5. Turmeric for Muscle Mass
Turmeric is increasingly becoming a popular choice for athletes and bodybuilders, with curcumin beginning to find its way into supplements.
One reason for this is that turmeric may help to increase testosterone and there are some preliminary studies to suggest this link. This can increase anabolism, helping the body to build more muscle and burn more fat for fuel. It does this by blocking estrogen, by increasing the processing of cholesterol in the liver and more.
At the same time though, turmeric may also be protective against muscle degradation. That’s because it helps to reduce the production of cortisol – the stress hormone. As well as making us feel anxious, cortisol is also responsible for a number of other changes in the body, including the production of myostatin – a molecule that can cause the breakdown of muscle tissue.
This means that curcumin could help to improve muscle mass during ‘bulking’ stages but also prevent it from being broken down later. Finally, because curcumin is also a vasodilator, this means that it could help to improve muscle recovery post-workout and improve the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells for growth.