Curry spice 'help for arthritis' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6090460.stm

Dear Docs, Medicos and Friends of science

Turmeric adds flavour and colour to curries and other foods

Every thing slowly slowly is coming back to oldies goldies and back to the
Nature.

Extract of a spice used in curry could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoporosis, US research suggests. Turmeric has been used for centuries in
Asian medicine to treat inflammatory disorders and its extract can be found in
western dietary supplements. Now lab work by University of Arizona researchers,
in Arthritis & Rheumatism, shows just how the spice's curcuminoid extracts have
a therapeutic effect. Experts say new drugs may be found, but eating more spices
is unlikely to work. The researchers said clinical trials were needed before
turmeric supplements could be recommended for medicinal use.
Turmeric extract

Earlier work by the University of Arizona team showed turmeric could prevent
joint inflammation in rats. In their latest study, they set out to find exactly
what ingredient in turmeric was having the anti-inflammatory effect. They
prepared extracts from the rhizome, or root of the turmeric plant, and compared
them against the commercially available products that contain turmeric extracts.


Results of tests in animal models of arthritis are not always reproduced in
human rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr Ann Barton, Manchester University
A version of turmeric extract that was free of essential oils was found to most
closely match the composition of the commercial supplements. And it was this
extract, containing curcumin, that was most effective at blocking the onset of
rheumatoid arthritis in the rats. The extract appears to work by preventing a
protein that controls when genes are switched on or off from being activated in
the joint. Once the protein known as NF-KB is activated, it binds to genes and
increases the production of inflammatory proteins, which attack the joints. Dr
Janet Funk and her colleagues believe their findings also suggest turmeric
extract could treat other inflammatory disorders, including asthma, multiple
sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. The extract also blocked a pathway in
the body linked to bone loss, suggesting it could treat osteoporosis as well.

Future work

Professor Robert Moots, professor of rheumatology at Liverpool University and
spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign, said people with arthritis will
have to wait to see if the study results in new treatments. "It will come as no
surprise if naturally occurring compounds have a drug-like effect," he said. "I
do not think there is any evidence that countries that eat a lot of turmeric
have a lower frequency of rheumatoid arthritis. So simply eating more spices is
not likely to be effective clinically.

"What is more likely is these results will lead to the targeted development of
new compounds." Dr Anne Barton, senior lecturer and honorary consultant
rheumatologist at the University of Manchester said: "The findings are
interesting but should be interpreted with some caution at this stage. "Results
of tests in animal models of arthritis are not always reproduced in human
rheumatoid arthritis. "As the authors point out though, there are a number of
successful drug therapies that have been developed from plants."



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