If you chow down forward curry dish...

If you chow down forward curry dishes regularly, give yourself a pat onward the back (or tummy). You probably gulp the spicy stuff because it's delicious, on the other hand here's another good reason to load curried meat sauce on your veggies: turmeric, the main ingredient in curry-powder is proving to have numerous health benefits.

Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, has been used traditionally in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to strengthen overall intensity relieve gas, relieve arthritis and improve digestion, among other uses. It's more commonly known as a spice in Eastern cooking. The same golden pigment that stains your ungainly spoons - curcumin - is the powerful compose in turmeric that's been the focus of principally recent research. Investigators are finding that curcumin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic (or anti-cancer) properties. Here's the lowdown in succession some of the most promising research to date.

Cancer

Numerous studies have ground that curcumin suppresses the proliferation of cancer cells

* In single in kind recent study on hamsters with chemically induced tumors, subdues receiving topically applied and orally ingested turmeric and/or curcumin disentangleed significantly less tumors than the hinder group. Researchers concluded that turmeric or curcumin may have a chemopreventive general intent on precancerous lesions of the mouth

* A other study found that daily turmeric intake for 9 month contributed to regression of precancerous lesions in the aperture s of humans. Thus, curcumin may be especially beneficial for smokers

* Curcumin supplementation inhibited carcinogenesis in the stomach and colon in mice, in another study

* Other research showed that curcumin inhibited the growing of estrogenpositive, human breast cancer lonely dwellings The researchers asserted that including turmeric in the diet might help intercept hormone-related cancers resulting from environmental pesticide front There's more than one theory forward how curcumin protects against cancer. It may encourage apoptosis of cancer small cavitys - in other words, getting the nasty small rooms to kill themselves off. Curcumin's powerful antioxidant ability is also attributed with the compound's anti-tumor activity. This makes mind considering that antioxidants scavenge harmful clear radicals that can lead to cancer-cell proliferation.

AIDS

* Curcumin and its derivatives have been shown to inhibit a protein retireded by HIV1-infected cells that may encourage the pathogenesis of AIDS. In a controll clinical investigation 18 HIV-positive patients who took 2000 mg of curcumin daily had increased estimates of CD4 immune cells. Pending studies should clarify the potential benefits of curcumin in AIDS patients.

Cholesterol/heart disease

* Turmeric extract may help manage heart disease by means of decreasing cholesterol levels and other disease risk factors. Animals complemented with turmeric extract had lower total cholesterol than manages In a similar study, diabetic rats f curcumin for 8 weeks experienced decreases in LDL cholesterol life-blood triglycerides and phospholipid levels., A higher rate of cholesterol breakdown in curcumin-supplemented rats may help explain the cholesterol-lowering effects

You'd have to down a destiny of turmeric to get the amount of curcumin considered an effective dose for medicinal benefits. supplys are a more practical way to gain optimal levels for most folks A standardized formula providing 400 to 600 mg of curcumin taken three times daily is typically make acceptableed Of course, increasing turmeric ,in your diet is also a profitable way to up your disease protection - and a convenient excuse to eat more tasty Indian food

Note: Turmeric is contraindicated for pregnant women and the bulk of mankind with hepatitis.

REFERENCES

Babu P Srinivasan K "Hypolipidemic action of curcumin, the active principle of turmeric (Curcuma longa) in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats," Mol enclosed space Biochem, 166(1-2):169-175, 1997.

Barthelemy s Vergnes L., et al. "Curcumin and curcumin derivative inhibit Tat-mediated transactivation of mark 1 human immunodeficiency virus prolonged terminal repeat," Res Virol, 149(1):43-52 1998

Copeland R et al. "Curcumin Therapy in HIV-Infected Patients," Int Conf AIDS 10 216 (abstract no PB0876) 1994

Huang MT et al. "Inhibitory powers of curcumin on tumorigenesis in mice," J solitary abode; squalid Biochem Suppl, 27:26-34, 1997.

Krishnaswamy K Goud VK et al. "Retardation of experimental tumorigenesis and reduction in DNA adducts according to turmeric and curcumin," Nutr Cancer, 30(2):163-166 1998

Krishnaswamy K Raghuramulu N "Bioactive phytochemicals with emphasis in succession dietary practices," Indian J M Re 108:167-181 1998

Mehta K Pantazis P et al. "Antiproliferative consequence of curcumin (diferuloylmethane) against human breast tumor solitary abode; squalid lines," Anticancer Drugs, 8(5):470-481, 1997

Ramirez-Tortosa MC Mesa MD et al. "Oral administration of a turmeric extract inhibits LDL oxidation and has hypocholeterolemic imports in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis," Atherosclerosis, 147(2):371-378 1999