Turmeric Prevents Cancer

[Guest guest]

Oranges, Bananas And

Turmeric Prevent Leukaemia

By Shaoni Bhattacharya

NewScientist.com

9-10-4

"Childhood leukaemia rates are much lower in Asia than in western

countries - and this could be due to differences in diet. The cancer

is the most common childhood cancer in the west, afflicting at least

one child in every 100,000. But in India, if affects only 1 child in

1,000,000. The consumption of turmeric is high in India - some

estimates suggest each adult eats an average of 3 to 5 grams a day."

 

Giving infants oranges and bananas regularly may halve their risk of

developing childhood leukaemia, suggest the results of a new study.

And a diet containing the curry spice turmeric may also be

protective - accounting for the differences in childhood leukaemia

rates between east and west - says a leading scientist.

 

Children who ate oranges, orange juice or bananas between four to

six times a week during their first two years of life had a

significantly reduced risk of developing the cancer, revealed the

observational study by US researchers.

 

Previous studies on childhood leukaemias have not examined the

effects of the overall diet in this way, focusing more on possible

risk foods like cured meats.

 

"Our study is unique, and we have elucidated a significant

protective association with the consumption of oranges, bananas and

orange juice," says Marilyn Kwan, an epidemiologist at the

University of California, Berkeley.

 

However, she cautions that without carrying out a randomised

controlled trial, it is difficult to predict exactly how protective

eating these fruits may be, or to make firm public health

recommendations. But she notes that in her study "there was a 50 per

cent reduction in risk".

 

The evidence for oranges and bananas, and turmeric in preventing

leukaemia was presented at Children with Leukaemia's international

leukaemia conference in London, UK, on Thursday.

 

Luncheon meats

 

Kwan and colleagues studied 328 children under 15 who had developed

leukaemia and matched controls. Questionnaires were given to each

child's mother on the child's eating habits between birth and age

two. Nine food groups were discussed, including: hotdogs,

hamburgers, vegetables, apples and grapes, oranges and bananas, and

carbonated drinks.

 

Two previous studies have found that eating cured meats like hotdogs

or luncheon meats increased the risk of brain tumours and, to a

lesser extent, leukaemia in children. However, the new study did not

confirm this link.

 

Kwan believes that diet between birth and two could be crucial. "We

think it might be a critical window of exposure," she told New

Scientist. "There are a lot of developmental processes occurring

during that time."

 

Oranges and bananas may protect against childhood leukaemia because

they are a rich source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. They

could act by reducing oxidative DNA damage, and so stop the

initiation of cancerous processes.

 

Bananas are also rich in potassium. Animal studies have indicated

that potassium stabilises DNA and can reduce rates of mutation.

 

Baby food

 

Turmeric may also protect against childhood leukaemia, suggests

Moolky Nagabhushan, a cancer research scientist at Loyola University

Medical Centre in Chicago, US. He and colleagues in India have shown

protective effects of the yellow spice's main active component -

curcumin - in a long-running series of studies. And curcumin is now

undergoing initial safety testing in humans.

 

Childhood leukaemia rates are much lower in Asia than in western

countries - and this could be due to differences in diet. The cancer

is the most common childhood cancer in the west, afflicting at least

one child in every 100,000. But in India, if affects only 1 child in

1,000,000. The consumption of turmeric is high in India - some

estimates suggest each adult eats an average of 3 to 5 grams a day.

 

Nagabhushan's work has shown that curcumin and other turmeric

extracts can block the mutagenic effects of cancer-causing agents

called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from smoke emissions. In

animal studies, it inhibited the formation of stomach and skin

tumours. And curcumin can also mop up cellular molecules involved in

tumour development.

 

Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant he says. "They put so many

antioxidants in food - but instead of artificial antioxidants, they

could use this," he told New Scientist. He suggests it could even be

used in baby foods after strict safety testing.

 

Kwan's work has been accepted for publication in the November issue

of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

 

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