Turmeric can fight colon cancer

Curcumin, an active ingredient of turmeric, can fight colon cancer when used in combination with a popular anti-inflammatory drug, say researchers.

A treatment based on this finding has had promising results in human clinical trials, the journal Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology reports.

Several lines of evidence demonstrate that chronic inflammation in the stomach can cause gastric cancer and that inflammation in the liver from hepatitis can lead to liver cancer, according to a Tel Aviv statement.

“Although more testing will be needed before a possible new drug treatment is developed. One could combine curcumin with a lower dose of a cancer anti-inflammatory drug, to better fight colon cancer,” says Shahar Lev-Ari from Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Lev-Ari found that Celecoxib, a popular drug commonly used to treat arthritis, also inhibits proliferation of colon cancer in lab settings.

Curcumin increases the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of Celecoxib while reducing its dose, thus reducing its toxic side-effects, including the rate of heart attack and stroke.