Turmeric as a Weight Loss Product: Benefits and What You Should Know

Turmeric is a popular spice that, all science aside, offers two big benefits: it tastes great, with an earthy and peppery flavor that pairs well with everything from marinated chicken to tea, and it adds a vibrant golden color to dishes that can make meats and beans contrast nicely with greens or add a pop of delicious-looking orange to chicken soup. But turmeric also may offer a lot of potential health benefits that have been capturing attention in headlines for the past few years: it's an antioxidant; it's an anti-inflammatory agent; and it can help people lose weight. 

People have known about the medicinal benefits of turmeric (and, in particular, its main compound curcumin) for centuries. Ayurvedic medicine has used turmeric for over 4,500 years, with practitioners using turmeric extract to treat joint pain, turmeric-infused steam to treat congestion, and turmeric paste to treat skin conditions.

Turmeric also played an important role in Unani and traditional Chinese medicine, among others, and it spread around the world as a potent, valuable ingredient. Recently, researchers have been on a journey to explore many of these known benefits through clinical studies. As a result, many health benefits of turmeric are starting to be accepted as scientific fact.

An increasing body of research has gone even further to explore the potential role of turmeric in weight loss. It shows potentially promising effects for weight loss by addressing chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders, and appetite control. If you've been thinking about adding natural supplements for weight loss to your regimen, read through this guide to get a deeper understanding of the scientific mechanics that may be at play and the helpful role turmeric might play in your ideal healthy diet.

The Science Behind Turmeric and Weight Loss

Before we dive into the developing science of the connection between turmeric and weight loss, it's important to do some table-setting around both "turmeric" and "weight loss." 

Turmeric is a plant, and its rhizome (or root) can be sliced up for cooking, dried and ground into a powder as a spice, or developed into juice or paste. The whole turmeric rhizome itself is full of potentially health-supporting phytonutrients and compounds, including curcumin—the star of the show—as well as fiber, curdione that may provide antifungal benefits, flavonoids, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. 

Turmeric only contains between 2% and 8% curcumin. While this means there certainly could be benefits to taking turmeric-based curcumin supplements from a reliable source, there are also benefits to simply adding more turmeric to your diet in food and drinks. Healthy weight loss, as science increasingly shows, is supported best by healthy habits and whole foods in your diet. So turmeric itself, instead of just curcumin, can be a positive addition. 

Turmeric is routinely considered to be one of the most powerful herbs or plant-based ingredients for weight loss. Other popular options are fenugreek, green tea, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and guarana. Some of these plants are light stimulants, while others are appetite suppressants or have anti-inflammatory properties.

Fast loss vs. Weight Loss

It's also important to take a moment and consider weight loss under a discerning lens. First, compare weight loss to fat loss. Many people are really pursuing fat loss, specifically, while they want to maintain or even increase their muscle tissue. Discerning between these two goals matters, as plenty of fad diets and extreme fitness regimens can achieve total weight loss by reducing water retention or burning muscle. Curcumin may help with both total weight loss and fat loss, which is what makes it so valuable.

Even once you focus on "fat loss," there are many underlying conditions that can contribute to being overweight and obese and make losing weight hard. Here's a quick list: 

• Stress and excess cortisol production—cortisol can trigger increased ghrelin (the appetite hormone), and long-term stress can increase leptin (the fullness hormone) resistance
• Insulin resistance, which can contribute to weight gain, difficulty losing weight, and prediabetes
• Overeating—while it's not as simple as 'calories in, calories out,' consuming too many calories can result in weight gain
• Chronic inflammation from inflammatory cytokines, which can trigger excess cortisol, leptin disruption, and insulin resistance

You may have a genetic predisposition to certain conditions associated with weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Lifestyle factors such as unhealthy foods, poor sleep, and long stretches of sedentary activity can also cause or contribute to excess fat. Low mood and some mental health disorders also contribute, either due to medication side effects or because they cause poor sleep, low movement, and extra stress. 

All of this is to say it's important to understand why your unique body may struggle with fat gain and fat loss. However, curcumin may address many of the causes listed above, and it might help with insulin resistance by reducing glucose metabolism, with inflammation by suppressing cytokines, and by helping burn adipose tissue. Let's take a closer look at some of those key mechanisms. 

Turmeric and Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation contributes to metabolic syndrome and, through that, unwanted weight gain. Studies have found that chronic inflammation can be a triggering factor for metabolic syndrome—that is, chronic inflammation plays an important or even primary role in metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess adipose tissue that can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions. 

It does this by releasing inflammatory cytokines, small proteins that should regulate immune system responses and tissue repair but which can cause excessive inflammation or even tissue damage. Pro-inflammatory cytokines can directly disrupt fat breakdown and storage, disrupt appetite regulation, and contribute to sedentary lifestyles when chronic inflammation causes pain.

So, how might turmeric fix all this? Curcumin may suppress inflammatory pathways and potentially prevent some excessive production. Curcumin is not a cure-all, though. It needs to be combined with a removal or moderation of inflammation causes. Curcumin also occurs in low amounts in turmeric and isn't very bioavailable. It needs to be combined with other compounds, like piperine, for the body to effectively absorb it.

With all that said, scientists have found that turmeric supplements (especially when combined with piperine) might significantly reduce inflammation by curbing inflammatory cytokine production. Not only does this lead to fat loss, but turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties and other benefits may help reverse prediabetes and chronic conditions.

Turmeric's Impact on Metabolism and Fat Loss

When you think of metabolism, you might think back to that 'calories in, calories out' equation with some frustration. A high metabolism burns more calories than a low metabolism, even when the activity levels are the same. Some of the factors that contribute to a high metabolism are genetics, a higher level of muscle mass (which requires more calories to maintain), age, and medical conditions. Within that, glucose metabolism refers to the process of how the body breaks down glucose and converts it to ATP, glycogen, or fat tissue.

Turmeric may assist in glucose metabolism by: 

• Promoting the growth of "good" gut bacteria and maintaining a diverse microbiome
• Reducing inflammation that can interfere with glucose metabolism
• Strengthening the intestinal barrier
• Disrupting fat tissue growth

It might also help increase metabolic control after a period of weight loss. If you've frequently lost weight only to regain it, consuming sufficient turmeric and curcumin could also promote ongoing metabolic control. 

Another key benefit of curcumin is its potential ability to increase insulin sensitivity. If you have low insulin sensitivity, your body needs more insulin to maintain the right blood sugar level. But if you have higher insulin sensitivity, your fat, liver, and muscle cells respond improperly to insulin, your blood sugar becomes chronically high, and you're at risk of becoming pre-diabetic or having type 2 diabetes.

Curcumin may help manage your insulin sensitivity by supporting PPARy in the body, which regulates insulin sensitivity, and by preventing the production of new fat cells via adipogenesis. Not only might it block the formation of some new fat cells, but it may also prevent fat tissue growth at the cellular level. It may even help convert white fat cells into brown fat cells. Ultimately, curcumin may stop some new fat cells from growing and can make it easy for your body to shrink down fat cells. 

Turmeric and Appetite Suppression

There is another component that makes sustained weight loss hard: appetite. Two main hormones regulate your appetite and control when you want to eat: 

1. Ghrelin: Ghrelin is the hunger hormone. When your stomach produces ghrelin and releases it into your blood, it eventually reaches the brain and makes you feel hungry. Typically, your stomach makes ghrelin when it's empty—that's why slow-digesting foods with lots of fiber are considered high-satiety and keep you feeling full. But stress might also trigger ghrelin production and cause "stress eating."
2. Leptin: Fat cells produce leptin. When leptin works correctly, your body's fat stores will produce a proportional amount of leptin, which travels to your brain and tells it your body has enough fat cells. This reduces feelings of hunger. 

Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine also play a role in appetite suppression and an ongoing feeling of fullness. Curcumin has been shown to potentially increase serotonin in the brain by interfering with the serotonin regulator monoamine oxidase (MAO). But, this benefit may go beyond direct appetite suppression. Curcumin-based treatments may also one day help with mood disorders and low mood (which can contribute to weight gain over time).

However, there is a lot of research that says leptin resistance and obesity go hand in hand. If your body is resistant to leptin—that is, less sensitive to it—you can't accurately read satiety cues and may continue to feel hungry. Sudden weight loss can also disrupt your production of leptin and make your body think it doesn't have enough fat stores.

Tumeric may help your body produce and release more peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY), which can suppress your appetite. Turmeric and black pepper powder together (curcumin and piperine) may support hormone activity to decrease hunger and increase satiety.  

Comparative Analysis With Other Weight Loss Supplements

These effects have been measured and investigated in weight loss studies. But when you're evaluating whether turmeric supplements have a role in your life, you need to know specifics. For example, how much curcumin do you need a day for best results? How much turmeric will you need if you want whole-food sources instead of supplements? Also, how well does turmeric stack up against other weight loss supplements that promise big results?

Most studies focused on turmeric extract doses ranging between 500 mg and 2,000 mg a day. These are extracts of around 95% curcumin, not just turmeric. Consuming 2,500 mg of culinary turmeric (slightly less than one teaspoon) gives you around 100 mg of curcumin, so you'd need around five teaspoons a day to start reaching the same level as studied supplements. That's certainly not impossible, especially if you like the taste, but it'll be tricky.

You also need to make it bioavailable; curcumin isn't water-soluble, and that makes it hard for the body to absorb by itself. However, it is fat-soluble, so you can combine it with healthy fats. You can also mix it with black pepper for even more bioavailability. (If that sounds familiar, it's because pepper, turmeric, and coconut oil are three tasty ingredients in moon milk recipes.)

So, how does this compare to other popular weight loss supplements?

Green Tea Extract: Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Green tea is full of catechins, a type of polyphenol that offers anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant benefits. Green tea drinkers may notice positive effects like less arthritic swelling, lower muscle soreness, and some protection against inflammatory conditions. But it's important to drink tea in moderation, no more than three cups a day.

Green tea extract, which focuses on catechins and polyphenols, might produce even larger anti-inflammatory effects. Most studies focus on green tea extract amounts of 250-500 mg a day, or around 600 ml of green. However, curcumin supplements may deliver more powerful anti-inflammatory effects. 

Like them both? Consider green tea with turmeric for a well-rounded treat with polyphenols, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory effects. 

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Conjugated linoleic acid is naturally found in ruminant meats such as beef or lamb and dairy products. CLA is an omega-6 fatty, and it has some potential anti-inflammatory characteristics. It may play a role in controlling immune responses and the production of pro-inflammatory compounds in the body. Scientists are still researching the exact mechanics of CLA and to what extent it can be used as a weight loss supplement. 

Manufacturers produce CLA supplements from safflower and sunflower oil, but they're generally not recommended for fat loss. Most of the research into CLA has been conducted on animals, and its inflammatory benefits for weight loss and body-building are inconclusive. It may also actually cause inflammation, so it might be best to avoid CLA supplements until there's better science on their safety and effectiveness. 

Glucomannan: Appetite Suppression

Glucomannan supplements are concentrated doses of dietary fiber from konjac plants, also called elephant yams. Its high fiber content is the primary mechanism for appetite control. The glucomannan combines with water in the stomach and becomes a gel that your stomach is slow to digest. As a result, you can feel fuller for longer. The gel can also slow the absorption of sugar to help regulate blood sugar processes. 

Glucomannan is generally considered safe to consume—people regularly use it as a food thickener. It also has some benefits as a stool softener. However, its effects as a weight loss supplement are limited. While it can make your stomach fuller for longer periods, it doesn't directly affect appetite regulation. It also lacks the potential anti-inflammatory and fat-burning effects of turmeric. 

Garcinia Cambogia: Appetite Suppression

Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit full of hydroxy citric acid (HCA). Supplement manufacturers add the HCA, which may increase serotonin as a mechanism for reducing appetite. HCA may also block enzymes used in fat production and storage. However, research is underway, and there aren't clear answers about the effects and effectiveness of HCA. Some studies show that garcinia cambogia works best for overweight and obese participants, but there are continued concerns about the overall effectiveness and the potential links to liver toxicity. 

Additional Advantages of Turmeric: Naturally Improved Glucose Metabolism and Potent Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Turmeric has more research and more potential benefits than many alternative weight control or weight loss supplements, and both scientists and food regulatory bodies consider turmeric and turmeric-based products to be generally safe. It simply may not be worth the risks of using supplements that aren't as robustly studied or are shown to cause potential harm. 

Turmeric and curcumin also offer more theoretical avenues for weight loss and weight control. The supplements we've explored above don't impact glucose metabolism, for example, which is increasingly important in today's obesity and weight loss research. The anti-inflammatory effects turmeric may offer, while not wholly unique, are much more accessible in curcumin with the right addition of fats or pepper.

A Friendly Reminder: Diet and Exercise Matter More Than Supplements

So, does turmeric actually help with weight loss? Extensive research seems to point in that direction, and there are multiple avenues in which curcumin is associated with decreased fat, healthier appetite regulation, better metabolic control, and long-term weight maintenance and weight loss. 

Turmeric as an ingredient and turmeric supplements may both help with virtually any weight loss protocol. But it's best not to rely exclusively on supplements. Instead, use turmeric and curcumin as part of a well-balanced, healthy diet full of whole foods and real ingredients that have fiber, vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.

It's also important to consider exercise in your weight management efforts. As we discussed at the beginning of the article, remember the difference between weight loss and fat loss—excessive cardiovascular exercise and diets that minimize water retention can move the needle on the scale without truly helping with fat loss. Remember to move at least 150 minutes per week in moderate aerobic activity, to regularly get up and avoid sitting for multiple hours a day, and consider adding weight lifting to your routine to build your muscle mass and burn more calories.

Safety and Side Effects of Turmeric

Turmeric offers many potential fat loss benefits, and once you build up routines that properly place supplements alongside healthy habits and great nutrition, you can use curcumin to pursue significant results over the long term. But before you start exploring losing weight with turmeric, it's important to consider safety and potential side effects. 

What does the Mayo Clinic say about taking turmeric? Turmeric is generally considered safe, especially within reasonable levels. Not only does the clinic find that it can help with a healthier diet and lifestyle, but it may even provide some pain relief due to its anti-inflammatory effects. 

Next, it's important to know that turmeric as a food and turmeric products with concentrated curcumin are considered safe by the FDA. It's recommended that you take doses of no more than 8 grams for no longer than two months, but your physician can give you specific recommendations and limitations on dosage and duration.

But when it comes to picking your specific supplement, things get tricky. Curcumin supplements are considered dietary supplements, but the FDA doesn't regulate these products beyond mandating that manufacturers use Good Manufacturing Practices for general safety and clear labeling. You will need to research potential vendors until you find one with a reputation for high quality.

Turmeric also has potential side effects. High doses can cause nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, especially if you suddenly increase the amount you consume. If you have preexisting medical conditions, excessive turmeric may also cause blood thinning or low blood sugar. If you have diabetes, blood-thinning disorders, or use blood thinners, talk to your doctor before increasing your turmeric consumption. Some people are also allergic to turmeric.

Finally, turmeric can cause stains. The bright gold color can stain fingers, countertops, and clothes, turning into a bright yellow or green blot of color.

Choosing the Right Turmeric Supplement

If turmeric supplements are the right fit for you, the next step is choosing the right turmeric supplement. We recommend exploring your options by considering these factors: 

• Dosage: Exactly how much turmeric do you need for weight loss? Most studies focus on the results of people who take supplements between 500 and 2000 mg, so try to find supplements within this range. Too little, and you risk not actually reaching the potential beneficial effects. Too much, and you may trigger the side effects that come from too much turmeric. 
• Concentration of Curcumin: Zero in on products that contain a high concentration of curcumin, with a composition of at least 95% curcuminoids. These products contain sufficient quantities of the active ingredient researchers associate with fat loss and metabolic benefits, so you don't want to waste time and money on supplements with fillers.
• Purity and Quality: Focus on companies with extensive records-keeping and stringent tests for both purity and potency. Because the dietary supplement market is relatively unregulated, you'll want to find a company that goes above and beyond to regulate itself.

When you focus on these three factors, you can more easily navigate the market and find turmeric supplements that are safe and effective.

However, consider adding natural food sources of turmeric rather than solely relying on supplementation. Turmeric is a very versatile ingredient, and you can add the spice to soups, curries, tea recipes, and more. Along with powdered turmeric, the most common way you'll find turmeric in most kitchens, you can find turmeric shots and whole turmeric rhizomes in grocery stores. 

Incorporating turmeric into your daily diet allows you to get both curcumin and the other nutrients the plant has to offer. Even better, you can combine turmeric with black pepper and healthy fats for greater bioavailability.  

Tips for Losing Weight With Turmeric

There are no miracle cures for weight loss, but turmeric may support many new avenues for losing weight in a healthy, controlled way. Follow these tips for potentially losing weight with turmeric: 

• Find easy ways to add more turmeric to your diet: Add more turmeric to your chicken soup, try some turmeric drinks, and experiment with our turmeric creamer. While you need high doses of turmeric to reach the generally studied levels of curcumin, the plant offers many health benefits and has been used as a delicious ingredient for millennia.
• Take high-quality turmeric supplements for limited periods: Curcumin supplements contain concentrated doses of curcumin and can more easily help you reach the recommended 500-2,000 mg than dietary turmeric alone. Shop around for a reputable source and talk to your doctor before moving forward. 
• Ease into it: Sudden dietary changes and supplementation cycles may cause side effects. High levels of turmeric extract can hurt your stomach. They can also react with some medications.
• Keep bioavailability in mind: Curcumin is not water-soluble, and it doesn't get into the bloodstream easily. This can make your curcumin supplements virtually ineffective, especially if you eat them on an empty stomach. But you can increase the bioavailability of curcumin in turmeric by eating it with black pepper and healthy sources of fat like fish and avocado. Some supplement manufacturers even combine curcumin with piperine, an active compound in black pepper.
• Don't rely just on turmeric: Think of turmeric as a potential augmentation of your weight loss efforts, not the central element. Focus on lifestyle elements like a healthy diet, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep, and speak with your doctor if you believe you have chronic conditions or underlying medical issues that make fat loss a challenge. Everything from lowering your stress to developing more muscle tissue to prioritizing a healthy diet may all have a partial effect on your weight loss efforts, and no single change can take all the credit.

By following these tips, you can increase your curcumin consumption and start exploring all the metabolic and fat-loss benefits it may support.

Final Thoughts on Turmeric as a Weight Loss Product

If you think turmeric can help you manage your weight or actively lose fat, go for it! Find new sources of turmeric you'll enjoy adding to your diet, and increase your curcumin with turmeric supplements if your doctor agrees. Our Tumeric Superfood Creamer is made with just three ingredients: coconut milk powder, organic coconut sugar, and organic turmeric. You can add it to tea and coffee for a simple and delicious boost of turmeric any time throughout the day.

Turmeric is generally considered safe, and it shows a lot of promise in helping people lose weight by: 

• Controlling appetite by helping to manage hunger and satiety cues
• Reducing inflammation
• Managing glucose metabolism
• Disrupting the creation of new fat cells and inhibiting fat tissue growth
• Increasing insulin sensitivity and optimizing hormone responsiveness

All of these studied weight loss benefits may help partially counteract the unhealthy downsides of poor diet and chronic inflammation, but the science is still underway, and turmeric supplements are far from a proven wonder drug. Medical and weight loss scientists need to continue researching to ascertain the true value it provides and who it can help. But in the meantime, you can try different supplements, sip your coffee with turmeric creamer, and have fun with new recipes full of turmeric and other whole foods.

References: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15673055/

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a62977776/does-turmeric-help-weight-loss/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/weight-loss-herbs#:~:text=Fenugreek%20is%20a%20common%20household,of%20the%20day%20(%202%20).

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/cytokines.html

https://healthmatch.io/weight-management/how-to-take-turmeric-for-weight-loss#overview

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22206-insulin-resistance

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8775659/#:~:text=Curcumin%20causes%20AMPK%20and%20PPAR%CE%B1,increase%20in%20fatty%20acid%20oxidation.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turmeric-dosage#dosage

https://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis-green-tea

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-826/conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-turmeric-for-healthier-diet-pain-relief/#:~:text=When%20taken%20by%20mouth%20or,for%20limited%20periods%20of%20time.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20046433

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/turmeric-benefits-a-look-at-the-evidence

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-662/turmeric#:~:text=Turmeric%20products%20that%20provide%20up,for%20up%20to%203%20months.