If you cook, there’s a chance you’ve used the Asian spice turmeric in your food. And more recently, you may have even heard of or used it as a supplement for its purported healing properties to prevent infections.
But, as is often the case, too much of a good thing can be bad.
Turmeric’s active ingredient is curcumin. That’s what produces the myriad of benefits thought to be from turmeric, including anit-oxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-cancer, and memory-enhancing effects, to name a few.
But experts at the University of Michigan Health warn too much turmeric could cause liver damage leading to hospitalization.
“The issue that we’re seeing is not the amount that you put on your food,” said University of Michigan Health Hepatology Dr. Robert Fontana. “It’s when you take, if you will, industrial strength doses of this as a supplement, as a tablet.”
Fontana is a liver specialist. He says one of their recent studies found some people may be genetically predisposed to problems from turmeric.
“Too much turmeric over a prolonged period of time can cause hepatitis and liver injury and very rare instances of fatalities,” Fontana said. “We’re not exactly sure why this happens in some people.”
Besides genetics, another possible explanation is increased absorption in newer combinations.
“The run-of-the-mill turmeric that you buy at the health food store, Costco, or what have you, It’s actually not very well absorbed,” Fontana said. “But the more recent formulations that are now being marketed have piperine in them. And the reason that they have piperine or pepper is it increases the absorption.”
Fontana continued:
“Overall use of these products across the board is increasing significantly. And I think we’ll continue to do so. The labels on these products do not accurately reflect the ingredients. And they do not mention anything about safety concerns.”
The market for herbal and dietary supplements in the United States is enormous. Unfortunately, the FDA does not require manufacturers to conduct any safety testing on herbal supplements, so buyers beware.
Tumeric may very well be good for you, but the problem is the belief that if some are good, more is better. That’s not only wrong but potentially harmful.
