Curcumin Cancer Cure

There are a number of compounds that possess promising anti-cancer properties, and curcumin is at the top of the list, as studies have shown that it has the remarkable ability to target and help prevent a number of cancers throughout the body.

Cancer

• Cancer originates when cells mutate unexpectedly without being destroyed by the immune system. These mutations can occur randomly or when cells are exposed to carcinogens, which are substances that increase their likelihood of becoming cancerous.

Curcumin

• According to the Linus Pauling Institute at the Oregon State University, curcumin is the primary active compound in the spice turmeric and is chiefly responsible for its anti-cancer properties. In addition to being used as a spice, turmeric is also used in India as a medicinal compound.

Curcumin and Cancer

• According to an August 2008 study performed at the Cytokine Research Laboratory at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, curcumin has the ability to work its effects against a number of different types of cancer, including breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, ovarian cancer, melanoma and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and neurological system.

Effects of Curcumin

• Curcumin works to curb cancer in a variety of ways. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, curcumin is simultaneously an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It acts to buttress the body's natural ability to eliminate substances that are carcinogenic by increasing the number of "phase II" molecules that help remove carcinogens from the body.

Considerations

• While curcumin has shown promise in treating and preventing cancer it is not an outright cure. In fact, although curcumin demonstrates some anti-cancer properties, bioavailability of the substance (the amount the body can actually use out of the amount that is ingested) is fairly poor, as the substance is hydrophobic, meaning it does not dissolve in water and is therefore more difficult for the body to use.