Golden Milk for Kids? Expert Pediatrician Weighs In
Aura (Founder’s daughter) enjoying her cup of Golden Milk!
Adults around the world enjoy a daily cup of golden milk for its warm, blissful flavor and amazing health benefits. The key ingredient of golden milk is turmeric. This gold-colored spice is commonly used in Indian cuisine and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments. In recent years, scientific research has begun to uncover the numerous health benefits of this powerful spice.
Did you know that golden milk can also be a part of a healthy eating plan for children? In fact, it benefits their growing bodies in unique and important ways. We spoke with Dr. Manisha Navathe Panchal, a pediatrician and integrative medicine practitioner, to get an expert’s view on golden milk for kids.
One of the most well-known benefits of turmeric is its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a natural response of the body to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can lead to a host of problems, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Turmeric has also been shown to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect the body against damage from free radicals, which can cause cell damage and can contribute to the development of chronic diseases.
Speeding Healing
For children with bruises, scrapes, and sprains, turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties can help speed the healing process.
Children also develop their immune systems as they grow up. Since they spend their days surrounded by other kids at school, as well as lots of new germs, it’s inevitable that kids catch lots of viruses. Golden milk can aid with addressing such contagions in two distinct ways: First, the phytonutrient curcumin in turmeric is an immunomodulator. That means it supports the function of the immune system by stimulating white blood cell activity and antibody formation. Secondly, turmeric is also antimicrobial, meaning that it can help prevent any germs your child comes into contact with from growing or spreading, thus lowering your child’s chances of getting the infection.
Protecting the Brain
Curcumin has been found to increase the levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which plays a crucial role in the growth and survival of nerve cells. It also helps with neural plasticity - that is, the nervous system’s ability to change and adapt. BDNF is particularly important for the body’s ability to change as it relates to memory and learning. In short, we want healthy levels of BDNF in order to function and grow properly.
Unfortunately, sometimes BDNF levels can dip lower than normal. This increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and more. Researchers have also found that dysregulation of BDNF is associated with an autism spectrum disorder in children. Additionally, BDNF can affect many areas of a child’s life, from maintaining a healthy weight to forming long-term memories to reading abilities.
You can rely on the benefits of golden milk to help protect the brain. Studies show that curcumin in turmeric has been shown to enhance serum BDNF after just a short period of time.
In an overview of many studies of curcumin and BDNF, participants reported positive changes in 8-12 weeks, with their doses ranging from 200 mg of curcumin to 1,1820 mg of curcumin.
Golden milk may even help if you have a moody child, due to its connection with BDNF. Your moods are greatly impacted by the neuroimmune axis. This is where immune elements, like cells, transfer from the blood to the central nervous system. BDNF regulates this axis. Studies show that when we enhance BDNF levels, we can improve mood disorders. So, by giving your child turmeric in golden milk, you can boost their BDNF and mood.
Lowering Chances of Metabolic Syndrome
For most people, our habits around food, exercise, and our overall health develop as children. We learn what to prioritize and how to eat based on what we see our parents doing. With this in mind, we can help our kids grow up and avoid major lifestyle-related diseases by teaching them healthy habits now.
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of conditions that, when grouped together, increase the risk of stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and more. People with metabolic syndrome have at least three of the following: additional fat in the stomach area, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
Turmeric can help in a variety of ways. First, it lowers inflammation, which is commonly high in people with obesity. A meta-analysis of 21 different studies also found that curcumin intake significantly reduced body mass index, therefore aiding in weight loss. Additionally, studies have shown that curcumin can decrease blood glucose and stabilize blood sugar levels, both of which can aid in preventing and managing diabetes. Of course, curcumin isn’t the only ingredient in golden milk. We also include cinnamon, which has been proven to reduce fasting blood sugar.
Golden Milk: The Better Beverage for Kids
What you teach your children about food has a huge role in their health as they grow up. As Dr. Panchal says, consuming lots of sugar in the early years of life can lead to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes later in life. Why? Diabetes isn’t a condition that occurs overnight. It develops gradually, usually over years.
Diabetes is the result of blood sugar levels spiking over and over again, influencing the pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin tells your cells to absorb the sugar in the blood, either for immediate energy or storage. Eventually, the body stops responding to the insulin, and blood sugar and insulin levels remain high for long periods of time after eating. Finally, the cells that make insulin are worn down by heavy demands, and insulin production stops - leading to diabetes.
The great news is this: you can help your child avoid these issues by teaching them healthy habits now. By offering your child healthy treats - like a warm mug of golden milk rather than a sugary cup of fruit juice, sports drink, or store-bought chocolate milk - you provide them with the brain-boosting, mood-improving, and anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric. You also reduce their risk of developing tooth decay and cavities caused by overindulging in sugar-laden drinks.
Ready to make the switch to golden milk? Check out Mt. Meru Medicines’ Golden Milk. If you’d like to read more on this subject, you can read all the studies and sources we used for this article in the references listed below.
References:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2019.00363/full
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/