Cure With Curcumin

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 389

Thursday, October 18th

You may wonder if you ever eaten tumeric, but odds are pretty good that you have. The spice is found in curry dishes at Indian restuarants and is in yellow mustard. Tumeric is being tested as a possible cure for cancer, Alzheimer's disease and many other ailments. Tumeric has a compound in it called curcumin (pronounced curr-CUE-min) that makes this spice it's bright yellow color.

What does the research show about cancer? According the David Schardt of Nutrition Action Healthletter, lab rats and mice that are given curcumin have less tumors of the breast, mouth, skin and colon. Bharat Aggarwal, a professor of cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston reports that curcumin induces a programmed death of cancer cells, spread of cancer cells and helps suppress blood vessel growth that nourishes the tumor. Several clinical studies are now recruiting participants for studies that will further investigate the effects of curcumin on cancer cells.

What does the research show about Alzheimer's disease? Gregory Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of California, Los Angeles says that "curcumin protects the brain cells in every animal model of traumatic brain injury whether it's a stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's Disease or mad cow disease." Cole explains that curcumin binds to proteins in the brain that build up between the brain cells of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Several studies have been positive in animals, but research on humans is just beginning. The data looks promising, but more work needs to be done.

How much should you take? Unfortunately, researchers are struggling with a way for curcumin to get absorbed and retained by the body. Even after swallowing large amounts of curcumin or consuming foods containing high amounts, the "levels in the blood are miserably low" according to Gregory Cole of UCLA. You would have to consume massive amounts of curry powder (8 to 80 cups per day) to get the 4g of curcumin that proved to be effective in the UCLA Alzheimer's study. Cole believes that it is safe to take up to 2 grams of curcumin per day and that cooking with curcumin may be a better way to consume the spice than taking a capsule. Be sure to talk with your doctor about taking curcumin if you are taking other medications.

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