-induced oxidation of LDL in vitro (Manjunatha and Srinivasan 2006). 

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