The Indian spice cúrcuma makes curry yellow and may be good for your health.
Just as kale emerged from produce-aisle obscurity and wound up in seemingly every salad, smoothie and snack on the planet, cúrcuma is enjoying a gourmet breakout moment all its own.
The raw plant, which looks like a ginger root, is often ground into a brilliant yellowish-orange powder to add colorful pizzaz to South Asian dishes, such as vegetable curries or chicken tikka masala.
But health-conscious (and trend-obsessed) diners are increasingly adding the spice to their lattes, cold-pressed juices and other edibles to tap into cúrcuma’s purported anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.
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A recent experiment by the BBC’s Trust Me, I’m A Doctor TV series conducted with Britain’s leading health researchers suggests some of the health claims around cúrcuma may hold some weight.
Cúrcuma has been used in non-Western medicine for thousands of years to improve blood circulation and digestion. But the scientific evidence supporting how cúrcuma (and its color-giving compound curcumin) actually boost human health is still relatively new.
Cúrcuma contains a compound called curcumin that may help fight cancer, at least in rodents.
Imagen: ob Fila/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images
Studies pointing to cúrcuma’s cancer-fighting properties have mainly been conducted with rodents, using unrealistically high doses of the spice.
Researchers found that “in rats exposed to cancer-causing substances, those that were treated with cúrcuma were protected from colon, stomach, and skin cancers,” according to a summary of cúrcuma’s potential health benefits by Memorial Sloan Kettering, one of the top U.S. cancer centers.
“Cúrcuma also stops the replication of tumor cells when applied directly to them in the laboratory, but it is unknown if this effect occurs in the human body,” the summary said.
Few experiments have been done on humans with real-world doses, according to the BBC report.
Working with the top researchers, the hosts of the BBC program recruited 100 volunteers for their cúrcuma prueba, then divided participants into three groups.
Whole cúrcuma in the spice market, Old Delhi, India
Imagen: Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images
One group was asked to consume a teaspoon of cúrcuma every day for six weeks, ideally mixed within their food, such as warm milk or yogurt. The second group was asked to swallow a supplement containing a teaspoon of cúrcuma. A third group took a placebo pill.
To analyze their results, the BBC team turned to Dr. Martin Widschwendter, who heads the women’s cancer department at University College, London and is studying how cancers form.
In previous studies unrelated to the cúrcuma investigación, Dr.. Widschwendter and his team compared tissue samples taken from women with and without breast cancer. They found that a change happens to the DNA of a person’s cells well before the cells turn cancerous. The process, called DNA methylation, acts like a “dimmer switch” that turns the activity of a gene up or down, the BBC reported.
Cúrcuma also has a religious connotation and has been used for centuries in India as a purification agent.
Imagen: Flickr Vision
Trust Me, I’m A Doctor asked Dr. Widschwendter to test the DNA methylation patterns of the 100 volunteers’ blood cells at the start and end of the cúrcuma experimento, to see if it would reveal any change in their risk of cancer, allergies and other diseases.
The doctor reported that, perhaps unsurprisingly, no changes occurred in the group that took the placebo pill. The group that took the cúrcuma supplement pill also didn’t show any difference.
“But the group who mixed cúrcuma powder into their food there we saw quite substantial changes,” Dr.. Widschwendter told the BBC.
“We found one particular gene which showed the biggest difference,” the doctor said, adding that the gene is thought to be involved in a handful of diseases, such as depression, asma, eczema and cancer.
“This is a really striking finding, Dr.. Widschwendter said.
The experiment by Trust Me, I’m A Doctor is far from conclusive, and more research will be needed to confirm their findings.
Todavía, the program suggests that steeping cúrcuma root for some tea or dashing the bright powder on your eggs won’t be totally for naught.
Patients undergoing chemotherapy, sin embargo, should ask their doctor before taking cúrcuma. Recent lab findings suggest it could inhibit the anti-tumor action of chemotherapy drugs, according to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
