Curcumin Helps Blood Vessel Health in Postmenopausal Women

by | Nov 27, 2012 | 2012, Cardiovascular Health, Curcumin, Menopause

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Curcumin increases elasticity of blood vessel walls in post menopausal women.

Of the numerous health issues that face women entering menopause, from the threats of osteoporosis and hip fractures to elevated cholesterol levels that can increase heart disease risk (1), another is a decrease in blood vessel health, namely in elasticity. This is called “arterial endothelial dysfunction” and has been associated with increased risks of heart disease and death (2), due mostly to the decrease in estrogen levels associated with menopause (3).

One of the most important measures of blood vessel health is “flow mediated dilation” which measures how much a blood vessel can relax as blood flow through the vessel increases (4). Unfortunately, this aspect of blood vessel health progressively declines with age and sets the stage for many cardiovascular health problems including heart disease, heart attack and stroke (5). Now a new study (6) suggests curcumin may help maintain blood vessel health in postmenopausal women.

In the study, 32 women between the ages of 56 and 72 and who had been in menopause for at least 2 years were divided into one of three groups:

  • Curcumin Group (11 women): 150 mg curcumin per day for 8 weeks.
  • Exercise Group (11 women): 3 exercise training sessions per week (2 supervised, 1 at-home session) for 8 weeks (7). Initially, the patients cycled and walked 30 minutes per day at a low intensity (60% of their maximal heart rate). As their exercise tolerance improved, the intensity and duration of aerobic exercise were increased to 40 to 60 minutes per day at an intensity of 70% to 75% of the maximal heart rate.
  • Control Group (10 women): Neither curcumin supplementation or exercising.

The patients in both the control and curcumin groups were instructed not to change their level of physical activity during the study.

By the end of the 8 weeks, the researchers noticed 2 significant improvements in the curcumin group compared to the exercise and control groups:

  • A 5% drop in  systolic blood pressurem(the top number) (122 to 116 mmHg) compared to a 4.5% drop in the exercise group (112 to 107 mmHg) and a minimal increase in the control group (112 to 113 mmHg) (p < 0.05).
  • A 70% increase in flow mediated dilation (2.5 to 4.25%) compared to a 43.5% increase in the exercise group (3.9 to 5.6%) and a 3.8% decrease in the control group (4.0 to 3.85%) (p < 0.05).

While admitting that how curcumin exerts these health effects is not fully understood, the researchers cited previous research regarding possible anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects by suppressing activity of a protein called TNF-alpha (8) and concluded, “These findings suggest that curcumin could be developed as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease similar to exercise training in postmenopausal women.”

Source: Akazawa, Nobuhiko, et al. “Curcumin ingestion and exercise training improve vascular endothelial function in postmenopausal women.” Nutrition research 32.10 (2012): 795-799.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted November 27, 2012.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. “Menopause” on the U.S. National Library of Medicine Website.
  2. Thijssen DH, Black MA, Pyke KE, Padilla J, Atkinson G, Harris RA, et al. Assessment of flow-mediated dilation in humans: a methodological and physiological guideline. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2011;300:H2–H12.
  3. Gavin KM, Seals DR, Silver AE, Moreau KL. Vascular endothelial estrogen receptor alpha is modulated by estrogen status and related to endothelial function and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009;94:3513–2.
  4. Kelm M.  Flow mediated dilatation in human circulation: diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.  Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2002 Jan;282(1):H1-5.
  5. Gates PE, Boucher ML, Silver AE, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Impaired flow-mediated dilation with age is not explained by L-arginine bioavailability or endothelial asymmetric dimethylarginine protein expression. J Appl Physiol 2007;102:63–71.
  6. Akazawa N.  Curcumin ingestion and exercise training improve vascular endothelial function in postmenopausal women.  Nutr Res 2012; 32(10):795-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2012.09.002.
  7. Yoshizawa M, Maeda S, Miyaki A, Misono M, Choi Y, Shimojo N, et al. Additive beneficial effects of lactotripeptodes and aerobic exercise on arterial compliance in postmenopausal women. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2009;297:H1899–903.
  8. He ZY, Shi CB, Wen H, Li FL, Wang BL, Wang J. Upregulation of p53 expression in patients with colorectal cancer by administration of curcumin. Cancer Invest 2011;29:208–13.