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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A spice commonly used in curries and other South Asian dishes may help treat arthritis.
A new report from the National Institutes of Health reveals turmeric -- a flowering plant in the ginger family -- has anti-arthritic benefits.
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Researchers used an experimental compound containing turmeric that was similar to over the counter turmeric dietary supplements.
Study results reveal the dose they gave to rats blocked a protein that leads to inflammation and also blocked other key genes that cause inflammation. Researchers also found turmeric could prevent acute and chronic arthritis, block the destruction of joints due to arthritis, and prevent an increase in the cells that break down bone in joints.
The authors say the turmeric dietary supplements seem to work in the same way as drugs that are currently being developed to target the same protein to treat arthritis. And because of the chemical complexity of turmeric, it may also block other causes of inflammation.
In summary, just as the willow bark provided relief for arthritis patients before the advent of aspirin, it would appear that the underground stem (rhizome) of a tropical plant [turmeric] may also hold promise for the treatment of joint inflammation and destruction, write the authors.
They say more studies are needed before turmeric supplements can be recommended as a treatment for arthritis.
More than 40 percent of arthritis patients in the United States use complementary and alternative medicine, including dietary supplements. The use has gone up since the FDA warned consumers about the dangers of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Celebrex.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2006;54:3452-3464
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