Cancer Data Base

Could Curcumin Prevent Cancer?

Curcumin, the pigment that makes the curry spice turmeric a bright orange-yellow, is one of the best-researched potential preventatives for a number of kinds of cancer.

On a molecular level, this potent antioxidant interacts with an extraordinary range of cellular processes involved in tumor development. Among its possible healing powers are:

* Stopping the activation of some"transcription factors" that lay down the DNA for a new cancerous cell,

* Playing the same role as other anti-inflammatory agents in stopping the expression of growth factors in existing tumor cells,

* And (in almost all kinds of cancers) activating a "watchdog" gene, p53, that turns on a "kill switch" in cells that have abnormal DNA.

Curcumin is non-toxic even if it is taken in doses 30-40 times more than needed for it to work, up to 12 grams (12,000 mg) a day. The body uses it in various antioxidant processes so that it does not build up in the bloodstream in most people even when taken in doses of 10,000 to 12,000 mg a day.

And there's no reason to try to build up a bloodstream concentration of this turmeric-based natural supplement if you get just a little dose taken more than once a day. The liver clears it out of circulation in 8 to 12 hours.

What is the evidence that curcumin might prevent cancerous conditions? Well, aside from the over-100 studies of this carcinogenesis-protective agent in the laboratory, curcuminoid compounds have been used in clinical trials for cancers of:

* Bladder

* Skin

* Colon

* Stomach

* Lungs

* Intestine and

* Oral cavity and also

lymphoma.

So, consider adding herbal healer to your treatment regimen. Just be sure to discuss any natural therapies or nutritional supplements with your health care provider to get maximum benefit from conventional care with alternatives.

Posted by Genius Blogger at 8:06 AM