Should athletes take turmeric supplements?
Should Athletes Take Turmeric Supplements
Written by Holley Samuel MEd, RD, CSSD, CPT & Gillian Hotaling, nutrition intern
Recently on the Holley Fueled Nutrition Podcast I break down what you need to know about turmeric and curcumin supplements. Turmeric is a spice that is commonly used in foods and curcumin is the anti-inflammatory component within turmeric. Turmeric works best in conjunction with black pepper- so when you’re cooking with it pairing these two together can be functional.
As runners, we naturally experience some pain and inflammation due to the training we put our bodies through. Our ability to refuel and sleep well impacts how we recover day to day from inflammation. Good recovery leads to an increase in strength and fitness over time while poor recovery leads to chronic stress and breakdown of the body. Chronic inflammation is multifaceted, and typically adding in a supplement in the hopes that it will magically fix everything is a poor approach to addressing this.
Turmeric and curcumin have shown promising benefits in humans in general and also specifically in runners to help reduce inflammation. Before adding turmeric and curcumin to your diet, thinking it will fix all the inflammation in your body, it is important to understand the root cause of your chronic inflammation and side effects that can come with turmeric supplements. While turmeric can be a useful tool, it is crucial for all endurance athletes to recognize, as we want to avoid prolonged symptoms and address the root issue of chronic inflammation.
What’s the deal Supplementing with Turmeric and Curcumin?
Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family and primarily comes from India. It is used as both a spice and for traditional medicine. Turmeric powder can be found in seasonings and spices such as curry powder as well as in supplements. Because of its bright yellow color it is also used as a coloring agent in various foods such as mustard and butter.
Research shows that both curcumin (which is an active compound in turmeric) and turmeric supplementation have positive effects on reducing inflammation, pain, and PMS symptoms. Reducing inflammation and pain are particularly important for athletes due to the inflammation that can arise from sport and training. Moreover, turmeric and curcumin can aid in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and anxiety. One study was conducted to test the effectiveness of turmeric and curcumin extract supplementation on inflammation and muscle damage after a half-marathon race. The results showed how turmeric extract supplements lower levels of muscle damage markers after the half marathon race.
Even though research has shown tumeric to have potential benefits for runners, female runners and iron deficient runners should proceed with caution. Taking an excessive amount of turmeric can negatively impact estrogen levels so while some women with elevated estrogen levels may benefit from this, women struggling with too low estrogen levels taking turmeric may further hinder their hormone related problems. For example, runners suffering from hypothalamic amenorrhea and/or relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) would be better off avoiding high dose turmeric supplementation. While it is hard to get “too much” turmeric when using it in cooking, it may be easier to over do it with supplements, which tend to have higher levels of turmeric and are not regulated by the FDA.
Individuals who are iron deficient should also proceed with caution as the turmeric can bind metals, hindering the ability for our body to absorb metal. Turmeric should not be taken within 2 hours of an iron supplement or at all in those struggling with iron levels. It is also common for runners struggling with their iron status (and ferritin lab) to suffer from low energy availability and inadequate carbohydrate intake, chronic inflammation, and symptoms such as pain, PMS, and poor recovery. I often see runners in my practice taking turmeric supplements because they hear it can help manage these symptoms, but using turmeric in this way does not address the root cause of these symptoms, which is likely REDs. In fact, it may make some of these things worse such as lowering estrogen even more and inhibiting iron absorption.
Recommendations
Based on the current body of research on turmeric, I recommend runners incorporate the spice into their diet in cooking and avoid blindly supplementing with turmeric supplements. Turmeric supplements can be used strategically while working with a health care provider for guidance in some cases, but should rarely be used long term in the form of supplementation, as there are potential risks and side effects particularly in the running population who tend to be at risk of low energy availability related chronic inflammation. Addressing these symptoms from a root cause approach is vital and while helpful as tools occasionally, supplements should not be used as a “magic bullet” solution.
Basic Key Takeaways
Turmeric and curcumin have potential positive effects on reducing inflammation in the body, however there are 2 things to keep in mind:
It is important to discover the root cause of your inflammation before trying to use a “quick fix” of which this is not.
Female runners with low estrogen and iron deficient runners should likely avoid turmeric supplements
References
Hewlings, S. J., & Kalman, D. S. (2017). Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 6(10), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6100092
Faria, F. R., Gomes, A. C., Antunes, A., Rezende, K. R., Pimentel, G. D., Oliveira, C. L. P., Antunes, B. M., Lira, F. S., Aoki, M. S., & Mota, J. F. (2020). Effects of turmeric extract supplementation on inflammation and muscle damage after a half-marathon race: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. European journal of applied physiology, 120(7), 1531–1540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04385-7
Suhett, L. G., de Miranda Monteiro Santos, R., Silveira, B. K. S., Leal, A. C. G., de Brito, A. D. M., de Novaes, J. F., & Lucia, C. M. D. (2020). Effects of curcumin supplementation on sport and physical exercise: a systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 61(6), 946–958. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2020.1749025