The Health Benefits of Curcumin-the Pigment in Curry Spice

In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common US cancers-colon, breast, prostate and lung- IS TEN TIMES LOWER. In fact, prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in US men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to the curcumin in turmeric.

Numberous studies have looked into this potential cancer fighting link, with promising results. For instance, cucumin has been found to:

Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells

Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor

Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body

Decrease inflammation

Enhance liver function

Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation

Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

According to researches from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, curcumin blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers.

The spice actually stops laboratory strains of melanoma from proliferating and pushes the cancer cells to commit suicide by shutting down nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), a powerful protein known to induce abnormal inflammatory response that leads to an assortment of disorders such as arthritis and cancer.

CURCUMIN RELIEVES PAIN AND INFLAMMATION FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS

A study shows that curcumin can relieve pain and increase mobility in patients with osteoarthritis. It can also reduce a series of inflammatory markers.

100 patients with osteoarthritis were divided in two groups. The first group was given the best available treatment and the second group was given the same treatment plug 200 mg of the curcunin formulation each day.

According to IFT: "The results showed that the curcumin treated group had a reduction in pain and increased mobility.

Curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, and it can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been implicated inflammation.