Fighting Cancer with Turmeric at Indian Restaurants

Author: American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Published: 2011/03/02 - Updated: 2022/05/20
Topic: Nutrition and Healthy Food - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Researchers discover turmeric's active ingredient called curcumin amplifies the therapeutic activity of highly toxic anti-inflammatory drugs used to fight colon cancer when used at high doses. The effect of using a curcumin concentrate to improve the effects of cancer drugs was first proposed by Dr. Lev-Ari when he was a graduate student at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine under the supervision of Prof. Nadir Arber and Prof. Dov Lichtenberg.

Introduction

Turmeric, a bright yellow spice from South Asia belonging to the ginger family, is the main ingredient in curries - and ancient wisdom suggests that it's also good for your health. Taking this wisdom to the laboratory, Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that turmeric's active ingredient called curcumin amplifies the therapeutic activity of highly toxic anti-inflammatory drugs used to fight colon cancer when used at high doses.

Focus

Dr. Shahar Lev-Ari of Tel Aviv University's School of Public Health at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and his colleagues have found that curcumin can fight cancer when used in combination with a popular anti-inflammatory drug, alleviating the inflammatory response caused when cancer takes root in the body. A treatment based on this finding has already had promising results in human clinical trials.

"Although more testing will be needed before a possible new drug treatment is developed," says Dr. Lev-Ari, "one could combine curcumin with a lower dose of a cancer anti-inflammatory drug, to better fight colon cancer." The results of the new study have been published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

Continued below image.
Image of a natural Turmeric root, including sliced and powdered sections. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. It is commonly used as a spice, but it is also known for its medicinal purposes.
Image of a natural Turmeric root, including sliced and powdered sections. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. It is commonly used as a spice, but it is also known for its medicinal purposes.
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Alleviating Unwanted Side Effects

Research in the last few decades has shown that cancer is linked to inflammation. Several lines of evidence demonstrate that chronic inflammation in the stomach can cause gastric cancer, and that inflammation in the liver from hepatitis can lead to liver cancer.

Dr. Lev-Ari and his colleagues found that Celecoxib, a popular anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to treat arthritis, also inhibits proliferation of colon cancer in laboratory settings. Curcumin increases the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of Celecoxib while reducing its dose, thus reducing its toxic side effects, including the rate of heart attack and stroke.

The effect of using a curcumin concentrate to improve the effects of cancer drugs was first proposed by Dr. Lev-Ari when he was a graduate student at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine under the supervision of Prof. Nadir Arber and Prof. Dov Lichtenberg.

Both co-supervisors were eager to test the possible health benefits described in folk medicine, but were searching for hard evidence.

"We would like to use this treatment for patients with all types of cancers," says Prof. Arber. "It has the promise of being an important life-extending therapy, particularly for non-curable pancreatic cancer, suggested by the very promising results we achieved for 20 pancreatic cancer patients."

Putting Shelved Cancer Drugs Back into Circulation

Previous in vitro and in vivo experiments conducted by the Tel Aviv University team show that curcumin inhibits an enzyme known as COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2), believed to cause inflammation. The team's research demonstrates that curcumin neutralizes oxygen free radicals, which are believed to play a significant role in carcinogenesis.

These effects may be the basis for drug treatment of both inflammation and cancer through the combination of curcumin and Celecoxib. And it may also help return previously shelved potent anticancer drugs taken out of use due to high toxicity back to the market under lower dosage indications.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by American Friends of Tel Aviv University and published on 2011/03/02, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, American Friends of Tel Aviv University can be contacted at aftau.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

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Cite This Page: American Friends of Tel Aviv University. (2011, March 2 - Last revised: 2022, May 20). Fighting Cancer with Turmeric at Indian Restaurants. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved May 23, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/fitness/nutrition/indian-restaurants.php

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