Is Curcumin The New ‘Cure’ for Cancer?

Curing cancer. It seems so close, yet still so far. We get updates all the time about new foods that are said to have cancer curing properties, so what should we really take note of, and what should we ignore? New research into cancer fighting foods is being carried out around the world, but as of yet, there is still no cure for cancer. So what is it about turmeric that’s getting researchers so excited? Could it really be the missing ingredient when it comes to giving cancer the boot? 

How turmeric claims to help cancer patients: inflammation, antioxidants

Curcumin is famous for it’s high antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s the only natural substance that has been found to possess such a high amount of anti inflammatory and antioxidant power. This is why researchers are studying it more closely, trying to find ways in which it can help many diseases, cancer being one of them. Research has proven that curcumin was more effective than pharmaceutical drugs in combating inflammation, minus the negative side effects. These are encouraging findings, given how many people still suffer the side effects of cancer medication. 

Evidence from test tube and animal studies suggested that curcumin helped prevent, and in some cases treated, several types of cancer including breast, prostate, skin and colon cancer. Curcumin has also been found to stop the activation of genes that trigger cancer, stop the spread of tumour cells, stop the the transformation of a normal cells into a cancer cells and kill cells that mutate into cancer. All pretty huge findings, so why does it seem we’re still not any closer to a cure for cancer? 

Claims too good to be true?

Turmeric does not magically cure cancer, nor do any other superfoods that have been in the spotlight recently. If you read the research and take note of the wording, it often says ‘prevent’ cancer. Prevention may well be because antioxidants protect cells, so the more of them we have, the healthier our bodies are, successfully keeping us disease free. 

So, is turmeric a prevention? Or do researchers really believe it could be a cure? Unfortunately, all studies are in their early stages, so there’s a long way to go before we can find out if turmeric can cure cancer. However, we can certainly come to a conclusion that turmeric can have a huge positive impact on our health, and from the research we do have, turmeric is looking hot for the next cancer fighting superfood!