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More Evidence Curry Ingredient May Fight Cancer!

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" JoAnn Guest " <angelprincessjo

Fri Mar 14, 2003 5:00 pm

More Evidence Curry Ingredient May Fight Cancer!

 

 

More Evidence Curry Ingredient May Fight Cancer

Thu Mar 13,10:32 AM ET Add Health - Reuters to My

 

 

By Alison McCook

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An ingredient in the curry spice

turmeric may help suppress and destroy a blood cancer, early lab

research shows--suggesting yet another health benefit from this long-

heralded substance.

 

 

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Turmeric is a common ingredient in Indian food and yellow mustard.

Its active ingredient is curcumin, which gives turmeric its yellow

color.

 

 

Adding curcumin to human cells with the blood cancer multiple

myeloma, Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal of the University of Texas MD

Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and his colleagues found, stopped

the cells from replicating. And the cells that were left died.

 

 

Although the study did not test the benefits of curcumin in

patients, previous research has shown the substance may fight other

types of cancers, Aggarwal told Reuters Health.

 

 

Studies have also shown that curcumin, even in large quantities,

does not produce any known side effects in humans, the researcher

noted.

 

 

Based on this evidence, Aggarwal recommended that people with cancer

should try to eat more curcumin, if possible.

 

 

" Whichever way you can take it, as much as possible, " he said.

 

 

Aggarwal added, however, that further research is needed to

determine how much curcumin people need to get the most benefits.

 

 

Previous laboratory research has shown that curcumin may have

antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as treat and

prevent cancer.

 

 

Studies in the lab and in animals also suggest that the compound

might help heal wounds and fight Alzheimer's disease (news - web

sites) and multiple sclerosis.

 

 

Patients with multiple myeloma are in particular need of new

treatments, Aggarwal and his colleagues point out in their report in

the journal Blood. Once diagnosed with this blood cancer, patients

typically live between two and three years.

 

 

During the current study, the researchers added curcumin to a sample

of human cells with multiple myeloma, and observed how the substance

influenced the progression of the cancer.

 

 

In an interview, Aggarwal explained that curcumin appears to block

the activity of a " light switch " called nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-

kappaB). When turned on, he said, NF-kappaB appears to then turn on

many genes linked to cancer.

 

 

Examining the multiple myeloma cells before adding the curcumin, the

authors found that virtually all contained activated forms of NF-

kappaB.

 

 

After adding curcumin, however, NF-kappaB activity was inhibited,

the multiple myeloma cells no longer replicated and the remaining

cells died, Aggarwal said.

 

 

Aggarwal explained that it is somewhat difficult to study the

effects of curcumin in a large number of patients because these

experiments cost a lot of money. Funding for similar research is

often provided by a company that stands to benefit if the tested

treatment works; however, in the case of curcumin, a natural

compound, no company can reap the benefits if turmeric shows itself

to be an effective anti-cancer drug, he said.

 

 

However, Aggarwal said that he hopes the new findings and previous

research suggesting curcumin's benefits inspire other researchers to

continue investigating its properties.

 

 

If curcumin is, in fact, an effective and safe treatment for cancer,

studying it further can only be a " win-win situation, " Aggarwal

predicted.

 

SOURCE: Blood 2003;101:1053-1062

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