Curry powder could treat cancer

[Posted: Wed 28/10/2009 by Olivia Fens]

A chemical found in the curry spice turmeric has been able to kill oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, according to a new study.

In the study, researchers from University College Cork found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves.

“These exciting results suggest that scientists could develop curcumin as a potential anti-cancer drug to treat oesophageal cancer,” the researchers said.

Each year around 350 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in Ireland. Less than 20% of people survive oesophageal cancer beyond five years. It is the seventh most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around 4% of all Irish cancer deaths.

“The incidence of oesophageal cancer has gone up by more than a half since the 70s, particularly in the Western world and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease, so finding ways to both treat and prevent this disease is extremely important.  The development of natural compounds as chemo-preventative agents is also a very promising area of research,” the researchers added.

The study was published in the British Journal of Cancer.

purple  Posted: 30/10/2009 15:49

hi well this would be good, as so many die from cancer.

Kilkenny Cat  Posted: 07/11/2009 00:20

What are the statistics in countries who have a high usage of this spice in their everyday diet?

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