Curcumin,
a potent polyphenol found in turmeric root, exhibits more than 150
potentially therapeutic actions, including anticancer,
anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity
Animal
studies suggest curcumin may be useful in the treatment of cancer,
diabetes, neurologic conditions, obesity and psychiatric disorders, as
well as chronic illnesses affecting your cardiovascular and
gastrointestinal systems, eyes, kidneys, liver and lungs
Because
only small amounts of curcumin are found in turmeric and it is poorly
absorbed through your gastrointestinal tract, you will achieve the best
results by using a curcumin extract
A typical anticancer dose of curcumin is up to 3 grams of high-quality bioavailable extract, taken three to four times a day
The
British Medical Journal presents a case study on a 57-year-old woman who
is the first known person to have successfully overcome the blood
cancer myeloma using curcumin; she took a daily dose of 8 grams and has
been cancer-free for more than five years
By Dr. Mercola
Besides giving Indian curries their rich golden color, turmeric
contains a polyphenol called curcumin, which has been shown to possess
many health benefits, including being a malignancy-fighting
powerhouse. Curcumin’s health-boosting properties are well-documented
and this single compound exhibits more than 150 potentially therapeutic
actions.
With thousands of studies performed,1
researchers have shown curcumin has antibacterial, anticancer,
anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antioxidant, antiparasitic,
antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic and wound healing properties.
Animal studies have suggested curcumin may be useful in the treatment of a wide range of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurologic conditions, obesity
and psychiatric disorders, as well as chronic illnesses affecting your
cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, eyes, kidneys, liver and
lungs.2
While turmeric is widely available in powdered form, it contains a
very small amount of curcumin, which is known to be poorly absorbed
through your gastrointestinal tract. For these reasons, you’ll receive
more health benefits from a curcumin extract. A typical anticancer
dose is up to 3 grams (just under 1 teaspoon) of high-quality
bioavailable curcumin extract, taken three to four times a day.
Because it's a lipophilic (fat-loving) molecule, many curcumin
preparations include some sort of oil or fat to improve its
absorbability and bioavailability.
The Many Benefits of Curcumin
As the active ingredient in turmeric powder, curcumin
is well-known for its broad range of curative properties. It has been
used for thousands of years as a spice and beauty aid, and in both
Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine to treat a wide range of
maladies — from cancer to indigestion and heart disease
to neurodegenerative conditions. Given its many antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory properties, below are a few of the conditions
responsive to curcumin:3,4
• Cancer prevention and treatment: Taking
a curcumin supplement regularly may help prevent and treat cancer
based on the fact it appears to block the blood supply to cancerous
tumors, thereby suppressing the growth and replication of malignant
cells.
• Heart health: Animal
studies have shown curcumin can help regulate blood pressure and
prevent heart disease. It may be particularly beneficial to reduce the
incidence of atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries.
In other studies, curcumin has been found to lower LDL and total
cholesterol and prevent your blood from clotting.5 • Intestinal and bowel issues: Because
curcumin stimulates your gallbladder to produce bile, it may help
improve your digestion, reduce bloating and gas and soothe digestive
disorders. When combined with conventional treatments, curcumin may
help promote the remission of ulcerative colitis.6 • Neurodegenerative conditions: Curcumin may help prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.7,8
Scientists investigating curcumin’s biological activities had this
to say about the extent to which it plays a vital role in supporting
your health:9“Modern
science has shown that curcumin modulates various signaling molecules,
including inflammatory molecules, transcription factors, enzymes,
protein kinases, protein reductases, carrier proteins, cell survival
proteins, drug resistance proteins, adhesion molecules, growth factors,
receptors, cell-cycle regulatory proteins, chemokines, DNA, RNA and
metal ions.”
Curcumin Is a Powerful Weapon Against Malignancy
In animal-based lab research during the past 20 years, curcumin has
been shown to have both cancer-prevention and cancer-treatment
properties. Its usefulness in the treatment of colon cancer is
particularly well established.10,11,12
One group of scientists investigating curcumin’s ability to suppress
the proliferation of colon cancer cells by targeting a major
cell-cycle protein, said:13
“Curcumin … is one of the most popular
phytochemicals for cancer prevention. Numerous reports have
demonstrated modulation of multiple cellular signaling pathways by
curcumin and its molecular targets in various cancer cell lines.
Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), a major cell-cycle protein, was
identified as a potential molecular target of curcumin. Indeed, in
vitro and ex vivo kinase assay data revealed a dramatic suppressive
effect of curcumin on CDK2 kinase activity.”
Other cancers in which curcumin has shown protective effects in
rodent models include breast, bladder, brain, esophageal, kidney,
liver, lung, pancreas, prostate and stomach, to name a few.14
As noted by Dr. William LaValley — one of the leading clinical
researchers and medical practitioners in the field of integrative
cancer treatment, whom I've previously interviewed on this topic —
curcumin appears to be universally beneficial for nearly every type of cancer treatment.
This is unusual considering cancer’s many varied molecular
pathologies. One reason for this universal anticancer proclivity is
curcumin's ability to affect multiple molecular targets, via multiple
pathways.
Once it gets into a cell, curcumin affects more than 100 different
molecular pathways. And, as explained by LaValley, whether the curcumin
molecule causes an increase in activity of a particular molecular
target, or a decrease or inhibition of activity, studies repeatedly
underscore its potent anticancer activity.
Notably, curcumin is nontoxic, and does not adversely affect healthy
cells, suggesting it selectively targets cancer cells. In cases in
which certain chemotherapy drugs are used, curcumin has been shown to
work synergistically with the drugs to enhance the elimination of cancer
cells.
Woman Beat Myeloma Using Therapeutic Daily Dose of Curcumin
In terms of real-life success stories with this potent cancer-fighter, the British Medical Journal15,16
presented a case study on Dieneke Ferguson, age 57, who successfully
treated blood cancer using curcumin. After complaining of high blood
pressure, Ferguson was diagnosed with myeloma in 2007. Myeloma is a
cancer that begins in plasma cells within your bone marrow, causing
your plasma cells to become abnormal, multiply uncontrollably and
release only one type of antibody that has no useful function.
Within 15 months, Ferguson’s myeloma advanced to stage 3 and she
underwent several rounds of chemotherapy. In 2009, she had a stem cell
transplant. None of the treatments were effective in beating the
cancer. After stem cell therapy failed again, in 2011, Ferguson began
taking daily doses of curcumin extract with bioperine (a black pepper
extract) to aid absorption. She took 8 grams (a little over 2
teaspoons) every night on an empty stomach. The cancer stabilized.
A few months later, she began weekly hyperbaric oxygen therapy,
which involves breathing pure oxygen in an enclosed chamber. Over the
past five years, which incidentally is the average survival rate for
myeloma, Ferguson’s cancer has remained stable and her blood counts are
in the normal range. By all accounts, she enjoys a good quality of
life. Ferguson continues to take her daily dose of curcumin and receive
hyperbaric oxygen therapy once a week.
Ferguson’s doctors, who practice medicine at London’s Barts Health
NHS Trust, believe she may be the first recorded case of curcumin being
more effective than conventional treatments to beat cancer. They said:17
"A small but significant number of myeloma patients consume
dietary supplements in conjunction with conventional treatment,
primarily to help cope with the side effects of treatment, manage
symptoms and enhance general well-being. Few, if any, use dietary
supplementation as an alternative to standard antimyeloma therapy.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which
curcumin has demonstrated an objective response in progressive disease
in the absence of conventional treatment. The fact that our patient,
who had advanced stage disease and was effectively salvaged while
exclusively on curcumin, suggests a potential antimyeloma effect of
curcumin.”
About her experience, Ferguson said,18“I
hope my story will lead to more people finding out about the amazing
health benefits of curcumin. I also hope that as a result of the
publicity, more research will be undertaken so curcumin may become
freely available on the national health service and can help others.”
Suggestions for Using Curcumin Therapeutically
While turmeric is readily available in the spice section of nearly
every grocery store, it's important to realize if you want clinical
results, it's not enough to simply use turmeric as a spice in your
cooking. The turmeric root itself contains only about a 3 percent
curcumin concentration. To complicate matters further, curcumin is
poorly absorbed by your body. According to LaValley:
“There is truly a broad array of disease that curcumin has
significant potential for benefit. The challenge is how to get enough
of it into the bloodstream to make a difference. That’s where the
bioavailability of the product comes into play. There’s now a range of
products on the market that allow substantial amounts of curcumin and
metabolites of curcumin that are therapeutic … people now have much
better options than what was available even five years ago.”
While I usually suggest raw foods, curcumin is an exception. When
taking it in its raw form, from the turmeric root, you'd only be
absorbing about 1 percent of the available amount. Even in supplement
form it's unlikely to provide the type of results reflected in
scientific studies. That said, if you want to use curcumin
therapeutically, you can try one of the following three alternatives:
1. Locate a high-quality turmeric extract.
Look for an extract containing 100 percent certified organic
ingredients, with at least 95 percent curcuminoids. The formula should
be free of additives, excipients (substances added as a processing or
stability aid) and fillers. Typical anticancer doses are up to 3 grams
of good bioavailable curcumin extract, taken three to four times a day.
2. Make a microemulsion. Combine 1 tablespoon of raw curcumin powder with one or two egg yolks and 1 to 2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil.
Use a high-speed hand blender to emulsify it. Keep in mind curcumin
contains a strong yellow pigment that can permanently discolor
clothing, kitchen tools and surfaces, so take care when using it in
powder form. 3. Boil curcumin powder. Another
strategy that can help increase absorption is to put 1 tablespoon of
raw curcumin powder into 1 quart of boiling water. (The water must be
boiling when you add the powder — it will not work well if you add the
curcumin first and then heat the water.)
After boiling the mixture for 10 minutes you will have created a
woody-tasting 12 percent solution that you can drink once cooled. With
this method, the curcumin will gradually fall out of the solution over
time, so be sure to drink it within four hours to achieve the best
results.
Other Ways to Help Your Body Fight Malignant Disease
If you have cancer and are overweight, or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or diabetes, then insulin and leptin resistance are very likely affecting your body’s ability to fight the disease.
From my perspective, a ketogenic diet — with or without intermittent fasting
— would be a prudent treatment strategy to resolve that underlying
problem and give your body a better chance of responding to cancer
treatment. Once you've normalized your insulin and leptin, you don't
necessarily need to maintain a ketogenic diet, especially if you find it too restrictive. About this approach, LaValley states:
"I agree that a ketogenic diet is really appropriate in many
cases, probably the significant majority of cases. It's been known for
probably 80 years or longer that solid tumors, and some of the blood
cancers, are sugar-loving. I use a PET scan to demonstrate to patients …
objective proof that the tumors they have in their body are
sugar-avid. They're taking up sugar at a rate much higher than the other
regular healthy cells.
I want to drive home that message, so people are motivated to
alter their diet to have a low [starchy] carb intake, causing their
body to generate additional nutrient supply molecules called ketones
... What that means is we're trying to provide an anticancer,
antagonistic pressure on the cancer cells by reducing the amount of
sugar that's readily available for uptake.
We do so by reducing the easily available sugar in the diet and
compensating for the nutrient and sugar reduction by increasing healthy
fats."
In addition to cutting out sugar, it would also be prudent to assess
your protein intake. Many Americans eat far more protein than required
for optimal health. Importantly, excess protein stimulates your
mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway which, while useful for
building muscles, can be detrimental when treating cancer. This is the
case because mTOR is a pathway that increases cellular proliferation,
which you don’t want when it comes to cancer cells.
The formula I recommend for calculating protein intake calls for 1
gram per kilogram of lean body mass or 0.5 grams per pound of lean body
weight. To determine your lean mass, first determine your fat mass. As
an example, if your body fat mass is 20 percent, your lean mass is 80
percent of your total body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, your lean
mass would then be 120 pounds (150 X 0.8), and your protein requirement
would be about 60 grams (120 X 0.5).
If you are doing vigorous exercise or are pregnant, you can add up
to 25 percent more protein. If you need some encouragement with respect
to those who are beating various forms of cancer by treating it as a
metabolic disease, check out my previous article “Promoting Advances in Managing Cancer as a Metabolic Disease.”
Need a Doctor Familiar With Curcumin and Other Alternative Treatments?
LaValley is available to consult with you or your physician on a wide variety of health challenges, including cancer.19
He's licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. and Canada. His medical
clinic is located in Chester, Nova Scotia, where he sees patients, and
he also spends time in Austin, Texas, where he conducts research.
When there, he's available to consult with other physicians and
their patients. Says LaValley, "For instance, if a patient has
pancreatic cancer and the physician wants to implement one of the
protocols I provide, I will do a consultation … and then make
recommendations to the physician for implementation."
LaValley acknowledges the many challenges he faces with respect to
working within the medical establishment, mainly because there's so
much information that's not readily known or understood by traditional
doctors. In the U.S. and Canada, when a physician wants to administer
one or more natural products like curcumin or some off-label
pharmaceuticals for anticancer use, they very often fear recrimination
or disciplinary action. He said:
“That is, I think, very unfortunate, because the
evidence base does exist for [natural approaches] … I think the most
important movement that needs to occur is for patients to recognize
their own value in the decision-making process and to demand they have
access to [alternative] therapeutic choices. They're available, they're
supported in the evidence base, and [you] have the right to ask for
them rather than just accept whatever the physician is offering in the
conventional realm."
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