A SPICE of life may also prove to be be a life saver. The Indian spice turmeric – identified recently as a potential cancer treatment by Cork researchers – has now emerged as having valuable medicinal properties for reducing liver damage caused by cirrhosis.
An Austrian researcher writes this morning in medical journal Gut about this piquant wonder – found in any good curry – and its benefits in slowing liver disease.
Last October, Dr Sharon McKenna of the Cork cancer research centre in University College Cork described her discoveries about the benefits of turmeric. She found it could kill off difficult-to-treat oesophageal cancer cells when treated in the lab.
The spice is best known as an essential ingredient in any authentic Indian curry. It has been used for centuries, however, in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to cure gastro-intestinal disorders, writes lead author Prof Michael Trauner of the Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Their study focused in particular on curcumin, one of the principal components of turmeric. It gives the spice its bright yellow pigment and imparts a distinctive aromatic flavour to foods.
The researchers now show it is also very useful in slowing down inflammation within the liver and curtailing the resultant damage this can cause.
This anti-inflammatory property had been recognised from earlier research, but the team wanted to see if it could be used in diseases of the liver’s bile ducts and in a form of cirrhosis.
These conditions leave the ducts inflamed, leading to scarring and a toughening of these tissues. This generally leads in time to liver failure, with a liver transplant the only option.
The researchers used mice as a model to imitate liver inflammation, dividing them into two groups. One group received curcumin in their diet, while a matching group of mice went without a daily dose of the spice.
The scientists found those receiving the spice had reduced liver damage and less scarring of the bile ducts.
