As with any spice, herb, vitamin or mineral, there is controversy as to the benefits of these substances in helping people with cancer. It is well known that curcumin, a substance found in the spice turmeric, is not only a favorite food enhancer, but it has been used and is being explored for its medical properties in helping people with various ailments. One aspect of this exploration into curcumin is its anti-inflammatory aspect. As research has suggested and what we cite throughout our website is the role of inflammation in cancer and the how certain therapies may help by acting as an anti-inflammatory.
A recent paper on curcumin/turmeric sums up the incredible scientific research on this simple spice and cancer.
There is more new research supporting the use of spices as a key anti-oxidant to prevent excessive free radical generation and oxidative stress. Studies have long noted that oxidative stress has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Decades of research has shown antioxidants hinder the oxidative processes and thereby delay or suppress oxidative stress and disease.
Debasish Bandyopadhyay of the Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas-Pan American Edinburg in Texas wrote in the journal Frontiers in Chemistry: (1)
“A huge number of compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. Most importantly curcumin possesses immense antitumorigenic effect. It prevents tumor invasion and metastasis in a number of animal models, including models of lung, liver, stomach, colon, breast, esophageal cancer etc. Curcumin has also demonstrated the ability to improve patient outcomes in clinical trials.”
The science behind Curcumin runs deep and complex in demonstrating its possible cancer suppression properties.
The role of curcumin in controlling cancer inflammation
A June 2021 study (2) showed how curcumin could suppress cancer growth by preventing the production of TGF-β-induced generation of Tregs. (Cancer tissues produce large amounts of transforming growth factor beta TGF-β – ie., inflammatory cells). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in preventing antitumor immune responses in cancer tissues. (cancer has turned or tricked to the immune system into allowing it to thrive.) A component of Curcumin GO-Y030 (a “low dose” synthetic form of Curcumin) exerts a potent anticancer effect by controlling Treg generation and stability. In other words, this curcumin is being explored as a cancer drug to suppress that part of the “cancer-friendly” immune system.
A 2015 study in the Journal of medicinal food (3) found curcumin is a potential chemopreventive agent for treating certain cancers and other chronic inflammatory diseases. The paper noted: “Inflammation and the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with numerous chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. An overwhelming amount of data indicates that curcumin, a polyphenol obtained from the Indian spice turmeric, Curcuma longa, is a potential chemopreventive agent for treating certain cancers and other chronic inflammatory diseases.”
This research was cited in a 2021 paper published in the journal Biomolecules (4) which discussed curcumin as a possible effective and less toxic cancer treatment approach. The study authors wrote: “Curcumin, the major active component of turmeric, has gained great research interest as an antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory agent. This natural compound shows its anticancer effect through several pathways including interfering with multiple cellular mechanisms and inhibiting/inducing the generation of (inflammatory agents). The authors summarized the anticancer activity of curcumin against several cancers, for example, gastrointestinal, head and neck, brain, pancreatic, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.”
A 2019 paper also discussed the anti-inflammatory role of curcumin in cancer suppression (5) “Several hypotheses have highlighted that curcumin could decreases tumor growth and invasion by acting on both chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. . . ”
Our Cancer Program
At the Magaziner Center for Wellness, our treatments are focused on reducing inflammation, enhancing cellular immune response, and inactivating cancer stem cells since these cells cause cancer recurrences and are much more harmful than the actual tumor cells—all with the goal of improving quality of life, strength, vigor and extending life span. We place particular emphasis on an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle, and biologic agents that quiet the inflammatory pathways since inflammation has been found to foster the growth of cancer cells.
Most of our patients have already been through the rigors of conventional treatments but either experienced untoward side effects or unsatisfactory outcomes as the cancer continued to grow. The sooner we begin treatment, the better, since there is usually less damage to the immune system and to the vital organs. Your body then has a better chance to recover.
Our program emphasizes the concept of Thriving While Surviving. We strive to transform cancer from an acute disease into more of a chronic illness, one that can be lived with for many months or even years.
Related articles
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Many Women Not Maintaining Healthy Lifestyles Following Breast Cancer Remission
References
1 Bandyopadhyay D. Farmer to pharmacist: curcumin as an anti-invasive and antimetastatic agent for the treatment of cancer. Frontiers in chemistry. 2014 Dec 23;2:113.
2 MaruYama T, Kobayashi S, Nakatsukasa H, Moritoki Y, Taguchi D, Sunagawa Y, Morimoto T, Asao A, Jin W, Owada Y, Ishii N. The curcumin analog GO-Y030 controls the generation and stability of regulatory T cells. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021;12.
3 Nahar PP, Slitt AL, Seeram NP. Anti-inflammatory effects of novel standardized solid lipid curcumin formulations. Journal of medicinal food. 2015 Jul 1;18(7):786-92.
4 Kabir M, Rahman M, Akter R, Behl T, Kaushik D, Mittal V, Pandey P, Akhtar MF, Saleem A, Albadrani GM, Kamel M. Potential role of curcumin and its nanoformulations to treat various types of cancers. Biomolecules. 2021 Mar;11(3):392.
5 Vallée A, Lecarpentier Y, Vallée JN. Curcumin: a therapeutic strategy in cancers by inhibiting the canonical WNT/β-catenin pathway. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research. 2019 Dec;38(1):1-6.
6 Mishra A, Kumar R, Tyagi A, Kohaar I, Hedau S, Bharti AC, Sarker S, Dey D, Saluja D, Das B. Curcumin modulates cellular AP-1, NF-kB, and HPV16 E6 proteins in oral cancer. Ecancermedicalscience. 2015;9.
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