HEALING SPICE – TURMERIC HAILED AS WARDING OFF CANCER

According to new studies of this fairly versatile spice (for example you can use it instead of saffron in paellas) turmeric may help to ward off cancer.  A controlled experiment was carried out where turmeric was put in a whole range of foods and had changes to a gene associated with depression, cancer and allergies such as asthma noted by scientists. This was from 100 people recruited in the North-East mostly aged 40 to 50 who do not usually eat a lot of curry – obviously turmeric is found in curry. A test developed by Newcastle University looked at how well red blood cells resisted inflammation. Other tests have found that the plaques that form around the brain associated with Alzheimers can be reduced with regular intakes of turmeric. A lot of turmeric is consumed in India where they have lower rates of bowel cancer apparently.