Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/13/09.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Two Glasses Of Wine A Day Helps To Reduce Quantity Of Fat In Liver - Science Daily, 5/12/09 - "Alter four weeks, samples of liver and blood were taken from individuals of the three different groups for their subsequent analysis. It was shown that in the third group - the one treated with resveratrol -, infiltration of liver fat dropped in comparison with group two. After this and a number of other analyses, the researcher concluded that resveratrol reduces the severity of ESNA in models with rats because, in the animals treated with resveratrol, the percentage of the cells of affected liver cells was notably less in non-treated animals" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Stress Testing Biofuels: How the Game Was Rigged - Time, 5/12/09 - "Study after study suggests that growing fuel could be a disaster for the planet, while raising global food prices and promoting global food riots. The amount of grain it takes to fill an SUV with ethanol could feed an adult for a year; we need every acre of farmland to feed the world. President Obama never claimed to be a reformer when it came to ethanol, and he and Vilsack have been big supporters of next-generation biofuels. Maybe there's nothing EPA officials can do to stop the renewable-fuels steamroller, but it would nice if they suggested slowing it down"

Vitamin-exercise study questioned - Nutra USA, 5/12/09 - "The authors noted that biopsies for the ‘early’ time-point were only obtained from five people in the vitamin group, and four in the placebo group. “Yet the authors conclude a “strong induction of PGCl-alpha, PGCl-beta, and PPAR-gamma expression in skeletal muscle following 4 weeks of exercise training in previously untrained, antioxidant naïve individuals” and “markedly reduced exercise-related induction” in those taking antioxidants, based on these limited number of biopsies,” ... “Would it not have made more sense to appropriately increase the intensity and duration of exercise slowly and then see if the subject’s bodies didn’t accommodate handling of ROS without a significant change in induction of these markers?” ... The study reflects a ‘transient’ increase in ROS during ‘limited periods of physical exercise only’, noted Dr Schauss, “whereas the bulk of the literature, including that in non-primate models have not observed these concerns obtained in models of ‘continuous exposure to increased levels of ROS’” ... the authors presented no evidence of adverse effects by any of the individuals from vitamin C and E supplementation"

• Do Antioxidants Curb an Exercise Benefit? - WebMD, 5/11/09 - "Physical activity induced an increase in insulin sensitivity only in the absence of antioxidants"

Medicinal Plant, St John's Wort, May Reduce Neuronal Degeneration Caused By Parkinson's Disease - Science Daily, 5/11/09 - "suggests that this plant with antidepressant properties has antioxidant active ingredients that could help reduce the neuronal degeneration caused by the disease" - See St. John's wort at Amazon.com.

Mediterranean Diet May Boost Eye Health - WebMD, 5/11/09 - "people who ate one serving of fish per week had a 31% lower risk of early signs of AMD. Those who ate one to two servings of nuts rich in omega-3 fatty acids had a 35% lower risk" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Fruit and veg may slash colorectal cancer risk: Study - Nutra USA, 5/11/09 - "Over 8.8 years of follow-up ... the highest average intakes of fruit and vegetables was associated with a 14 per cent reduction in colorectal cancer risk, and a 24 per cent reduction in the risk of colon cancer" - [Abstract]

Older People Need More Sun, Expert Urges - Science Daily, 5/11/09 - "His team found a high correlation between low vitamin D levels and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. They found 94% of people in the study had a vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) deficiency or insufficiency. The results showed 42.3% of these people also had metabolic syndrome ... Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a condition that is causing a large burden of disease across the globe with particular deleterious impact among the elderly" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Hypothyroidism In Women Associated With Liver Cancer - Science Daily, 5/8/09 - "Women with a history of hypothyroidism face a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer ... Whether and why hypothyroidism causes HCC is not clear ... However, the association between hypothyroidism and NASH can be explained by the underlying hyperlipidemia, decreased fatty acid oxidation insulin resistance and lipid peroxidation in patients with hypothyroidism"

Hydrolysed collagen may boost beauty from within: Rousselot studies - Nutra USA, 5/7/09 - "According to the company, women receiving the collagen supplement experienced a 28 per cent improvement in the skin hydration levels, compared to placebo, with 91 per cent of these women reporting increased skin hydration levels after eight weeks ... Furthermore, the number of micro-relief furrows and deep wrinkles decreased by 26 and 30 per cent, compared with the placebo group" - See collagen products at iHerb.

White Tea: Solution To Obesity Epidemic? - Science Daily, 5/7/09 - "After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced ... The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain ... It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells, such as methylxanthines (like caffeine) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – which the authors believe to be responsible for many of the anti-adipogenic effects demonstrated in their study" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Study In Pregnant Women Suggests Probiotics May Help Ward Off Obesity - Science Daily, 5/7/09 - "One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity ... Central obesity, where overall obesity is combined with a particularly fat belly, is considered especially unhealthy ... We found it in 25% of the women who had received the probiotics along with dietary counselling, compared with 43% in the women who received diet advice alone" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Semen Parameters and Oxidative/Antioxidant Status - Urology. 2009 May 8 - "To examine whether a beneficial effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on semen parameters and oxidative/antioxidant status in idiopathic male infertility exists ... NAC had significant improving effects on the volume, motility, and viscosity of semen" - See n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com.

alpha-Blocker Use Is Associated With Decreased Risk of Sexual Dysfunction - Urology. 2009 May 8 - "Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) ... alpha-Blocker use was associated with a decreased risk of sexual dysfunction across all domains for men >/=50 years old (age-adjusted hazard ratio 0.53-0.69). A decreased risk of erectile dysfunction and low libido remained significant only among those using alpha-blockers who also experienced an improvement in LUTS (P = .01)"

The Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with Inosine - J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May 8 - "These data suggest that the use of inosine to raise serum UA levels may have benefits for at least some MS patients" - See inosine products at iHerb.

Coffee, black tea and risk of gastric cancer - Cancer Causes Control. 2009 May 12 - "Our investigation, based on a uniquely large dataset, provides convincing evidence that coffee and black tea consumption is unlikely to be strongly associated with gastric cancer risk"

Niacin and fibrate use among patients with high triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol - Curr Med Res Opin. 2009 May 8 - "among patients with 4 risk factors, <20% of patients with low HDL/high TG received niacin and/or a fibrate post-index date ... Our results indicate that in actual clinical practice, niacin and fibrates are underutilized in the treatment of low HDL and high TG" - See niacin at Amazon.com.

Fruit, vegetables, and colorectal cancer risk: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition - Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1441-52 - "After an average follow-up of 8.8 y, 2,819 incident CRC cases were reported. Consumption of fruit and vegetables was inversely associated with CRC in a comparison of the highest with the lowest EPIC-wide quintile of consumption (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.00; P for trend = 0.04), particularly with colon cancer risk (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.91; P for trend < 0.01). Only after exclusion of the first 2 y of follow-up were these findings corroborated by calibrated continuous analyses for a 100-g increase in consumption: HRs of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.00; P = 0.04) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89, 0.99; P = 0.02), respectively. The association between fruit and vegetable consumption and CRC risk was inverse in never and former smokers, but positive in current smokers. This modifying effect was found for fruit and vegetables combined and for vegetables alone"

Dietary Supplement S-Adenosyl-l-Methionine (AdoMet) Effects on Plasma Homocysteine Levels in Healthy Human Subjects: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial - J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May 7 - "S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet), a commonly used nutritional supplement ... AdoMet at a daily dose of 800 mg for 4 weeks does not appear to significantly affect Hcy levels in the blood"

The relationship of serum and salivary cortisol levels to male sexual dysfunction as measured by the International Index of Erectile Function - Int J Impot Res. 2009 May 7 - "testosterone (T) and cortisol (F) ... (Total-T, Free-T, Bioavailable-T, Total-F and Bioavailable-F) and salivary hormones (Saliva-T and Saliva-F) ... International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) ... Free-T and Bioavailable-T showed significant inverse correlations with age (P<0.01). In the group not taking antidepressants, the levels of Bioavailable-F and Saliva-F showed significant inverse correlations with a portion of the IIEF score (P<0.05). However, reductions in Bioavailable-T and Saliva-T showed no association with the IIEF score. In the group taking antidepressants, these hormone levels showed no correlation with IIEF"

Neat Tech Stuff :

• I've added a "Other Neat Links" link to the bottom of my left side bar.  It's got help links to other non-health related websites (mostly hard to find software) that I use.
• Zwipes Microfiber 36-Pack of Cleaning Cloths - Got a 5 star rating with 28 reviews.  I bought these to save trees over using paper towels and they work much better especially for cleaning glass and mirrors.  There super absorbent.  I bought two bathroom trash cans from Target, one brown and the other white.  I put the clean ones in the white one and the dirty in the brown.
• Just something interesting, Fox did a taste test between Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's and Starbucks mocha.  Two voted for McDonald's and three voted for Dunkin. Click here for the clip.

Supplement Focus (Curcumin/Turmeric (Curcuma longa)):

Related Topics:

• cancer cures? / inflammation

News & Research:

• curcumin products at Amazon.com
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) - The Natural Pharmacist
• What is curcumin? - Dr. Murray
• Curcumin may cut body fat and weight gain: Mouse study - Nutra USA, 4/27/09 - "The curcumin suppression of angiogenesis in adipose tissue together with its effect on lipid metabolism in adipocytes may contribute to lower body fat and body weight gain ... Curcumin was also associated with significantly lower cholesterol levels and a reduction in the expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), a protein that plays a role in metabolic functions" - [Abstract]
• Turmeric: India's 'Holy Powder' Finally Reveals Its Centuries-old Secret - Science Daily, 4/20/09 - "Using a high-tech instrument termed solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the scientists discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical disciplinarian. They insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable and orderly in a way that increases cells' resistance to infection by disease-causing microbes"
• Turmeric Ingredient Makes Membranes Behave For Better Health - Science Daily, 3/6/09 - "curcumin acts as a disciplinarian, inserting itself into cell membranes and making them more orderly, a move that improves cells' resistance to infection and malignancy ... The membrane goes from being crazy and floppy to being more disciplined and ordered, so that information flow through it can be controlled"
• Curry Spice May Thwart Heart Failure - WebMD, 2/26/08
• Indian Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke - Science Daily, 9/22/08 - "This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke ... significantly decreases the size of a blood clot"
• Curcumin Suppresses IgE-Mediated Allergic Response and Mast Cell Activation - Medscape, 6/3/08 - "Two cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL-4, are among those that are critical to allergic inflammation. In studies using the RBL-2H3 tumor mast cell line, the researchers found that curcumin significantly inhibited the antigen-stimulated expression of mRNA for both cytokines, and the secretion of both cytokines in the mast cells, in a dose-dependent manner"
• Ingredient In Yellow Curry Can Reduce Heart Enlargement And May Prevent Heart Failure - Science Daily, 2/21/08 - "Eating curcumin, a natural ingredient in the spice turmeric, may dramatically reduce the chance of developing heart failure"
• Turmeric (Curcumin) review - ConsumerLab.com, 2/6/08 - "ConsumerLab.com found a popular brand to contain 18.7 mcg of lead in a daily serving — the highest amount it has ever reported. Another brand was contaminated with 8.3 mcg of lead. These amounts are well above those to which people are normally exposed and should be avoided ... two other products provided only 11.5% and 49.5%, respectively, of expected curcumin compounds. A fifth product did not specify the part of the plant used — a FDA labeling requirement" - Note:  I get the paid version and it was NSI® Nutraceutical® Sciences Institute Superior™ Turmeric Curcuma Longa that contained the 18.7 mcg of lead and Solgar® Standardize Full Potency™ Turmeric Root Extract that contained the 8.3 mcg. There wasn't any that failed that I call "brand name".
• Curcumin enhances the effects of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in mediating growth inhibition of colon cancer cells by modulating EGFR and IGF-1R - Int J Cancer. 2007 Oct 4 - "inclusion of curcumin to the conventional chemotherapeutic agent(s)/regimen could be an effective therapeutic strategy for colorectal cancer"
• Colon Cancer on curcumin and Vectibix - Johns Hopkins, 8/14/07 - "University of Texas researchers treated some human colorectal cancer cells with neurotensin, with and without curcumin. They confirmed that neurotensin started a chain reaction of chemicals that can increase the growth of cancer and also the migration of cancer cells and that curcumin blocked the process ... Curcumin appears to do this by blocking the biochemical signals sent by neurotensin that contribute to colon cancer cell growth and migration (the spread of cancer to other body sites)"
• Curry Spice May Counter Alzheimer's - WebMD, 7/16/07 - "In preliminary lab tests, the chemical helped rid the blood of a key ingredient in Alzheimer's brain plaque"
• Curcumin's anti-cancer mechanism proposed - Nutra USA, 4/13/07
• A Curry A Day Keeps The Doctor Away? - Science Daily, 1/11/07 - "the chemical compound capsaicin -- which is responsible for the burning sensation when we eat chillies -- can kill cells by directly targeting their energy source ... It could mean that patients could control or prevent the onset of cancer by eating a diet rich in capsaicin"
• Tasty curry might have a fringe benefit - USA Today, 1/7/07 - "turmeric, one component of curry spice, almost completely prevented joint swelling in rats with arthritis. Other studies have suggested that the spice could protect against diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's ... many people with arthritis take over-the-counter supplements that contain curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric ... The curcumin in curry seems to shut down genes that trigger the development and the spread of breast cancer"
• Turmeric Supplements Show Promise in Treating Arthritis - Medscape, 11/17/06 - "This version was used in subsequent experiments and was shown to prevent acute and chronic arthritis ... In addition, turmeric significantly inhibited joint destruction due to arthritis, and inhibited NF-κB, a protein that controls the gene expression of substances that produce an inflammatory response. Turmeric also altered the expression of hundreds of genes involved in joint swelling and destruction and prevented an increase in osteoclasts (cells that break down bone) in joints"
• Curry spice extract may have anti-arthritis potential - Nutra USA, 10/30/06 - "Cartilage destruction in the tibia of the rats was reduced by 66 per cent, and thigh bone mineral density (BMD) destruction was also reduced by 57 per cent, compared to the control solution"
• Curry spice 'help for arthritis' - BBC News, 10/30/06 - "The extract appears to work by prevent a protein that controls when genes are switched on or off from being activated in the joint"
• Spicy Spin on Easing Arthritis - WebMD, 10/30/06 - "Over the next 28 days, the mice in the turmeric group showed less joint inflammation and less joint damage than those in the comparison group ... The turmeric extract apparently curbed certain genes involved in joint inflammation ... The mice in the turmeric group also showed better bone mineral density than those in the comparison group"
• Chemical Found In Curry May Help Immune System Clear Amyloid Plaques Found In Alzheimer's Disease - Science Daily, 10/3/06 - "curcumin -- a chemical found in curry and turmeric -- may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which form the plaques found in Alzheimer's disease"
• Chemical in Curry May Cut Colon Cancer - WebMD, 8/2/06 - "Each of the patients then received 480 milligrams of curcumin and 20 milligrams of quercetin three times a day for six months ... The results showed that treatment with the curry and onion compounds reduced the average number of polyps by 60%, and decreased their size by 50%" - See iHerb or Vitacost curcumin products and iHerb or Vitacost quercetin products.
• Curry And Cauliflower Could Halt Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 1/15/06 - "The bottom line is that PEITC and curcumin, alone or in combination, demonstrate significant cancer-preventive qualities in laboratory mice, and the combination of PEITC and curcumin could be effective in treating established prostate cancers"
• Turmeric for Breast Cancer Prevention? - Dr. Weil, 12/2/05
• Spice Ingredient May Cut Breast Cancer Spread - WebMD, 10/17/05
• Early Study Shows Spice Stunts Deadly Spread To Lungs - Science Daily, 10/16/05 - "Curcumin ... inhibits metastasis to the lungs of mice with breast cancer ... Treatment using Taxol alone only "modestly reduced" the incidence of metastases, while the group using curcumin alone and curcumin plus Taxol "significantly reduced" both the incidence and numbers of visible lung metastases"
• Potent Spice Works To Block Growth Of Melanoma In Lab Test - Science Daily, 7/14/05
• Curry Spice May Fight Skin Cancer - WebMD, 7/11/05 - "curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice turmeric, kills and stops the growth of melanoma skin cancer cells in laboratory tests"
• Curry Spice May Curb Breast Cancer's Spread - WebMD, 6/9/05 - "Less than a quarter of the mice in the curcumin-plus-Taxol group had cancer that spread to the lungs. So did half of the curcumin group. In comparison, cancer spread to the lungs in three-fourths of the Taxol group and almost all (95%) mice that got no treatment"
• Does a New Pill Contain the Fountain of Youth? - ABC News, 6/2/05 - "It is a combination of five plant ingredients. Two of them are pretty commonplace — green tea and turmeric, a spice used in Indian cooking"
• Curry Spice May Fight Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 1/5/05 - "the curry pigment curcumin slows the formation of, and even destroys, accumulated plaque deposits in mouse brains"
• Food for thought: Can diet protect memory? - MSNBC, 12/6/04 - "research increasingly suggests that diet may be important in preventing Alzheimer's ... older dogs fed a diet rich in antioxidants over several years were able to perform tasks — and learn new tricks — far better than fellow canines fed a normal diet ... scientists believe that curcumin, a spice used in India and known for its anti-inflammatory effects, may prevent memory loss"
• Can Curcumin Prevent Alzheimer's Disease? - Life Extension Magazine, 12/04
• The Case for Curry: Turmeric as Medical Treatment - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 6/04
• Curry May Protect Aging Brain - WebMD, 4/19/04 - "Small doses of curry could help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease -- at least that's the effect in rats"
• Asian spice shows strong antioxidant powers - Nutra USA, 4/19/04
• Curcumin Update - Life Extension Magazine, 2/04
• Preventing Breast Cancer Recurrence? - Dr. Weil, 10/13/03
• Try Turmeric for MS? - Dr. Weil, 8/12/03
• Curcumin helpful in multiple sclerosis model - Dr. Murray, 1/1/03
• Herb Mix Nixes Prostate Cancer in Lab - WebMD, 12/13/02 - "A number of recent studies point to COX-2 as an important factor in cancer-cell growth. In the Columbia studies, Zyflamend decreased COX-2 activity about as well as a potent COX-2-inhibiting drug ... The herbal mix is called Zyflamend, from New Chapter Inc., and has 10 herbs: holy basil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, rosemary, hu zhang, Chinese goldthread, barberry, oregano, and Scutellaria biacalensis"
• Can Herbs Combat Inflammation? - Dr. Weil, 12/3/02 - "Take 400 to 600 milligrams of turmeric extracts (available in tablets or capsules) three times per day or as directed on the product label. Whole turmeric is more effective than isolated curcumin, its major constituent. Look for products standardized for 95% curcuminoids. Be patient: the full benefit takes two months to develop. Don’t use turmeric if you have gallstones or bile duct dysfunction" - See iHerb and Vitacost turmeric products.
• Curry Spice Takes Burn Out of Radiation - WebMD, 10/10/02 - "The study showed that curcumin, the substance in turmeric that gives it and the dishes it flavors a characteristic yellow color, is a natural anti-inflammatory compound. It works in ways similar to the popular Cox-2 inhibiting drugs, including aspirin and Celebrex"
• A Report on Curcumin's Anti-cancer Effects - Life Extension Magazine, 7/02 - "Imagine a natural substance so smart it can tell the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell; so powerful it can stop chemicals in their tracks; and so strong it can enable DNA to walk away from lethal doses of radiation virtually unscathed. Curcumin has powers against cancer so beneficial that drug companies are rushing to make drug versions. Curcumin is all this and more"
• An Indian Spice for Alzheimer’s? - Dr. Weil, 6/12/02 - "Curcumin blocked the accumulation of beta-amaloid plaque and also appeared to reduce inflammation related to Alzheimer’s disease in neurologic tissue. The rats fed curcumin also performed better on memory tests than rats on normal diets ... Researchers at the University of Illinois have also found that it helps prevent plaque formation. And preliminary studies at Vanderbilt University suggest that curcumin may block the progression of multiple sclerosis ... only low dose curcumin reduced plaque in the Alzheimer’s disease studies ... Turmeric appears to have significant anti-inflammatory and cancer-protective effects as well"
• I would like to know if curcumin is safe for long-term use - Life Extension Magazine, 3/02
• Are you aware of any studies relating to oral curcumin and serum cholesterol levels? - Life Extension Magazine, 1/02
• question regarding your new cholesterol-lowering supplement, Policosanol - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "In the Journal of Molecular Cell Biochemistry, curcumin has been demonstrated, in vivo, to decrease triglycerides and increase HDL."
• Unlocking the power of curcumin - Life Extension Magazine, 9/01 - "research is discovering that curcumin is a powerful carcinogenic inhibitor, slowing cancerous cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis, a pre-programmed set of processes within a cell that results in its death"
• Curcumin protects against mammary tumors in rats - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01
• Cholesterol Reduction - Life Extension Magazine - "human volunteers taking curcumin showed a 29% increase in beneficial HDL cholesterol in only 7 days. Total cholesterol also fell 11.6% and lipid peroxidation was reduced by 33% ..." & other studies
• Natural COX-2 Inhibitors The Future of Pain Relief - Nutrition Science News, 8/00 - "dose-dependent treatment of the cells with curcumin suppressed both BA- and PMA-mediated induction of COX-2 protein, genetic COX-2 expression (as measured by mRNA), and the synthesis of prostaglandin E2. Most impressive, however, was the discovery that curcumin directly inhibited the enzymatic activity of COX-2"
• Cancer Prevention Diet - Nutrition Science News, 8/99 - "Research suggests that curcumin, the bright yellow flavonoid present in turmeric (Curcuma longa) roots, selectively inhibits thromboxane production while sparing prostacyclin. Thromboxane is a potent inflammatory compound produced by the body in response to injury or irritation. It causes blood vessels to constrict and the blood to clot, while prostacyclin is an inflammatory mediator that can respond to tissue injury without leading to further inflammation. Inhibiting thromboxane prevents excessive inflammatory response and reduces damage to vascular endothelia. Curcumin has also been shown to inhibit tobacco smoke mutagenicity, suggesting it may help protect the vascular endothelia from damage caused by smoking"
• Chemopreventive effects of carotenoids and curcumin on mouse colon carcinogenesis - Life Extension Magazine, 6/99
• Turmeric and in-vitro NOS Levels in Acute and Chronic Wounds - Medscape, 3/99

Abstracts:

• Curcumin inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and angiogenesis and obesity in C57/BL mice - J Nutr. 2009 May;139(5):919-25 - "Supplementing the high-fat diet of mice with curcumin did not affect food intake but reduced body weight gain, adiposity, and microvessel density in adipose tissue, which coincided with reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR-2. Curcumin increased 5'AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, reduced glycerol-3-phosphate acyl transferase-1, and increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 expression, which led to increased oxidation and decreased fatty acid esterification ... Our findings suggest that dietary curcumin may have a potential benefit in preventing obesity"
• Curcumin and cancer: An "old-age" disease with an "age-old" solution - Cancer Lett. 2008 May 5 - "The activity of curcumin reported against leukemia and lymphoma, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, melanoma, neurological cancers, and sarcoma reflects its ability to affect multiple targets. Thus an "old-age" disease such as cancer requires an "age-old" treatment"
• Curcumin induces cell-arrest and apoptosis in association with the inhibition of constitutively active NF-kappaB and STAT3 pathways in Hodgkin's lymphoma cells - Int J Cancer. 2008 Apr 3 - "Interestingly, curcumin caused cell cycle arrest in G2-M and a significant reduction (80-97%) in H-RS cell viability. Furthermore, curcumin triggered cell death by apoptosis, as evidenced by the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, changes in nuclear morphology and phosphatidylserine translocation. The above findings provide a mechanistic rationale for the potential use of curcumin as a therapeutic agent for patients with HL"
• Curcumin stimulates proliferation of embryonic neural progenitor cells and neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus - J Biol Chem. 2008 Mar 24 - "Administration of curcumin to adult mice resulted in a significant increase in the number of newly-generated cells in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus, indicating that curcumin enhances adult hippocampal neurogenesis"
• Effects of curcumin on bladder cancer cells and development of urothelial tumors in a rat bladder carcinogenesis model - Cancer Lett. 2008 Mar 12 - "Exposure of human bladder cancer cells to curcumin resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death and caused cells to arrest in the G2/M phase. The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Survivin protein was downregulated by the curcumin treatment together with enhancement of the Bax and p53 expression. The inhibitory activities of curcumin were stronger than those of cisplatin and could not be prevented by catalase pretreatment in T24 cells. Clonal assay indicated large-dose and short-term curcumin was lethal to bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the in vivo study revealed curcumin did induce apoptosis in situ, inhibit and slow the development of bladder cancer. These observations suggest that curcumin could prove an effective chemopreventive and chemotherapy agent for bladder cancer"
• The combination of epigallocatechin gallate and curcumin suppresses ERalpha-breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo - Int J Cancer. 2007 Dec 20 - "Tumor volume in the EGCG + curcumin treated mice decreased 49% compared to vehicle control mice (p < 0.05), which correlated with a 78 +/- 6% decrease in levels of VEGFR-1 protein expression in the tumors. Curcumin treatment significantly decreased tumor protein levels of EGFR and Akt, however the expression of these proteins was not further decreased following combination treatment. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the combination of EGCG and curcumin is efficacious in both in vitro and in vivo models of ERalpha- breast cancer and that regulation of VEGFR-1 may play a key role in this effect"
• Effect of Curcumin on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Cisplatin-Induced Experimental Nephrotoxicity - J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Nov 15 - "curcumin has a protective effect on cisplatin-induced experimental nephrotoxicity, and this effect is attributed to its direct anti-inflammatory and strong antioxidant profile. Hence, curcumin has a strong potential to be used as a therapeutic adjuvant in cisplatin nephrotoxicity" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Curcumin for chemoprevention of colon cancer - Cancer Lett. 2007 Apr 18 - "Overwhelming in vitro evidence and completed clinical trials suggests that curcumin may prove to be useful for the chemoprevention of colon cancer in humans"

No pathinfo