3. It Builds Muscle
You’d think that would be enough reason to add turmeric to your diet, but there’s more! Turmeric can also help to build muscle by increasing bloodflow. In this way, it works similarly to a pre-workout to increase the amount of blood and oxygen the muscles get during recovery.
At the same time, turmeric will also increase your muscle mass by elevating testosterone. Several studies have shown a link between testosterone and turmeric use, and as any bodybuilder or athlete knows, testosterone is the principal anabolic hormone and responsible for building muscle, burning fat, and generally increasing your strength and recovery.
Finally, turmeric has been shown to lower cortisol. This can help to protect muscle from degradation, especially in response to a lack of protein and training. That’s because an increase in cortisol is correlated with an increase in myostatin – with myostatin being a molecule that triggers the body to break down muscle and use it for energy.
This explains why turmeric is increasingly finding its way into bodybuilding supplements and onto health blogs!