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October 15, 2005
HD Researchers...Are You Paying Attention?
Turmeric, the Asian spice that makes curry yellow, not to mention French's mustard and Hindu priests' robes, has yet another life: It's a promising potential weapon against several cancers, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis and other diseases....At least a dozen clinical trials on humans are under way in the United States, Israel and England to test the safety and dosages of turmeric's main ingredient, curcumin...
The spice, which is a relative of ginger, comes from the stems of the root of a large-leafed plant widely grown in Asia, especially in the province of Maharashtra in southwest India. The stems are boiled, dried and crushed to a powder with a bitter woody taste that's widely used as a spice and in folk medicines to cure stomach ailments and skin lesions...
It's been demonstrated in animals to protect the liver, inhibit tumors, reduce inflammation and fight some infections. Curcumin has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, according to researchers, and may help lower cholesterol.
And the kicker...
A report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in December found that in mice injected with a chemical that mimics Alzheimer's, curcumin reduced by half the buildup of knots in the brain called amyloid plaques, which have been linked to Alzheimer's.
Some one is (though I'm not finding studies that have been published):
Yet in another separate study, Marie-Francoise Chesselet, chair of the department of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Miriam Hickey, a postgraduate researcher, is studying the effects of curcumin on Huntington's Disease.Huntington's Disease is characterized by an abnormal genetic mechanism which results in accumulation of the Huntington protein similar to the build-up of beta amyloids in Alzheimer's Disease.
"We found that if we give curcumin to mice they will have less aggregate in their brains, but we don't know yet if that will improve symptoms," Chesselet said.
Since curcumin acts as an antioxidant, it can be additionally beneficial to those with Huntington's Disease.
"It is also safe because people can ingest a lot of curcumin and it's not bad for them," Chesselet said.
"The advantage is that it can be given in the food without being injected," she added.
Posted by Dave at October 15, 2005 06:14 AM
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