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Health See other Health Articles Title: Like Curry? New Biological Role Identified for Compound Used in Ancient Medicine ScienceDaily (May 25, 2012) — Oregon State University scientists just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you. New research has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that's known to be important in the "innate" immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals. This cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP, is part of what helps our immune system fight off various bacteria, viruses or fungi even though they hadn't been encountered before. Prior to this, it was known that CAMP levels were increased by vitamin D. Discovery of an alternative mechanism to influence or raise CAMP levels is of scientific interest and could open new research avenues in nutrition and pharmacology, scientists said. Turmeric is a flavorful, orange-yellow spice and an important ingredient in many curries, commonly found in Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has also been used for 2,500 years as a medicinal compound in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India -- not to mention being part of some religious and wedding ceremonies. In India, turmeric is treated with reverence. The newest findings were made by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU and published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health. "This research points to a new avenue for regulating CAMP gene expression," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the Linus Pauling Institute. "It's interesting and somewhat surprising that curcumin can do that, and could provide another tool to develop medical therapies." The impact of curcumin in this role is not nearly as potent as that of vitamin D, Gombart said, but could nonetheless have physiologic value. Curcumin has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. "Curcumin, as part of turmeric, is generally consumed in the diet at fairly low levels," Gombart said. "However, it's possible that sustained consumption over time may be healthy and help protect against infection, especially in the stomach and intestinal tract." In this study, Chunxiao Guo, a graduate student, and Gombart looked at the potential of both curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids to increase expression of the CAMP gene. They found no particular value with the omega-3 fatty acids for this purpose, but curcumin did have a clear effect. It caused levels of CAMP to almost triple. There has been intense scientific interest in the vitamin D receptor in recent years because of potential therapeutic benefits in treating infection, cancer, psoriasis and other diseases, the researchers noted in their report. An alternative way to elicit a related biological response could be significant and merits additional research, they said. The CAMP peptide is the only known antimicrobial peptide of its type in humans, researchers said. It appears to have the ability to kill a broad range of bacteria, including those that cause tuberculosis and protect against the development of sepsis. Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google: Other social bookmarking and sharing tools: Share on blogger Share on digg Share on fark Share on linkedin Share on myspace Share on newsvine Share on reddit Share on stumbleupon | 313 Story Source: The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oregon State University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above. Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA MLA Oregon State University (2012, May 25). Like curry? New biological role identified for compound used in ancient medicine. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 30, 2012, from www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2012/05/120525103915.htm Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff. Turmeric. New research has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that's known to be important in the "innate" immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals. (Credit: © sommai / Fotolia) Related Stories Curry Cooking Ingredient Could Provide Recipe for Fight Against Cancer (Sep. 28, 2010) — Scientists are pioneering the use of a common curry cooking ingredient to target cancer cells. The research is making use of actual tissue from tumors extracted from patients undergoing surgery. The ... > read more Curry as Cure? Spicing Up the Effectiveness of a Potential Disease-Fighter (Nov. 4, 2009) — Scientists are reporting development of a nano-size capsule that boosts the body's uptake of curcumin, an ingredient in yellow curry now being evaluated in clinical trials for treatment of several ... > read more Compound In Turmeric Spice May Stall Spread Of Fat Tissue (May 22, 2009) — There may be a new way to spice up your weight loss routine, according to results from a new animal model study. Researchers theorized that dietary curcumin could stall the spread of fat-tissue by ... > read more Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth In Rodent Models (May 18, 2009) — Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models. Researchers studied mice fed high fat diets ... > read more Turmeric: India's 'Holy Powder' Finally Reveals Its Centuries-Old Secret (Apr. 20, 2009) — Scientists in Michigan are reporting discovery of the secret behind the fabled healing power of the main ingredient in turmeric -- a spice revered in India as "holy ... > read more Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
It's long been known that "spicy" foods tend to have natural antibiotic like behavior. This makes food poisoning much less likely, hence tropical countries always seem to have heavily spiced "hot" foods.
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