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"Carcinogen Blocking Effects of Turmeric Curcumin"
We are increasingly aware of plant-derived substances,
that act as chemopreventive agents, substances that help prevent cancer,
as opposed to chemotherapy, substances aimed at treating cancer.
These substances are not only inexpensive,
they are also easy available, and have no or limited toxicity.
Since 1987, the National Cancer Institute has tested
more than a thousand different potential agents for chemopreventive activity,
of which only a few dozen were moved to clinical trials.
Curcumin, present in the Indian spice turmeric,
which is used in curry powder, is one such agent
that is currently under clinical investigation for cancer chemoprevention.
According to their mode of action,
chemopreventive agents are classified into different subgroups:
antiproliferatives, antioxidants, or carcinogen-blockers.
Curcumin belongs to all three,
given its multiple mechanisms of action.
Curcumin appears to play a role helping to block
every stage of cancer transformation, proliferation, and invasion,
but may even help before carcinogens even get to our cells.
A study back in 1987 investigated the effects of curcumin on the mutagenicity.
the DNA mutating ability of several toxins,
and they found that curcumin was an effective antimutagenic
against several environmental and standard mutagenic and cancer-causing substances,
but this was in vitro, from the Latin meaning "in glass",
meaning in a test tube or petri dish.
What about in people?
Well it's not like you can take a group of people
and expose them to some nasty carcinogen
just so you can give half of them turmeric and see what happens.
Well you could wait until some toxic waste spill happens or nuclear accident,
but otherwise you're not going to find people
who would voluntarily expose themselves to carcinogens,
unless… Smokers! We can just test it on smokers.
They've got carcinogens coursing through their veins every day.
If you take some smokers, and have them pee on some bacteria,
this is the number of DNA mutations that arise.
Remember, all life is encoded by DNA,
whether bacteria, banana, or bunny rabbit.
It's easier though, when measuring urinary mutagens,
to just pee on some bacteria.
The urine of nonsmokers caused far fewer DNA mutations.
Makes sense, they have fewer toxins running through their system.
And if you have the smokers eat turmeric for a month,
or excuse me, have the non-smokers for a month,
nothing really happens.
But what if you do the same for smokers though?
Fifteen days later they're down to here,
and 30 days they're down to here.
And this is not some concentrated curcumin supplement,
this is just plain turmeric like you'd buy at the store,
and less than a teaspoon a day,
indicating that dietary turmeric is an effective anti-mutagen.
You'll note though, on this graph,
there's an even more effective anti-mutagen...
not smoking!
Even eating turmeric for a month,
the DNA-damaging power of smoker pee
exceeded that of nonsmokers.