Research focuses on the health benefits of curcuminoids, natural compounds found in turmeric, a spice often used in cooking. It was observed that these natural compounds could reduce the levels of fat the body was able to absorb. The way they do this is by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down the fat in foods into forms that can be absorbed through digestion, referred to as pancreatic lipase.
This, in turn, by inhibition of this enzyme, could potentially reduce fat intake from meals, hence positioning curcuminoids as a natural adjunct for weight management and in combating obesity. The research also mentions the potential to exploit turmeric, an easily available and safe spice, for better health through simple dietary supplementation.
This finding bridges the gap between traditional dietetics and modern science, pointing out how common foods may prevent or manage health adversities like obesity.
Full text can be found in: Xiao-Qin He, Hai-Dan Zou, Yi Liu, Xue-Jiao Chen, Atanas G. Atanasov, Xiao-Li Wang, Yu Xia, Siew Bee Ng, Maima Matin, Ding-Tao Wu, Hong-Yan Liu, Ren-You Gan, Discovery of Curcuminoids as Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitors from Medicine-and-Food Homology Plants, Nutrients, 2024, 16(15), 2566, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152566.