A curry vegetable soup to help halt prostate cancer
16 January 2006
by Carina
Lee
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When the curry spice turmeric is combined with vegetables it could be used for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. This is according to a study undertaken by researchers at Rutgers' Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is a substance occurring naturally in vegetables such as watercress, winter cress, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and turnips. Scientists tested turmeric, known also as curcumin, with phenethyl isothiocyanate and discovered significant cancer-preventive qualities when experimented on mice. With half-a-million new cases arising each year in the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, with statistics perhaps leveling but not decreasing. It has also been noted that the levels of prostate cancer in India are relatively low; suggesting their diet of plant-based foods rich in phytochemicals produces a preventive effect. Mice were injected with human prostate tumours and various levels of turmeric and PETIC were administered and its effectiveness recorded. Ah-Ng Tony Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics at the State University of New Jersey, explained "Despite convincing data from laboratory cell cultures, we knew little about how PEITC and curcumin would perform in live animals, especially on prostate cancer,"
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 "So we undertook this study to evaluate how effective PEITC and curcumin might be, individually and in combination, to prevent and possibly treat prostate cancer." The results showed that either turmeric or PEITC in isolation did not have much of an impact on well-developed tumours however; when both are combined the tumour growth is significantly reduced. |
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