According to WHO (World Health Organization), being overweight is the abnormal or uncontrolled fat pileup threatening the health of your body. In simple words, overweight is one whose body mass index (BMI) is above 25, and over 30 is referred to as obesity. Research and clinical trials have shown that the uptake of curcumin in turmeric results in a visible reduction in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and leptin. In this article, you’ll learn the following:

• Turmeric’s Capacity for weight loss
• What does study & research say?
• 10 DIY Ways (recipes) to consume turmeric for weight loss
• Precautions to be followed

People having overweight or obese are at higher risk for many severe diseases and health conditions. These include:

• High blood pressure or hypertension
• High LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol
• Type II diabetes.
• heart issues or stroke
• Gallbladder problem
• Osteoarthritis
• Breathing problems.
• Clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
• Body aches and difficulty with physical functioning

Turmeric’s Capacity for weight loss

Commonly, inflammation leads to diseases and severe inflammation results in chronic diseases. When pro-inflammatory cytokines release into the body, they lead to chronic inflammation resulting in obesity. Further, the research found that curcumin in turmeric curbs such inflammatory markers by suppressing fat tissue growth.

However, curcumin is notorious due to its poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination. It only works when combined with warming spices and fatty foods. One is black pepper, which ensures curcumin absorption in the body by 2000 percent.

STUDY & RESEARCH ABOUT CURCUMIN POTENCY FOR WEIGHT LOSS

According to the Journal Frontiers in Pharmacology-2019 study:

Curcumin uptake results in a visible reduction in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and leptin. But it does not affect the hip ratio in people with metabolic syndrome.

As per the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 2015 Study:

It was seen that curcumin helped in weight loss from 1.88 to 4.91 percent, reduction of body fat from 0.70 to 8.43 percent, and BMI from 2.10 to 6.43 percent in a group of overweight people. However, more research is needed to validate curcumin’s fat and weight loss benefits.

10 DIY Ways (recipes) to consume turmeric for weight loss

Turmeric Tea DIY 

The week’s ready-made turmeric tea mixture (Abdominal-Fat Burner)

INGREDIENTS:

Turmeric powder: 6 tbsp. (six tablespoons)

Cinnamon powder (locally acquired): 1 & ½ tbsp. (one and a half tablespoons)

Ginger powder:   1 & ½ tbsp. (one and a half tablespoons)

Pepper powder: 1 ½ & tsp (one and a half teaspoons)

Directions: Take a clean glass jar. Afterward, layer up all the four ingredients described above into the glass jar. Cover the pot tightly with the lid. Shake the jar to mix the ingredients well. Store this mixture for your DIY turmeric tea. Whenever you want turmeric tea, add 1/3rd to half tsp of the ready-made mix into a cup and pour hot boiling water. Stir it up, and enjoy!

Turmeric Tea with Ginger Extract

INGREDIENTS:

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp. (half teaspoon)

Ginger Juice: ½ tsp.

Pepper powder:  ½ tsp (half teaspoon)

Lemon Juice: ½ tsp

Directions:  At first, pour all the abovementioned ingredients into a cup (120ml) of hot boiling water. Equally. Stir it up, and enjoy!

Turmeric Tea for PCOS/Thyroid weight loss

INGREDIENTS:

Water: 135ml

Black pepper: 3-4 peppercorns freshly grounded

Organic Turmeric: ½ tsp

Organic A2 Desi Ghee/ Cow Ghee: 1 tbsp.

Directions:

Add one 150ml of water into a pan. Let it boil. Pour hot boiling water into a cup. Add half a teaspoon of locally acquired turmeric powder, one-fourth of freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tbsp. of organic cow ghee into a cup. Blend the mixture via a stick blender for about 30 seconds. Enjoy it empty stomach and have breakfast after 30 minutes of this drink.

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Turmeric Tea (coupled with exercise/workout)

INGREDIENTS:

Water: 240ml

Organic turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon

Honey or Lemon: according to your taste

A pinch of Black pepper

Directions: Add two cups of water (120ml per cup) and 1 tsp of turmeric powder into a saucepan. Please bring it to a boil. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes and let it cool. Add a pinch of black pepper for faster absorption and a few drops of lemon and honey according to your taste. Voila! Your drink is ready. Make sure to have this daily alongside a healthy diet and exercise for maximum benefits.

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Instant Turmeric Drink for Weight Loss

INGREDIENTS:

Water: 1 cup (135-150ml)

Cinnamon Stick: 1 (little)

Black Pepper: 5-6 peppercorns

Ginger: ½ teaspoon grated

Turmeric Powder: ¼ teaspoon

Directions: At first, add 135-150ml of water into a pan. Please bring it to a boil. Add ingredients, as mentioned earlier, into hot boiling water. Simmer it for 10 minutes. Strain the drink and enjoy!

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Turmeric Kahwa for Weight Loss

INGREDIENTS:

Water: 1 cup

Virgin coconut oil: ½ tsp

Cinnamon: a pinch

Turmeric Powder:  ½ tsp

Directions: Add all ingredients to a cup except coconut oil. Afterward, add hot water to a cup. Mix it well. Remember to add virgin coconut oil last. Stir it well, and enjoy!

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Fat Burner Turmeric Tea

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Turmeric Root

Black peppercorns: 6-7

Desi Cow ghee: 1/4 tbsp.

Directions: Peel the skin of the fresh turmeric root. Add 6-7 black peppercorns and peeled turmeric root into stone mortar & pestle. Crush it well. Remove the paste with a wooden spoon into the saucepan. Add a cup of water and allow it to boil. Put the flame on the lowest and let it simmer for a minute. Turn off the stove. Add 1/4 tablespoon of desi cow ghee. Also, cover it via lid and let it steep for about a minute for sediments to settle.

Note: Don’t strain. Pour it into a serving cup.

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Turmeric Water (for the overall well-being of the body)

INGREDIENTS:

½ teaspoon of Turmeric

½ teaspoon Lemon

Organic Honey

Warm water

Directions: Compress the juice of half a lemon into a glass, and pour the warm water into it. Afterward, mix it side with turmeric powder. Add honey and make sure to mix it well.

Note: Drink on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before having breakfast.

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Golden Milk Latte  for Weight Loss

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of unsweetened milk (i.e., Almond milk, Coconut milk, Oat milk, Soy milk, Rice milk)

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of ginger powder

1/3 tsp of cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp of freshly crushed black pepper

1/4 tsp desi ghee (cow ghee) or copra oil

1 tsp of honey or maple syrup

Directions:

Add 1/2 cup milk into a saucepan. Afterward, allow it to boil, and add all ingredients. Bring to a boil for a maximum of ten minutes. Reduce the temperature and simmer until fragrant and flavorful—switch off the flame. Finally, serve and enjoy! Strain the drink via a strainer into a cup and top with a piece of cinnamon.

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Ginger Turmeric Matcha Latte

INGREDIENTS:

One teaspoon of Matcha powder

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

One tablespoon of hot boiling water

1 cup milk (nut, hemp, coconut, or cows)

 Honey

Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Firstly, pour the ground spices and matcha into a glass with hot water and form a smooth paste by whisking or stirring vigorously. Stir again. Equally, blend it again until the frothy texture appears. Finally, enjoy! Top with heated milk with the sweetener of your choice.

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Precautions to be followed:

Usually, around 500 milligrams or 1-3 grams daily of turmeric for weight loss is healthy, but an amount higher than this can pose a risk. Curcumin is commonly considered safe for most people. However, if consumed in excessive amounts or for an extended period, it could cause digestive symptoms. Generally, high consumption of the above-recommended dosage can:

• Slows Blood Clotting evidently
• can interact with certain medications and cause excessive bleeding leading to Gastrointestinal problems
• commonly increases the risks of gallstones and kidney stones
• People using antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, blood thinners, and other medications should talk to a doctor before taking supplements.

Very few studies have analyzed turmeric’s safety with other drugs. Until now, there is no clear-cut evidence of drug interactions and no evidence that it is safe. The National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health states that turmeric supplements and creams are likely safe. Still, researchers are working to develop more concentrated, bioavailable forms of turmeric for weight loss.

• Always let your healthcare provider know you are thinking about taking curcumin to make sure it won’t interfere with any prescribed treatments you may already have.
• As turmeric is a supplement, not prescribed medicine, FDA didn’t make its dosing recommendations.
• It would be best to consider turmeric starting with a lower dose of a few hundred mg. Then you must notice increasing the amount weekly as long as you do not experience side effects.

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CITATIONS

Kasprzak-Drozd K, Oniszczuk T, Gancarz M, Kondracka A, Rusinek R, Oniszczuk A. Curcumin and Weight Loss: Does It Work? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8775659/ Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 7;23(2):639. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020639. PMID: 35054828; PMCID: PMC8775659.

Akbari M, Lankarani KB, Tabrizi R, Ghayour-Mobarhan M, Peymani P, Ferns G, Ghaderi A, Asemi Z. The Effects of Curcumin on Weight Loss Among Patients With Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6582779/ Front Pharmacol. 2019 Jun 12;10:649. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00649. PMID: 31249528; PMCID: PMC6582779.

Di Pierro F, Bressan A, Ranaldi D, Rapacioli G, Giacomelli L, Bertuccioli A. Potential role of bioavailable curcumin in weight loss and omental adipose tissue decrease: preliminary data of a randomized, controlled trial in overweight people with metabolic syndrome. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26592847/ Preliminary study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015 Nov;19(21):4195-202. PMID: 26592847.

Bradford PG. Curcumin and obesity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23339049/ Biofactors. 2013 Jan-Feb;39(1):78-87. doi: 10.1002/biof.1074. Epub 2013 Jan 22. PMID: 23339049.

Mousavi SM, Milajerdi A, Varkaneh HK, Gorjipour MM, Esmaillzadeh A. The effects of curcumin supplementation on body weight, body mass index and waist circumference: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30373373/ Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020;60(1):171-180. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1517724. Epub 2018 Oct 29. PMID: 30373373.

Unhapipatpong C, Polruang N, Shantavasinkul PC, Julanon N, Numthavaj P, Thakkinstian A. The effect of curcumin supplementation on weight loss and anthropometric indices: an umbrella review and updated meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36898635/ Am J Clin Nutr. 2023 Mar 9:S0002-9165(23)46260-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.03.006. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36898635.

Baziar N, Parohan M. The effects of curcumin supplementation on body mass index, body weight, and waist circumference in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31799714/ Phytother Res. 2020 Mar;34(3):464-474. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6542. Epub 2019 Dec 4. PMID: 31799714.