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Curcumin Reduces Heart
Enlargement
and May Prevent Heart
Failure
Tuesday,
April 08, 2008 by: Leslee Dru Browning
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Eating curcumin, a natural
ingredient in the spice turmeric, may dramatically reduce
the chance of developing heart failure, researchers at the
Peter Munk Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital
have discovered.
In a study entitled, "Curcumin prevents and reverses
murine cardiac hypertrophy," published in the February
edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation,
researchers found when the herb is given orally to a
variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts
(hypertrophy), it can prevent and reverse hypertrophy,
restore heart function and reduce scar formation.
The healing properties of turmeric have been well known in
eastern cultures for some time. The herb has been used in
traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to reduce scar
formation. For example, when there is a cut or a bruise,
the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder because it
can help to heal without leaving a bad scar.
Unlike most natural compounds whose effects are minimal,
curcumin works directly in the cell nucleus by preventing
abnormal unraveling of the chromosome under stress, and
preventing excessive abnormal protein production.
"Curcumin's ability to shut off one of the major switches
right at the chromosome source where the enlargement and
scarring genes are being turned on is impressive," says
Dr. Peter Liu, cardiologist in the Peter Munk Cardiac
Centre and Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research – Institute of Circulatory and
Respiratory Health. However Dr. Liu cautions that
moderation is important, "the beneficial effects of
curcumin are not strengthened by eating more of it."
Dr. Liu, who holds the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Polo
Chair Professor in Medicine and Physiology at the
University of Toronto, says that since curcumin is a
naturally occurring compound that is readily available at
a low cost, it might be a safe and effective means of
preventing heart failure in the future.
"Whether you are young or old; male or female; the larger
your heart is, the higher your risk is for developing
heart attacks or heart failure in the future. However,
until clinical trials are done, we don't recommend
patients to take curcumin routinely. You are better off to
take action today by lowering blood pressure, reducing
cholesterol, exercising and healthy eating," says Dr. Liu.
If clinical trials of curcumin support initial findings of
heart enlargement prevention, it may offer hope for
millions of patients with heart enlargement in a
relatively safe and inexpensive manner. Curcumin-based
treatments are currently in clinical trials for pancreatic
and colorectal cancer patients with promising results.
The above study was funded by the Heart and Stroke
Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Other research has found that curcumin, found in turmeric,
may be able to slow down and stop the blood cancer
multiple myeloma. Researchers at the University of Texas
in Houston report on a laboratory study showing that
curcumin could stop cancer cells with multiple myeloma
from replicating and kill off the remaining cancerous
cells.
The spice may also help other cancers as well as the
immune system. I add it to my herbal formulas for
arthritis inflammation, for the heart and it is also in my
super immunity formula.
Previous research has shown that curcumin may fight other
diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Sources:
Adapted from materials provided by University Health
Network, (http://www.uhn.ca/index.htm) via Newswise
(http://www.newswise.com/) .
University Health Network (2008, February 22). Ingredient
In Yellow Curry Can Reduce Heart
Nutra Ingredients USA ((http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/new...)
.
About the author
Leslee Dru Browning is a 6th generation Medical Herbalist
& Nutritionist from the ancestral line of Patty Bartlett
Sessions; Pioneer Mid-Wife & Herbalist. Leslee practiced
Medical Herbalism and Nutritional Healing for over 25
years and specialized in Cancer Wellness along with
Chronic Illness. She now devotes her career to teaching
people, through her writing, about Natural Healing from An
Herbal Perspective. |
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