For soccer’s elite players, the sport makes an ongoing series of unique demands. Soccer players run an average of seven miles a game, all while tracking a ball that’s constantly in motion. They also face one of the most grueling schedules in professional sports, one that’s growing so fast that ongoing recovery is fast becoming a front-and-center issue.
That’s where turmeric comes into play. It’s got a good track record in helping athletes recover, but the research is just beginning, and it’s turning out that turmeric is especially ideal for those who roam the pitch. If you want evidence, a recent report from PubMed Central provides it, and it offers some convincing evidence that you, too, should add turmeric to your recovery routine.
A tightly-focused study that included GPS tracking
The study tracked 24 British footballers. It began when they were divided into two groups: one that ingested significant quantities of turmeric while the other got none. The players all wore GPS suits during match play, which was definitely an intriguing way to track exercise and athletic stress.
The turmeric group consumed 60 mL of turmeric twice a day. The drinks were provided by the Turmeric Co., a UK company that makes the Raw Turmeric Original Shot. The daily turmeric tally was 1400 mg, so that became the baseline amount.
During a series of eight matches, various measurements were taken as the footballers went about their athletic business. These included subjective measurements of soreness and blood samples that measured various biological and chemical markers.
On the subjective side, the turmeric group reported less leg soreness. Specifically, that group also showed a reduced level of plasma (CRP), which is a marker for inflammation. Data from this and other specific markers are being added to a growing body of information about turmeric and recovery, and much of the focus is on making the benefits of turmeric more bioavailable.
Combining turmeric with another key ingredient
The benefits of turmeric have long been known, and to some extent, those benefits are based on the fact that turmeric contains high levels of curcumin.
“Turmeric is a fantastic help for joint health, [and] crucial for athletes,” says Jenna Stangland, a registered dietician who’s worked for the Minnesota Wild in the NHL as well as the NBA Timberwolves while consulting for Momentous.
“Circumin, the bioactive compound in turmeric that aids in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, is a super powerful compound that can reduce joint stiffness, and it can block inflammatory cell signaling, which is how it reduces joint swelling and pain from inflammation.”
But circumin alone isn’t enough to provide the kinds of benefits seen in this study. As the study itself states, “unformulated cur cumin exhibits very poor bioavailability,” which leads to poor absorption as well as rapid metabolism and elimination.
Add black pepper to the mix, though, and the piperine in the pepper quickly changes the equation.
“When combined with piperine (black pepper) the bioavailability increases by over a thousand percent,” Stangland states. The study goes even further, stating that previous studies have shown that administering curcumin with piperine can increase serum concentrations of curcumin by up to 2000 percent.
Look for further studies to follow up on this evidence. They’ll doubtless provide more dosage information as the specific numbers get refined. They’ll also help those of us on the back end get turmeric products that provide a high level of bioavailability as we seek to refine our own recovery routines.
