Curcumin and bone destruction

September 8, 2008 / / 6 Comments

Last week Sherlock sent me a German study that confirms what I read in other studies that I posted about more than a year ago (on May 10 2007, to be precise). The German study was published in the “Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology” last month (see abstract: http://tinyurl.com/6xnp7y). It opens with the hypothesis that curcumin lessens osteoclast differentiation and function. If true, that would be a good good good (!) thing.

Well, I am happy to report that this hypothesis was indeed confirmed by test results, which showed that Curcumin inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and resorptional activity in a dose-dependent manner. Then, in the “Discussion” part, we read that Bone is a dynamic organ which is continuously remodelled by resorption of primary bone and build-up of new bone, a process that requires coordinated cross-talk between osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Okay, I will attempt to put this into simpler (?) words.

Osteoclasts are a type of bone cell that break down bone in a process known as bone resorption, while their counterpart, called osteoblasts, rebuild it. This is a perfectly normal state of affairs in healthy folks. In abnormal cases such as cancer and inflammatory diseases, though, an unbalance occurs: osteoclast activity increases…and the number of osteoblasts decreases. In other words, there are not enough osteoblasts to rebuild the bone that is being destroyed by the pesky little osteoclasts. One of the consequences is that bone calcium gets “chipped off” and released into the bloodstream. We know what that means!

Ah, a quick reminder about RANKL, too. The acronym stands for “Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor-kappaB Ligand.” It’s a protein that activates osteoclasts and is thus important in bone metabolism. Under normal circumstances, this is not a problem. But in the case of myeloma, for instance, a vicious cycle forms. Myeloma cells overstimulate RANKL, which in turn overstimulates the formation of osteoclasts, and we know what happens at that point: bone lesions. RANKL is thus a therapeutic target, and that is why, in my opinion, the recent confirmation that curcumin inhibits this mischievous protein is an excellent bit of news!

The German researchers also treated osteoclasts with curcumin, stimulated them with RANKL and observed a reduction of NF-kB binding activity. Even if we don’t understand this bit, or understand it only in part, the point is that this is all very good news, which can be summarized as follows:

curcumin hinders the process of bone destruction.

Double-edged sword

July 19, 2008 / / 2 Comments

The double-edged sword is iron. Our bodies need it in order to function normally, but too much iron can increase the risk of developing cancer by promoting free radicals, and let’s also not forget that, once you have cancer, your cancer cells eagerly gobble up this metal, which is essential to their growth and wellbeing.

But too little iron can lead us to develop anaemia, which is one of the markers of active myeloma. Anaemia, in fact, is the “A” in the acronym “CRAB.” Can’t have too much..can’t have too little…hence, the double-edged sword bit…

It just so happens that, according to my most recent (April) test results, my serum iron and ferritin (ferritin, by the way, is a protein that binds to and stores iron that the body can use when needed) are the lowest they have ever been, as far as I know. In May I went to see my fabulous family doctor who didn’t see that as a sign of the myeloma kicking up any dust. No worries. What is important, he remarked, is that my haemoglobin and haematocrit are normal (they are). By the way, he was very pleased with my overall results. So am I.

He told me to take an iron supplement to increase my serum iron levels, but, as stubborn as an Alpine goat, I decided to wait for my next test results (still haven’t taken them, by the way). The reason for my stubbornness will be clear at the end of this post.

I should mention that I have been intending to write about curcumin and its effect on body iron for quite some time now, but other things have been getting in the way. Today I was finally inspired to look over a draft that I wrote back in March (!), when an Italian blog reader (grazie!) left me a comment pointing to a study on curcumin that might provide an explanation for my low iron levels. Sherlock did not have access to that particular journal, but she was able to hunt down and send me a couple of other studies.

The first study deals specifically with curcumin and iron. It’s titled Iron chelation in the biological activity of curcumin and was published in “Free Radical Biology & Medicine” in 2006. You can read the abstract here: http://tinyurl.com/3q9zzu

But first, what is iron chelation? The body cannot metabolize some heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and an accumulation of too much of this stuff can cause toxic effects, interfere with regular body functions etc. Heavy metals can be removed from the body using what are called chelating agents that bind to metals, hold on tightly to ‘em and finally expel them.

Apparently that is what curcumin does. As we can read in the above-mentioned abstract, ferritin protein levels decreased in cultured liver cells when curcumin was present. And Mice that were fed diets supplemented with curcumin exhibited a decline in levels of ferritin protein in the liver.

And now for a look at the full study, without overloading the post with details that I can barely grasp myself. The first part examines the well-known chemopreventive action of curcumin, so skip skip skip.

Then we get to the ferritin-iron-curcumin discussion. The jargon in this part is quite convoluted, hard to translate into simpler language. I did my best. Oh, before I forget: I skipped the part about the increase in GST, or glutathione S-transferase, in cultured liver cells, since that would have made this post way too long. But if you are interested in GST, let me know, and I will be glad to forward the entire study to you. Back to business, now.

The researchers suggest that iron chelation may be a novel mechanism that contributes to the potent cancer chemopreventive activity of curcumin. In their tests, curcumin activated IRPs, or iron regulatory proteins. These thingies get activated when iron levels decrease, for instance as a result of treatment with iron chelators. So far, so good.

The team examined the effect of curcumin on mice whose diet also contained some iron. One group was fed more curcumin, another less, and then there was the usual control (no curcumin) group: ferritin H and L proteins were both reduced to approximately 50% of control in mice receiving 2.0% dietary curcumin. (“H” stands for heavy, “L” for light.) I would like to mention that in no case were any adverse effects or toxicity observed as a result of the administration of curcumin to the mice.

The team also found that curcumin induced ferritin mRNA but reduced ferritin protein in cultured liver cells. Ehhh? I know, I know. But I found a rather simple (?) explanation (the link to this UC Berkeley study that I used in my March draft doesn’t work anymore, sorry about that!) that may help us figure out the difference between the two types of ferritin: iron accumulates in tissues in a solid, slow release form thanks to the ferritin protein. Ferritin protein manages iron and oxygen.

Ferritin mRNA instead has to do with genes, as the “mRNA” part suggests: A special structure in ferritin mRNA controls the synthesis rate of ferritin protein when iron has entered the cell. Okay, this is probably still not completely obvious to anybody without a scientific background, like yours truly. But the point is: curcumin’s ability to distinguish between the two types of ferritin—increasing the levels of the one (ferritin mRNA) but decreasing the levels of the other (ferritin protein)—suggests that it acts as an iron chelator, since iron chelators do the exact same thing.

Let’s have a look at the study results: One mechanism of action of synthetic chemopreventive agents is the induction of cytoprotective proteins. These include ferritin, a protein that functions as a cytoprotective protein by virtue of its ability to bind iron and reduce oxidative stress. And, just like chemotherapy, curcumin increases the levels of both subunits of mRNA ferritin, H (heavy) and L (light).

But, in contrast with chemo drugs, the levels of regular ferritin protein H and L declined to approximately 65% of control in cells treated with curcumin. That is quite a drop. The team demonstrated, however, that it is possible to reverse the trend, since iron depletion causes decreased levels of ferritin: If iron depletion underlies the curcumin-dependent decrease in levels of ferritin protein, then it should be possible to reverse the effect of curcumin on ferritin by repleting cells with iron. That is exactly what happened, and the researchers found that iron blocks curcumin-dependent ferritin repression.

At the end of the study we get to a very interesting bit of news. The researchers suggest that the intake of iron as a dietary supplement may bind to and interfere with the beneficial activity of curcumin. Aha! And, in fact, earlier in the study they write that iron was recently shown to attenuate the cytotoxic effects of curcumin in cultured squamous cell carcinoma. So iron renders curcumin less effective. Makes sense.

Well, after reading this study, I will not be taking an iron supplement…for now, at least. I cannot and indeed should not avoid iron completely (it’s in a lot of foods, of course), but I certainly don’t want to take anything extra that might interfere with curcumin’s anticancer activities…no way!

100,000 times stronger than curcumin…

July 16, 2008 / / 4 Comments

I would like to mention that yesterday I updated my links to articles and studies, but mainly I put them in order by publication year. I hope that will make my blog more user-friendly (for me, too, eh…sometimes I have to do a search of my OWN blog to find stuff…!).

Now, let me explain the rather intriguing title of today’s post: the July 14 online edition of the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/248162) had an article about a University of Arizona chemist, Prof. David Gang, who is currently studying the healthful effects of turmeric, ginger and sweet basil. Quick update: before posting this piece, I tested the above link and discovered that you have to register to read the article…a slight drag, even though said registration is free…(okay, I know I probably shouldn’t have done this…but I copied the article and would be happy to forward it upon request…no registration required…happy to do it…).

At any rate, Prof. Gang mentions the discovery of two other compounds found in the rhizome of turmeric that have up to 100,000 times the anti-inflammatory potency of curcumin. 100,000 times??? Now how come I wasn’t aware of this? Unfortunately, the names of these two compounds are not mentioned in the article…drat! I will have to put on my SR (=Serious Researching) cap at some point soon…

Prof. Gang has a holistic approach to health, which I very much appreciate, of course. And I was intrigued by his suggestion that adding turmeric to the diet would be more beneficial than taking a curcumin supplement: […] Gang believes it’s more beneficial to actually eat the spices than it is to take supplements of isolated compounds […] “You’re better off using it as part of your diet than waiting till you get sick and taking a supplement,” he said.

Truth be told, this is not the first time that I have considered the “spice versus active ingredient” business, but this may be the first time I have written about it.

My thoughts at this time: if your goal is to PREVENT an illness of some sort, even cancer, making dietary changes should be high on your list. I wish that years ago I had known what I know now. One of the things I would have changed entirely is my diet. But that milk is long spilt.

But what happens once you HAVE cancer? Is it enough to change your diet and add spices? Hmmm, I wonder. And I think Prof. Gang would be doubtful, too. Perhaps that might work for some types of cancer…but I am a bit too tired right now to start wading out into the deep end of the pool. Of course, it’s never too late to change one’s lifestyle etc., and in fact, since my cancer diagnosis, I have made more than a few changes in my diet, which is still not perfect but is heaps better than before. And, especially during the winter months, I cook with truckloads of spices, such as turmeric, red pepper and ginger. But I also take supplements of isolated compounds. Is all this enough to keep me stable–my goal at present? Only time will tell…

An interesting experiment might be to stop taking curcumin for a couple of months and try just adding more spices to my daily diet. BUT: would I have the nerve to do that? STOP taking curcumin? The very idea gives me the quivers. Yikes…

By the way, Prof. Gang adds that a colleague of his is already looking to form a private company to develop pharmaceutical remedies from the compounds he isolates.

Spices for thought…

Big Brother

June 18, 2008 / / 6 Comments

A blog reader (thank you!) sent me some interesting info and links about warnings issued recently by the FDA (= Food and Drug Administration) to 23 companies and 2 individuals promoting various unproven cancer treatments that falsely claim to cure, treat or prevent cancer (see: http://tinyurl.com/3o89hf). I found this all so interesting and maddening at the same time that I wrote about ten pages of comments and denunciations…then did some drastic editing so I wouldn’t bore you all to tears. What follows is what is left over from my drastic bit of chopping (so I hope it makes sense!).

The following link takes you to an FDA page titled “125 fake cancer cures consumers should avoid”: http://tinyurl.com/5hfj6e. I became exceedingly concerned when I saw that curcumin is listed here, too.

Now, I agree that, even though curcumin inhibits Notch signalling (important for the well-being of cancer stem cells) etc., it will not “cure” cancer, not by itself at any rate. As far as myeloma is concerned, we have to eradicate the myeloma stem cells to achieve a cure, and that, I am afraid, is not in the immediate future.

So curcumin may not be a cure, but in my particular case (I could also cite dozens of other curcumin-taking cancer patients whose results have been even better than mine!) it has kept my myeloma inactive and stable for more than two years…not to speak of how much I have benefited from more than a few unexpected side effects: cholesterol decrease, no more infections, aches or pains, etc. etc. etc.!

No, I was not at all pleased to find curcumin mentioned on this page in the same breath as “fake.”

http://tinyurl.com/67fz7n: this FDA page is titled “Beware of Online Cancer Fraud” and contains some valid suggestions, for instance how to protect ourselves from fraudulent cancer-curing online claims. Run in the opposite direction if you read sentences such as “treats all forms of cancer,” “skin cancers disappear” and so on. I too have come across some blatantly false, even absurd, cures for cancer online…and I for one would be very glad to see these types of websites disappear into the huge cyberspace rubbish bin.

However, scrolling down this particular FDA page to “Red flags,” I had a bone to pick with the warning against anything that claims to be “non-toxic.” Now, why should “non-toxic” be considered to be a “red flag” as a general rule if, and I repeat IF!, there are scientific studies to support such a claim for a certain substance?

Let’s take curcumin, for instance. Every single scientific study that I have read so far classifies curcumin as “non-toxic.” Therefore, based on the FDA red flag warning, I should avoid taking it… right? Does that make any sense? No, thought not. This business totally irritated me, and even the fact that Italy won against France last night didn’t mollify me.

A June 17 Bloomberg article (see http://tinyurl.com/6c24mu) provides an overview of the recent FDA activity. A few sentences in particular struck me: Regulators are concerned that patients could suffer side effects or forgo treatments that work, said Michael Levy, director of the FDA’s division of new drugs and labeling compliance. And, he continues, the FDA is very concerned that consumers will purchase these products from the Internet and use them instead of products that have been proven safe and effective. “Proven safe and effective”? Wait a sec. What the heck does that mean?

Hmmm, let’s see…if I got it right, according to the FDA it’s okay to take something that might harm or poison or even kill us if we fall within the small percentage of folks who have a reaction to an approved and allegedly “safe” FDA drug (shall I tell you the FDA-approved Vioxx story?), but it’s not okay to take something that has been used by folks for centuries and that has zero toxic side effects? I see…

In sum, I would like to state that I agree with the FDA that there are a lot of bogus online claims peddling miraculous cures for cancer. I have read some of ‘em myself. So if you come across a substance that sounds intriguing, please make sure it is backed up by scientific studies (the NCBI website can be very helpful in that sense: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/).

At the same time, I am concerned that curcumin is mentioned on an FDA no-no list. I am afraid that that might scare people off, people who instead might benefit from taking curcumin. I hope that won’t happen.

It’s easy enough to sift through and separate the good information on Internet from the bad. If there is no scientific support for a product/substance, I don’t even take a second look at it. Period.

More on zerumbone

May 12, 2008 / / 5 Comments

Before we left on our Northumberland holiday, a laughing friend (thanks!) sent me a 2005 MD Anderson study on zerumbone published in “Oncogene” and co-authored by Prof. Aggarwal (is there a natural substance that this remarkable man has NOT tested???). The abstract can be viewed here: http://tinyurl.com/3rzdpa

I had already read elsewhere that zerumbone suppresses the activation of constitutive NF-kappaB ("constitutive" essentially means “active all the time,” which is a BAD thing, see my page on Nuclear Factor-kappaB for details), thus preventing a lot of nasty things from happening. The abstract tells us that it also suppresses, just to give a few better known (to me, anyway) examples, COX-2, Bcl-2 and the Epstein-Barr virus, AND it potentiates the killing effect of chemotherapy on cancer cells. So far, so good.

The full study begins with Hippocrates’ famous “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The study then provides a quick account of zerumbone that was first isolated in 1956 from the essential oil of rhizomes of a wild ginger, Zingiber zerumbet Smith, which is widespread in Southeast Asia.

Only about 40 years later, beginning in the 1990s, did it get the attention it deserved, though, as the following excerpts prove: zerumbone has been found to suppress the proliferation of colon cancer and breast cancer, with minimal effects on normal cells. Zerumbone has also been shown to suppress inflammation, suppress the initiation and promotion of skin tumors in mice, etc. Boy, this could easily turn into a sort of cancer “laundry list”! Ok, let me read on and do my best to avoid any mentions of laundry (of which I have been doing tons since we got home from our wonderful holiday…!).

Let’s see. On the one hand, zerumbone is a very potent inhibitor of TNF-induced NF-kB activation. TNF stands for tumour necrosis factor, by the way (hmmm, this is a rather complicated topic that I may address at some point, but for now let it suffice that in this particular scenario, that is, by activating NF-kB, TNF behaves badly, a bit like Mr. Hyde). Anyway, this plant extract suppresses TNF-induced invasion activity, which means it can block tumour metastasis…in vitro at least. I also found it interesting that cells pretreated with zerumbone showed no activation of NF-kB, even after 60 min of TNF stimulation. No activation of NF-kappaB. Extraordinary, no?

On the other hand, zerumbone increased the killing effect of TNF (this time, in its Dr. Jekyll role) on cancer cells by blocking NF-kB. See, I told you it was complicated! Okay, forget this entire part…for now, at least! I will jump to the Discussion section of the study.

The purpose of the study was to see if the antiinflammatory and antiproliferative effects of zerumbone were mediated through modulation of NF-kB and NF-kB regulated gene products involved in inflammation, proliferation, and apoptosis. The researchers found that zerumbone suppressed NF-kB activation induced by various carcinogens and inflammatory agents irrespective of cell type. Super duper.

There are heaps of details in this study, and I confess that I avoided listing them here as much as possible since they were of as much interest to me as a report on the newest most fashionable hair style/colour (yawn!), and I very much doubt they would have grabbed the attention of more than a few of you. However, I would be glad to forward the full study to those of you who enjoy reading about hetarodimers, IkappaBalpha phosphorylation (also suppressed by zerumbone, by the way) and annexing V staining…

Well, okay, here are a few details for the detail-hungry readers: in addition to inhibiting NF-kB (etc.), zerumbone downregulated NF-kB dependent gene products involved in cell proliferation (e.g. cyclin D1 and c-Myc), in antiapoptosis (e.g. survivin, IAP1, IAP2, XIAP, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bfl-1/A1, and FLIP), and in invasion (MMP-9, COX-2, and ICAM-1). Now, aren’t you GLAD I spared you most of the details?

I was interested to see that zerumbone also inhibits MMP-9 (so does thalidomide, by the way, if I am not mistaken), or matrix metallopeptidase 9. I have written on previous occasions about this human enzyme that of course is involved, and not at all in a positive way!, in myeloma (see for instance: http://tinyurl.com/3w54k8) and angiogenesis.

The study concludes: On the basis of our findings, we conclude that zerumbone is a potent inhibitor of NF-kB and NF-kB-regulated gene products and that this inhibition may explain its antiproliferative and antiinflammatory effects.

Here we have another substance that shows tremendous potential in the lab…but, okay, it’s a bit early to get overly excited, since zerumbone is not easy to obtain, and besides, it also would appear to cost an arm and a leg (I received an actual quote from a lab…mamma mia, quanto costa!!!). Drat!

So, given these obstacles, you may rightly ask me: what’s the point of researching and writing about any of these substances that have strong anticancer effects in vitro but are not being tested outside a lab setting?

Well, my main purpose is to get the word out via my blog.

You see, I believe that we can do something to change the current situation, in which promising anticancer plant extracts are essentially being ignored (for obvious reasons, just think of “Sicko”…).

One small and easy thing that we can all do is take the studies about zerumbone (or a substance of your choice, just take your pick among my Pages, e.g.) to our doctors and try to spark their curiosity.

Here, I hope, is an encouraging example. Out of curiosity this morning I did a search for “curcumin and cancer" on PubMed, where I found a total of 806 studies. Now, what follows may not be very scientific, but it does show how the interest in curcumin has been rising throughout the years.

In 2001 there were 41 studies on curcumin and cancer. Last year there were 129. And right now, that is, just a few months into 2008, there are already 48 studies. Astonishing, no?

The irrepressible optimist in me is convinced that we (cancer patients and/or curcumin-takers in general) have a lot to do with this change.

So if we can get just one doctor interested in zerumbone or cyclopamine or DMAPT or another plant extract…even just one doctor…

Reviving the dead…

April 21, 2008 / / 5 Comments

Life returns to normal, after a long and rather tiring weekend spent on a translation from English to Italian, which is not my forte, by the way (I do much better from Italian to English). Stefano helped me A LOT (what a guy!

). We finished at 11 p.m. last night. I think I noticed a few more white hairs than usual in the mirror this morning

…but anyway, the main thing is that we did a good job and will be paid well. Indeed.

So I took the morning off…and went to the supermarket where I bought a TON of cat litter that should last for weeks (and we will be gone only ten days…) and then to the cat store where I spent a bucket of money on cat food.

Later on I am going to read at least one study, but for now I will report on a bit of quick and easy news that I read this morning in the “Times of India” (http://tinyurl.com/4tyq5v). Another discovery about the wonders of curcumin: Researchers at New Delhi’s Jamia Hamdard University have successfully used curcumin – extracted from turmeric and broken into nano form – to control and cure cirrhosis of liver in an animal model experiment. “Nano,” huh? How “nano” were these nanoparticles, I wonder? Well, even though the jury is still out on the nano-stuff, in this case the nanocurcumin appears to have worked. Interesting.

And here is another interesting bit: It was found that when used in large doses, turmeric wasn’t particularly useful. But broken into nano particles, it worked wonders. It even reversed cirrhosis which is incurable,” said S Ahmad, vice-chancellor of Jamia Hamdard.

It reversed the…irreversible? Wowie! I imagine, by the way, that the researcher was referring to “curcumin,” not “turmeric.” Well, I suppose I will have to read the study at some point.

Then we read: The curcumin extract is an anti-oxidant that helps revive dead cells. It acts as a repairing agent and can regenerate cells that have broken up into nodules..

Helps revive dead cells, huh? Well, well…well!

Heart visit

April 3, 2008 / / 3 Comments

I began having a bit of trouble with extrasystoles (a form of irregular heartbeat) during the very painful case of pleurisy I had in the late spring-early summer of 2006. Since then, I have experienced occasional heart flutterings and extrasystoles. I probably should have gone to see a cardiologist a long time ago, but time passes, you know how it is.

Well, I finally made an appointment and this morning went to the hospital of Camerata, nestled among the green hills directly behind my house on the way to Fiesole, for those who know Florence. That’s where I have my skeletal X-rays done, too.

The cardiologist I saw this morning has an excellent reputation, and I liked her very much. A very straightforward, pleasant woman who explained everything to me in simple (but not TOO simple, if you know what I mean) terms. Results of the visit: my blood pressure was perfect, my electrocardiogram was also perfect, and my heart appears to be strong and healthy.

My cholesterol is high, but that’s an inherited problem offset by my ton of "good" cholesterol, low triglycerides, and absolutely normal CRP. Physical activity is key (I already knew that). Nothing much to worry about.

Most of our conversation, though, ended up revolving around curcumin. Whenever I go in to see a new doctor, you see, I always bring it up. You never know. Well, my cardiologist seemed absolutely intrigued…not only by what I told her curcumin has done for me, but also about the experiments done on (sigh) lab mice with enlarged hearts (curcumin prevents heart disease, at least in lab mice!, as I wrote in a recent post). She told me she wants to do some research into the matter and jotted down my blog address.

Yes!

She told me to come back to see her in six months so she could tell me what she has found out about curcumin. So I am very pleased today, for many reasons. I just took this photo of Peekaboo sitting on my desk. She looks pleased, too.

Speaking of being pleased, I have added some new links to my Pages (on the right of your screen). One of them is a collection of funny or cute videos (under my "Laughter and Immunity" page), which are mostly cat-related right now (check out the cat cartoon…), but I would be glad to add some more, so if you watch a funny video, send me the link, please. Let’s not forget that laughter gives a boost to our NK cells!

Curcumin and radiation: uterine cancer testimonial

March 19, 2008 / / 2 Comments

Yesterday the Kalamazoo (Michigan) Gazette (see: http://tinyurl.com/3c2n25) published a report by a woman who underwent radiation treatments for uterine cancer in January of 2006. She wrote that after three days, “the skin on my lower abdomen began to turn red.” Fearing that she would have to stop the treatment because of the radiation burns left on her sensitive skin, she began searching Internet for ways to prevent them. She found her answer: turmeric!

After reading a series of studies, including a 2005 University of Rochester study, which reported the successful use of curcumin during radiation treatments for breast cancer patients, she began taking curcumin (she uses the word "turmeric," but it must be curcumin):

Using the rationale that radiation is radiation, I immediately began taking 1,500 milligrams of turmeric per day: a therapeutic dosage supported by numerous studies. Initially, my doctor was as skeptical as he was intrigued. But by day six of my radiation treatment, there was no denying that my previously scorched skin was completely healed. And by day 25, the radiated skin looked just like it did on day one: not a single blister or burn. It was East meeting West in a perfect blend of modern science and ancient herbal remedy.

An important fact mentioned in the article is that curcumin protects normal cells from the noxious effects of radiation while enhancing the anticancer effect of radiation. When you think about it, it’s really mind-boggling!

Well, I confess: this was not news to me. I have already posted about curcumin’s protective effect against the toxicity of radiation treatments (April 2 2007 post, also see my permanent page on Curcumin and radiation), so this article simply confirms my findings. It’s great, though, to read a personal story, a testimonial, no? At any rate, check out this article, it’s worth reading.

Margaret's Corner

Tag: curcumin