Health & Fitness - Turmeric may reduce type 2 diabetes risk

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Turmeric may reduce type 2 diabetes risk

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- Turmeric, an Asian spice used in curry, may help reverse inflammation associated with obesity and reduce type 2 diabetes risk, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Drew Tortoriello of Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center and colleagues discovered that turmeric-treated mice were less susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, based on blood glucose levels and glucose and insulin tolerance tests.

The research team also discovered that turmeric-fed obese mice showed significantly reduced inflammation in fat tissue and liver compared to controls.

The researchers speculate that curcumin -- the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant ingredient in turmeric -- lessens insulin resistance and prevents type 2 diabetes in these mouse models by dampening the inflammatory response provoked by obesity.

"It's too early to tell whether increasing dietary curcumin -- via turmeric -- intake in obese people with diabetes will show a similar benefit," Tortoriello said in a statement. "Although the daily intake of curcumin one might have to consume as a primary diabetes treatment is likely impractical, it is entirely possible that lower dosages of curcumin could nicely complement our traditional therapies as a natural and safe treatment."

The findings are scheduled to be published in Endocrinology and were presented at ENDO, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 06/23/2008

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