Ingredient In Yellow Curry Can Reduce Heart Enlargement And May Prevent Heart Failure

Science Daily ^ | 2-22-2008 | University Health Network

[blam]

Ingredient In Yellow Curry Can Reduce Heart Enlargement And May Prevent Heart Failure

Turmeric. Eating curcumin, a natural ingredient in the spice turmeric, may dramatically reduce the chance of developing heart failure. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nilesh Bhange)

ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2008) — 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.

This study was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Adapted from materials provided by University Health Network, via Newswise.

[TigersEye]

Excellent! I encourage my mother to use it for her arthritis too. An old Ayurvedic recipe is to mix one teaspoon powdered turmeric, one tsp of almond oil (they usually use Ghee which is clarified butter) in a cup of warm milk. I find it to be pretty tasty and the warmed milk has tryptophan in it, like turkey, which helps make you sleepy so I tell her to take it right before bedtime.

The almond oil or Ghee is supposed to take the turmeric deeper into body tissues. That makes sense because the lumen (intestinal lining) takes fats directly into the blood stream.

[TigersEye]

You might try burdock root for that rash. It works on immunoglobulin E mediated allergies. (Please don't ask me to explain that. I just know burdock root works and some skin conditions fit that profile.)

The Japanese eat burdock root, they call it Gobo, but you might not be able to find any fresh root for sale unless you can get to an Asian market.

In the spring and summer you can dig all you want. There are few places where it doesn't grow. Most of it will be tough though unless you find young plants in rich soil. But it is commonly sold as an herbal tincture in "progressive" stores that sell a lot of such "supplements."

[Uriah_lost]

There’s a great little Vietnamese place here in STL that has a squid curry that I crave. Fortunately it’s inexpensive so I can indulge myself at least weekly(and I do). I inherited my taste for curries from my parents too.

[Marysecretary]

Where do you get it? I have a lot of inflammation and also heart problems.

[diamond6]

What are the benefits of grape extract, resveratrol?

[ncpatriot]

I get mine from SwansonsVitamins.com
In the search box, type Curcumin Complex or SWH084

[seoul62]

I prefer the mild curry: Japanese or Irish style, too hot: Pakistani curry./Just Asking - seoul62.......

[traderrob6]

“What are the benefits of grape extract, resveratrol?”

Try a glass of Red wine 4-6 oz/day. A lot of the research that’s been done actually shows that the alcohol is as or even more important than the (Resveratrol) flavonoids.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

When I was a kid, my mom and I visited Thailand in the 1950s. At our hotel, mom ordered Pud Thai, the nation dish of Thailand. It came with stir fried honeybees.

[swmobuffalo]

“I really never thought of it being in Worcestershire sauce until you brought it up! And I can drink W’shire by the gallon, lol.”

Hope that’s LOW SODIUM wocestershire sauce. The sodium will make your blood pressure rise, don’t know that the turmeric properties will take care of that.

[Ed Condon]

That is definitely an American recipe. The East Indians use spices tailored for the other ingredients. They do not use “curry powder”. When in Australia a fellow engineer, who was Indian, made curried chicken. He started with a layer of mustard seed in peanut oil, in a pan, which he popped, then added the chicken, tomatoes, and other spices, which were all freshly ground.

[Uriah_lost]

I love Pad Thai but I’ve never heard of it made with bees. Thai food has a lot of curry dishes and they love to include peanuts...yummy! I grew up with a bottle of nuc mam on the table. That’s what happens when both of your parents spend years in SE Asia. My Dad went kind of native in VN as he was there as an advisor in ‘62 and didn’t come back for good until about ‘69 or ‘70. If you ever get to StLouis give me a holler and I’ll show you the best places(most of them, we’ll be the only “round eyes”).

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

[snowsislander]

Many prepared mustards also have turmeric, including the very popular French’s classic yellow mustard.

[ModelBreaker]

What are the benefits of grape extract, resveratrol?

Do a search at lef.org for each. More info there than I can possibly remember. Their articles usually cite and provide the journal publication abstracts. So you can also check a summary by the actual researchers in addition of lay summaries.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

The same is true for the grape extract, resveratrol.

Are grape seed extract capsules effective?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There was a great Thai restaurant in Des Moines, IA about ten years ago. Diners who could consume the "angry dish" received a wallet card certifying them as fire eaters.
The dish was a veggy curry item called Kang Puk. As the owner, Pak, was often heard to say, "when you eat Kang Puk, you have Kang Puk gut!"

[LucyJo]

How much do you take daily? Capsules?

[ModelBreaker]

Are grape seed extract capsules effective?

I think that depends on who makes it and what you are talking about. There's a lot of bad (doesn't contain any useful materials) or even dangerous supplements (some Chinese derived supplements contain dangerous stuff) out there. And there's no evidence that a lot of the stuff out there is absorbed by humans.

I've been a customer of lef.org for many years. They are a non-profit who, in addition to marketing supplements, funds a lot of research into supplements and has a whole testing wing which is widely regarded as one of the finest testing laboratories in the world. They test what they buy before they resell it.

That said, human trials on resveratrol and grape seed extract suggest they do a bunch of really good stuff, including changing the gene expression of older people in the same manner as does deliberate undernutrition. (Deliberate undernitrition being the only established way to extend lifespan in higher animals). I would suggest searching for both at lef.org.

While you are there, also check out SOD, COQ10, D-Ribose, curcumin, pomegranate, blueberry, and green tea. There are very impressive human studies on every one of them reported there, with access to the abstracts.

[Oldhunk]

I take one capsule a day called turmeric curcumin from Puritans Pride. It has 400 mg of turmeric and 50 mg of turmeric extract. I also take chondroiton and glucosomine. I found that the combination works best for me. I started with the latter two and did not get much relief until I added the turmeric. But when I took turmeric only, it did not seem to be as effective. I have never tried prescription drugs for relief.