The Spice Turmeric Fights Many Types of Cancer

The active substance in turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin also give turmeric its yellow orange color. Turmeric has been extensively researched and has been found to have many health applications. It is becoming increasingly popular as a supplement. Each 100 grams of turmeric contains three to five grams of curcumin. The ancient Chinese and Indian systems of medicine have recognized curcumin's beneficial properties for thousands of years. Curcumin is best know for its reduction of inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is an underlying factor in many, if not most, chronic disease. This compound influences over 700 genes and more than 100 different pathways once it enters the cell.

A 2008 study in Cancer Prevention Research, found that curcumin inhibits breast cancer cell motility and invasion by directly inhibiting the function of alpha6beta4 integrin, which suggests it may serve as an effective therapeutic agent in tumors that overexpress alpha6beta4. (Alpha6beta4 is associated with cancer progression by contributing to apoptosis resistance and metastasis)

In 2009 a study in molecular Pharmacology found that curcumin inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth and acts as a chemosensitizing agent. Other research from 2009 found that curcumin induces programmed cell death in lung cancer cells. A 2010 study concluded that curcumin has the potential to target cancer stem cells. A new study found that curcumin to be an effective agent against glioblastoma which is a fatal type of brain cancer. Curcumin appears safe for the treatment of all types of cancer.

IN INDIA WHERE TURMERIC IS WIDELY USED IN THE DIET, THE PREVALENCE OF FOUR COMMON U.S. CANCERS--COLON, BREAST, PROSTATE AND LUNG--IS 10 TIMES LOWER THAN IN THE UNITED STATES. Prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to the curcumin in turmeric.

Curcumin combats cancer in a number of different ways:

It Inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells.

It inhibits the transformation of normal cells to tumor cells.

It helps your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body.

It decreases inflammation.

It inhibits the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation.

It prevents the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth.

What type of turneric is best? For use in cooking, choose a pure turmeric powder rather than a curry powder. At least one study has found that curry powders tend to contain very little curcumin, compared to turmeric powder.

There are no products commercially available for use against cancer, and you should know that not only are relatively high doses required, curcumin is also not absorbed very well. A typical anti-cancer dose can be as high as three grams of good bioavailable curcumin extract, three to four times daily.

One way to work around this is to make for yourself a microemulsion from curcumin powder. To do that, mix one tablespoon of the powder into 1-2 egg yolks, along with a teaspoon or two of melted coconut oil. Then, use a high-speed hand blender to emulsify the mixture.

Another way that you can use to increase absorption is to add one tablespoon of curcumin powder to a quart of boiling water. (It must be boiling when you add the powder as it will not work as well if you use cooler water.) After boiling it for 10 minutes you will have created a 12 percent solution, which you can drink once it has cooled. It is best to drink the solution within six hours as the curcumin will gradually fall out of solution.