July
12, 2005
Curry
Powder (haldi or turmeric) can prevent cancer
A chemical ingredient
found in turmeric or curry powder can prevent the
spread of melanoma and other forms of cancer.
A
new study had found that curcumin, a chemical
found in turmeric, can block a biological pathway
that is required for certain forms of cancer to
spread. The chemical in the spices inhibits a
protein called nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB),
a kind of protein that can cause abnormal inflammations
that can lead to a number of disorders like arthritis
and cancer.
Researchers
from University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center had been researching on the antioxidant,
and anti-inflammatory powers of the chemical as
they made the discovery.
Curcumin
is extracted from turmeric and had long been used
in India to flavor foods, as a preservative, as
a coloring agent and as part of the folk medicine.
Researchers
have found out that a daily dose of curcumin powder
retards the growth of multiple myeloma and pancreatic
cancer. Researchers are still studying the effect
of curcumin on breast cancer. The chemical had
kept the protein NF-kB inactive as well as inducing
apoptosis or programmed cell deaths for the cancer
cells.
The
cancer preventive power of the spice may help
researchers develop new ways of treating fatal
cancers as never before.
Reference:
Cancer, online edition, July 2005, ,
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