Turmeric, Diabetes and Obesity

Filed in archive Diet , Notable , Research on June 21, 2008

Several times in this blog, I have mentioned turmeric (a common Asian spice) as a potential anti-diabetes - as suggested by various research findings.

Now, here's another one that puts turmeric in the limelight: a research team from Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center looked into the effect of turmeric on diabetic mice.


© Enygmatic-Halycon



The findings? Turmeric is a potential anti-diabetes and anti-obesity. Of course, only if the same results are found true in human subjects, later on.

Dr. Tortoriello, working with pediatric resident Stuart Weisberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Rudolph Leibel, M.D., fellow endocrinologist and the co-director of the Naomi Berrie diabetes center, discovered that turmeric-treated mice were less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes, based on their blood glucose levels, and glucose and insulin tolerance tests. T

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

Their findings are the subject of a soon-to-be published paper in Endocrinology and were recently presented at ENDO 2008, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.

Historically, turmeric has been used as cure for healing wounds, inflammation and for relieving pain. Since inflammation is believed to be responsible for the onset of both type2 diabetes and obesity - then maybe turmeric can really help.

The above research has admittedly have a long way to go, but we'll see. It's interesting to watch this unfold. But then I have never really heard anyone harmed by spices in Asia, don't you think?