Curcumin is a naturally occurring polyphenotic compound derived from the turmeric plant. It is commonly used in many parts of the world as a spice and medical agent to treat a wide variety of ailments,1 Research has identified curcumin as the compound responsible for most of the health associated with turmeric consumption2, which include anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant effects.3,4.
The wide-ranging biological activity of curcumin comes from its versatile molecular structure that provides the unique capacity to bind and regulate numerous biological targets. In addition to the many targets that curcumin regulates to improve overall health, curcumin also affects additional biomolecules- resulting in greater production of the muscle-building hormone testosterone, while also triggering the remarkably powerful fat-reducing process known as thermogenesis.
In order to see if this was possible, a group of Nigerian scientists investigated whether curcumin consumption increased testosterone.7 In this study, four groups of young male rats were given gallic acid (which acts as a pro-oxidant and reduces testosterone), curcumin, curcumin plus gallic acid or a placebo. At the end of the study, the researchers noted the following:
The testosterone concentration of the gallic acid-consuming group was roughly 30 percent lower than in the control group receiving the placebo. The gallic acid group also demonstrated considerable oxidative stress based on the significant drop seen in endogenous antioxidant molecules within the testes, because they were expended while scavenging molecules, causing oxidative stress.
In the group ingesting curcumin, the testosterone concentration was 260 percent higher than in the control group, demonstrating that curcumin can stimutate testosterone production.
The group ingesting gallic acid and curcumin also showed an increase in testosterone of 180 percent, establishing curcumin's capacity to overcome the oxidative stress induced by gallic acid and still increase testosterone production.
Interestingly, both groups consuming curcumin showed less oxidative stress based on their normal levels of endogenous antioxidants. Furthermore, the raised testosterone level found in the curcumin-consuming groups was, in part, the consequence of increased activity of two key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of testosterone known as 3 beta-HSD and 17 beta-HSD.
The researchers concluded that curcumin reduced oxidative stress within the testes, promoting better testicular function-- resulting in enhanced testosterone production.
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The wide-ranging biological activity of curcumin comes from its versatile molecular structure that provides the unique capacity to bind and regulate numerous biological targets. In addition to the many targets that curcumin regulates to improve overall health, curcumin also affects additional biomolecules- resulting in greater production of the muscle-building hormone testosterone, while also triggering the remarkably powerful fat-reducing process known as thermogenesis.POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY
Normal cellular function involves metabolic processes that generate oxidative stress on the cell. Research has found that increased oxidative stress within certain testicular cells, known as Leydig cells, can lower testosterone production.5 In addition, scientists have also found that certain antioxidants, such as vitamin E, mitigate oxidative stress which slows down the age-related decline of testosterone production.6 These results suggest that consumption of more powerful antioxidants, such as curcumin, may decrease oxidative stress enough to actuatly increase testosterone levels.In order to see if this was possible, a group of Nigerian scientists investigated whether curcumin consumption increased testosterone.7 In this study, four groups of young male rats were given gallic acid (which acts as a pro-oxidant and reduces testosterone), curcumin, curcumin plus gallic acid or a placebo. At the end of the study, the researchers noted the following:
The testosterone concentration of the gallic acid-consuming group was roughly 30 percent lower than in the control group receiving the placebo. The gallic acid group also demonstrated considerable oxidative stress based on the significant drop seen in endogenous antioxidant molecules within the testes, because they were expended while scavenging molecules, causing oxidative stress.
In the group ingesting curcumin, the testosterone concentration was 260 percent higher than in the control group, demonstrating that curcumin can stimutate testosterone production.
The group ingesting gallic acid and curcumin also showed an increase in testosterone of 180 percent, establishing curcumin's capacity to overcome the oxidative stress induced by gallic acid and still increase testosterone production.
Interestingly, both groups consuming curcumin showed less oxidative stress based on their normal levels of endogenous antioxidants. Furthermore, the raised testosterone level found in the curcumin-consuming groups was, in part, the consequence of increased activity of two key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of testosterone known as 3 beta-HSD and 17 beta-HSD.
The researchers concluded that curcumin reduced oxidative stress within the testes, promoting better testicular function-- resulting in enhanced testosterone production.
DECREASED ESTROGEN PRODUCTION
In addition to curcumin directly increasing testosterone, it also may increase testosterone in a more indirect way based on a recent study by Zhang et at.8showing that curcumin reduced estrogen production. While all of the molecular details regarding curcumin's ability to decrease estrogen are unknown, this lower amount of estrogen should boost testosterone levels by acting as a signal to the brain that there is a lack of circulating steroid hormones in the blood. As a result, the brain will react by increasing luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the anterior pituitary gland, which stimulates testicutar production of testosterone.ACTIVATING THE MUSCLE-ENHANCING VITAMIN D RECEPTOR
Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin D has the unique abitity to directly regulate genetic expression.9 It does this by binding and activating the vitamin D receptor, which subsequentty interacts with specific DNA regulatory elements that switch gene expression on or off. More specificaly, vitamin D has been shown to regulate the expression of several genes involved in the production of testosterone.10 Interestingly, a recent study by Bartik et al.11 demonstrated that curcumin can also bind to the vitamin D receptor and turn on the expression of several genes. Although none of the genes turned on by curcumin in this study were testosterone-producing genes, this study did not exhaustively investigate the expression of the many genes influenced by the activated vitamin D receptor-- allowing for the good possibility that curcumin does, in fact, activate genes involved in testosterone biosynthesis. This is even more probable after taking into consideration the previously shown capacity of curcumin by Abarikwu et al.7 to effectively increase testosterone production.Buy Here
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