Powdered turmeric is a common ingredient of Indian food and a substance that has been used for centuries to treat osteoarthritis and other illnesses. In March 2012 researchers from Michigan State University found that curcumin may be beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease as well as head and neck cancers.
It is now thought that it might also be a valuable tool to fight the development of prostate cancer metastases. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, inhibits inflammatory reactions according to a new study by a research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich it can also inhibit formation of metastases.
This research team led by Dr. Beatrice Bachmeier at LMU Munich has been studying the mode of action of turmeric, a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is a major ingredient of curry. Bachmeier’s research centers on curcumin, the polyphenol responsible for the characteristic color of curry.
Curcumin is well tolerated by most people and is therefore suitable both for prophylactic use (primary prevention) and also for the suppression of metastases in cases where an established tumor is already present (secondary prevention).
Bachmeier and her colleagues, in a prior study, have demonstrated that tumeric statistically significantly reduces the formation of lung metastases in an animal model of advanced breast cancer.
This new study was designed to in