Can Turmeric Help With Weight Loss?

Looking to use turmeric for weight loss?

This bright orange-yellow colored spice has been used traditionally in many Indian kitchens for centuries.

It’s not only a flavorful spice but the turmeric weight loss benefits are through the roof.

If you’ve ever eaten curry then you’ve had turmeric before. It ‘s what gives curry its yellow color and fun fact it’s also related to ginger.

Getting more turmeric in your diet can help to fight obesity and metabolic disorders. Both of which can cause you to gain weight.

Turmeric is not only beneficial for weight loss but it’s also a very power anti-inflammatory. Since inflammation is linked to weight gain then you can expect to lose weight with it.

The primary antioxidant in turmeric is curcumin. It’s been found to help with stomach issues, metabolic disorders & obesity.

Here you’ll find how to use turmeric for weight loss so you can effortlessly shed more pounds while fighting aging at the same time.

Does Taking Turmeric for Weight Loss Work?

lose weight with turmeric

Turmeric has been used for over 3,000 years traditionally in ayurvedic medicine to aid in fighting many diseases (1).

Taking more turmeric will help you lose weight but you should keep in mind it shouldn’t be your primary method of weight loss.

Turmeric will help to mitigate the inflammation linked to weight gain in your body. It’ll also help to reignite your metabolism as it’ll give your body a boost in fat burning.

This 2009 Tufts University study found curcumin (the main antioxidant in turmeric) could suppress fat tissue growth. (2)

This is big as the less your body is likely to add more fat tissue the less likely you are to gain weight. You’ll also be more likely to lose it.

A 2011 study by the British Journal of Nutrition found your body can start losing weight more effortlessly when it’s not constantly fighting inflammation. (3)

The good thing with taking turmeric and curcumin is it’ll instantly help to lower inflammation in your body linked to weight gain.

Then you’ll better be able to drop the weight with diet and exercise once the inflammation in your body is gone.

Another benefit of taking turmeric (other than weight loss) is it’ll help to lower your bad LDL cholesterol.

Those who took a turmeric supplement in this study were able to lower their bad LDL cholesterol by 42% and triglycerides by 39%. (4)

Turmeric is Nature’s Anti-inflammatory

turmeric anti inflammatory properties

If your body is constantly battling inflammation then it’s going to be very difficult for you to lose weight.

Your body won’t be able to focus on weight loss if it’s chronically inflamed all the time.

Obesity creates a low-level grade of constant inflammation in your body. This makes you much more likely to develop chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Taking curcumin has been found to lower inflammation in many troublesome cells in your body. These include your fat cells. (5)

When this happens in your body it will help to lower:

  • insulin resistance
  • high blood sugar
  • high cholesterol
  • obesity
  • metabolic syndrome
  • ulcerative colitis

A 2013 study found obesity to be heavily linked to low-grade metabolic inflammation. The powerful phytochemical in curcumin was effective in fighting this inflammation. (6)

The researchers in the study also found curcumin was able to battle the white fatty tissue in your body. This white fatty tissue causes this chronic inflammation.

Another study found curcumin to have a strong anti-inflammatory effect. It works by lowering the number of molecules in the body that cause inflammation in the first place. (7)

Once again the more you’re able to lower the inflammation in your body the better you’re going to be able to lose weight.

If your body is inflamed all the time then it’ll be very hard to lose weight no matter what you do. Fortunately taking more curcumin from turmeric will help to lower this inflammation.

Just don’t confuse curcumin for cumin. But you can use cumin for weight loss too.

Turmeric Benefits

Now that you know how powerful curcumin from turmeric is for fighting inflammation you should also know how it can directly impact weight loss.

As you gain weight the fat tissue in your body expands as new blood vessels form.

When mice were fed curcumin from turmeric they were able to form these blood vessels thus lowering how much fat they gained.

White adipose tissue is the main fat tissue in your body. Curcumin from turmeric has been found to help convert some of your white fatty tissue into brown fat.

This study found curcumin was able to create brown fat from white fat tissue. The benefit of having a higher ratio of brown fat is that it’s much easier burned off than white fat. (8)

You’ll gain weight when you have new blood cells formed from white adipose tissue.

But curcumin from turmeric helps to prevent these stubborn unwanted fats from staying in your body. This in effect will help to reduce how much fat your body is able to build up.

This study found curcumin from turmeric was able to induce apoptosis (aka cell death) in white fat cells. This in effect will help you shed more pounds. (9)

An interesting study in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences found those who took curcumin were able to lose more weight as well as drop fat in their body. (10)

Those in the study all had metabolic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Yet they still lost weight, fat and lowered belly fat.

Turmeric Fights Aging (Stay Young)

turmeric mask skin aging

Taking turmeric will not only help you lower inflammation and lose weight but it’ll also fight aging.

This study (11) found turmeric to fight aging by:

  • enhancing tissue formation
  • collagen deposition
  • tissue remodeling

One of the big problems with aging are all the health problems that come with it.

These include cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, joint problems and more.

And we all know it’s a lot easier to gain weight as the years go by.

This study found curcumin was effective for fighting off numerous cancers in the body. This is because it’s an indirect AKT/mTOR inhibitor. (12)

Tumors in the body have a high dysregulation from the signaling pathway of AKT/mTOR. Once a gene begins to become defective in this pathway then it’ll cause a feedback loop of excess overgrowth leading to tumors.

Here’s another study that found taking 1g of curcumin for 3 months was able to improve symptoms of arthritis. The researchers saw a 58% decrease in arthritis as well as a 400% increase in mobility of the area. (13)

One more study found curcumin in turmeric was effective in improving joint problems. (14)

Since curcumin and turmeric are natural anti-inflammatories you’ll also look younger. One of the big causes of accelerated aging in the skin is chronic inflammation.

So the better you’re able to lower the inflammation in your body the better looking you’re going to be too. Curcumin from turmeric is great for this.

If you’re looking to fight the aging process and staying young then try taking more curcumin and turmeric.

Turmeric Reduces Anxiety & Depression

Ever have any mood problems such as anxiety or depression?

If you have then there’s a good chance you have a high level of inflammation in your body. Studies have found a link between inflammation and depression. (15)

The good news is taking curcumin from turmeric will help to lower this inflammation linked to both depression and anxiety.

Plus when you think about it if you’re suffering from depression or anxiety it’s going to be much more difficult to stick to your diet and workouts.

Many people with depression tend to overeat with compensation in order to help boost their mood.

Helping to improve your mood from taking curcumin could help to not only boost your mood but also lose more weight too.

Researchers found turmeric to be just as effective for increasing serotonin uptake inhibitors as many prescription based medications. (16)

This review study in 2013 found turmeric to be a very effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant for treating bipolar disorder. (17)

You cannot only expect your mood to improve from taking curcumin and turmeric but you also notice an increased effort to workout and eat better.

How to Use Turmeric for Weight Loss

turmeric tea recipe

Now that you know all the amazing benefits of taking turmeric and curcumin how much should you take?

Studies typically have used 500 to 2000 mg of turmeric per day often in the form of curcumin extract.

Turmeric itself only contains about 3% curcumin compared to the extracts which contain up to 95%.

It will be better to supplement with a curcumin extract. This will be more effective than just having the turmeric spice in your food and drinks.

But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add turmeric to your foods as every little bit ends up counting and building up.

Make sure you add some black pepper to your turmeric to increase how much is absorbed into your body.

This study found adding black pepper to turmeric was able to increase the absorption up to 2000%.

Fun Fact: You can also use cayenne pepper for weight loss as it’ll boost your metabolism.

This is a very big deal! If your body is unable to absorb all of the turmeric then it won’t be receiving all of the benefits too.

You can try adding turmeric to food such as your stir fries, roasted veggies, cooked brown rice, and sprinkle on your scrambled eggs.

Best Turmeric Supplement

If you’re really looking to maximize your results with it’ll be best to take a turmeric supplement that also has a high amount of curcumin in it.

Curcumin supplementation will give you the best results since you want the turmeric extract that makes it so effective for its anti inflammatory properties.

Make sure the turmeric curcumin supplements you’re looking at also contains black pepper extract. Your curcumin intake from taking a single turmeric capsule should be at least 95% curcuminoids.

This will boost the bioavailable curcumin that your body can absorb. Many cheap turmeric curcumin supplements mostly contain turmeric only which will only give you a fraction of the results.

Turmeric curcumin supplementation will be the best but you can also drink a daily turmeric tea too. Your can drink turmeric tea daily since there’s no upper limit dosage for use a turmeric powder.

You can also drink green tea for an effective combination for losing belly fat. But drinking turmeric tea as part of your daily ritual is an easy and effective way to get your daily turmeric in.

Below you’ll find my recommended turmeric supplement that contains a high dosage of curcumin. It also contains Bioperine which will greatly enhance how much your body is able to absorb giving you better results.

Click here for my recommended turmeric curcumin supplement

Turmeric for Weight Loss Recipe

turmeric weight loss recipe

Here’s my favorite recipe for using turmeric to lose weight that you can drink daily.

It’s known as Golden Milk a.k.a. a turmeric latte.

It’s quite tasty and you will be receiving many of the benefits listed above such as fighting inflammation and weight loss.

Turmeric for weight loss recipe:

  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground fresh turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp (or a big pinch) black pepper
  • ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp raw honey

*Whisk it all in a saucepan over medium heat until it simmers for 10-15 minutes. Let cool and if you want can froth it up more by using a whisk or blender.

You can also try adding in some apple cider vinegar and lemon juice too. It’s a good idea to play around with your recipe to see which flavor you like the best.

If you want to know how you can use cinnamon for weight loss then also take a look at my other write up.

How much turmeric should you take a day?

Most studies have looked at taking 500 – 1000 mg of turmeric every day for long periods of time. Although these studies also use the curcumin extract from turmeric which will be better to take than just the turmeric.

Does turmeric suppress appetite?

Turmeric isn’t known as an appetite suppressant but it is very powerful at lowering inflammation. This, in turn, can help to reduce the feelings of hunger and appetite in your body as you shouldn’t feel as hungry as normal. But turmeric itself shouldn’t be mainly viewed as an appetite suppressant.

What are the side effects of turmeric?

You should talk to your doctor if you’re taking any blood thinners as turmeric can inhibit blood clotting.

If you’re deficient in iron then you should know that turmeric can inhibit the absorption of iron. Taking turmeric will be a good idea if your body has too much iron in it for this very same reason.

And if you decide to take turmeric even though you have the above health issues then it’ll be a good idea not to take black pepper with it. This way you will absorb less turmeric in your body. But then again it’s not going to give you any of the benefits that come with taking turmeric.

Does turmeric milk help in weight loss?

Getting in more turmeric will help to lower the inflammatory markers in your body. It will also fight the fat cells from building up in your body as well. This will help you lose weight as well as lower your body fat.

This, in turn, will help you with weight loss but it shouldn’t be your primary method. You should only expect to lose significant weight with turmeric milk if you’re following an exercise and diet program too.

The Last Word

Now that you know all the benefits with turmeric for weight loss it’s a good idea to start getting more curcumin in your body every day.

It’s best to supplement with a curcumin extract from turmeric as it contains a significant more of the antioxidant than turmeric itself.

Turmeric will not only help with weight loss but it also helps to fight inflammation, chronic health diseases and help you stay young.

Just don’t expect taking curcumin and turmeric to be a miracle worker for weight loss. You can expect to lose some weight with it but you will lose much more by following a science-backed diet and exercise program such as The Flat Belly Formula .

Turmeric and curcumin are both very powerful for improving your overall health. It’s a good idea to be taking more of it daily especially as the years go by.

Taking turmeric for weight loss will give you more benefits such as lower inflammation, less fat, better joints, less arthritis, and improved mood.