Over the centuries, the rootlike
stem of the Curcuma longa plant has been used to make yellow dyes and spike
food with some tasty zing. But an ever-growing mountain of evidence shows that
boldly colored turmeric with its earthy, bitter-gingery taste may offer a
plethora of potential health benefits.
Multiple studies — most
originating in India, Europe and Australia — show that turmeric, and especially
its color-rich constituent of curcumin, can help prevent or treat a wide
spectrum of cancers, inflammatory conditions, autoimmune problems, neurological
ailments including Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and
diabetes neuropathy, among other metabolic diseases.
Interest in turmeric and curcumin
began decades ago when researchers began asking why India has some of the
lowest rates of colorectal, prostate and lung cancer in the world, compared
with the U.S., whose rates are up to 13 times higher. They traced India's advantages
largely to its diet staple of curry powder, which is a combination of spices,
with turmeric as a main ingredient.
A recent review published in the
journal Molecules said studies to date "suggest that chronic inflammation,
oxidative stress and most chronic diseases are closely linked, and that
antioxidant properties of curcumin can play a key role in the prevention and
treatment of chronic inflammation diseases."
An M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
review of curcumin research, in the journal Phytotherapy Research in 2014,
found that it regulates inflammation that "plays a major role in most
chronic illnesses, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic,
autoimmune and neoplastic diseases."
Yet another M.D. Anderson study
found that curcumin exhibits "antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral,
antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities," all bolstering its
"potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies,
arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic illnesses."
There are no guarantees that
turmeric or its active ingredient of curcumin will work for everyone.
Researchers also caution that they may delay but not prevent, or slow down but
not stop, a medical condition.
The NPD Group's Kitchen Audit,
conducted every three years, shows that a steady 40% of American kitchens since
2008 have had curry "on hand," with turmeric showing a slow but
steady rise in popularity by being available in 28% of American kitchens in
2008, 30% in 2011 and 33% in 2014.
"Turmeric, I've learned, is
often used as a substitute for curry, which could account for curry powder not
increasing in household penetration," NPD Group spokeswoman Kim McLynn said.
The cascade of research about the
healthful qualities of turmeric, curcumin and curry haven't been lost on two
Pittsburgh researchers.
Joseph Maroon, the noted
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center neurosurgeon, says he uses curcumin
supplements as part of his health regimen as an ultra-marathon runner. He also
recommends the use of curcumin and fish oil to his patients with pain and
inflammation from degenerative conditions of the spine, neck and lower back. He
said 17,000 Americans die each year from over-the-counter, nonsteroidal pain
medications.
He was lead author of a 2006
study, "Natural anti-inflammatory agents for pain relief in
athletes," that concludes that "Curcumin's therapeutic effects are
considered comparable to pharmaceutical nonsteroidal medications … but with a
major difference in that this compound is relatively nontoxic and free of side
effects."
Maroon said his patients
"would much rather have a natural approach to reducing inflammation and
pain than a prescription of nonsteroidal pain killers and their potential
risks. There is no question about the benefits. I take it every day and use
curry in my cooking, although I tolerate capsules better than the curry."
He recommends people consume 500
to 1,000 milligrams supplement of curcumin a day, with daily doses not
exceeding 2,000 milligrams. A teaspoon of turmeric contains about 200
milligrams of curcumin. Some health advocates recommend consuming turmeric
rather than a curcumin supplement because other compounds in turmeric offer
their own health advantages.
Curcumin influences 700 genes,
including ones that inhibit activation of the COX 2 gene, which produces an
enzyme by the same name that causes pain and inflammation, Maroon said.
"It's similar to drugs but
with none of the side effects of drugs," he said. While studies have found
no notable side effects, possible drug interactions should be discussed with
one's physician. Ingesting black pepper and ginger along with the curcumin
improve the biological breakdown of turmeric compounds so they can be absorbed
into the blood.
PubMed.com, a research database
maintained by the National Institutes of Health, lists 7,728 studies involving
curcumin and another 3,205 studies involving turmeric, with the large majority
focused on their effectiveness against multiple medical conditions.
"There is a lot of research.
But still, much of American research says there's evidence, but no proof of
direct benefits, of turmeric or curcumin," Dr. Maroon said. "But I've
yet to read a negative study on curcumin or that it was not effective."
Human clinical trials, necessary
to prove the spice's direct health benefits, are few because such trials are
expensive and natural compounds can't be patented. That helps explain why some
researchers are working to identify the spice's precise biological mechanisms
that could be synthesized, emboldened and patented, then sold as prescribed
treatments for multiple medical conditions.
Debasish Bandyopadhyay, a
research assistant professor at University of Texas Pan-American, is working to
synthesize the properties in curcumin because, he said, "curcumin has
everything."
"In all diseases and almost
all cancers it shows very good effects," he said. "The negative
effect is its viability" — the fact its healthful compounds aren't readily
broken down and absorbed into the blood.
"We have synthesized
compounds that are anti-cancerous (in laboratory studies)," but these must
be tested in expensive human clinical trials. The alternative is to consume
curcumin along with ginger root, chili extract and black pepper to help make it
more easily absorbed by the body, and realize the synergistic effects it has with
other spices, he said.
A research instructor at the
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute at the Hillman Cancer Center said
studies including his own show "strong evidence toward the therapeutic
potential of curcumin, while identifying the plethora of biological targets and
intricate mechanisms of action that characterize curcumin as a potential drug
for numerous ailments."
"They can kill tumor cells
but not normal cells," said Raghvendra Srivastava, whose study years ago
explained how curcumin enhanced T cells in the immune system. Studies also have
shown that it blocks various inflammatory pathways, with inflammation playing
an important role in most cancers. There are even potential benefits, he said,
for people with multiple sclerosis.
Bottom line, he said,
"Consuming more curcumin is a benefit."
What is curcumin?
The Curcuma longa plant is a
member of the ginger family. Its roots are dried and ground up to make turmeric
spice. Curcumin makes up 3.4% of the turmeric root-stem or rhizome but provides
its color and many of its health benefits. Curcumin is available only as a
supplement or by eating turmeric spice.
Don't confuse curcumin with
cumin, which is a spicy seed or spice powder made from the seed and another
common ingredient in curry with its own healthful properties. Cumin is
unrelated to turmeric or the similar-sounding cur cumin.
Courtesy of: http://www.freep.com/story/life/wellness/2015/06/14/health-beneifts-turmeric/71087838/
