Those who enjoy exotic spices in their food may find a new health benefit with an ingredient in yellow that may help prevent diseases.
A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry is looking into nano-sized capsule made with curcumin, an ingredient that makes curry yellow, that could potentially help in fighting colon cancer, psoriasis and Alzheimers disease.
Its been found that curcumin prevents melanoma cell growth by forcing the cells to destroy themselves. In addition to this, curcumin also works as a nutritional supplement for antioxidant effects.
One problem the researchers are facing is that the digestive system quickly destroys curcumin, making it nearly impossible to reach the bloodstream.
The scientists are working to find a way for curcumin to get past the digestive system by incorporating insulin and other drugs that can help with absorption.
The ultimate goal of this study is to find a potential in this natural ingredient that may help prevent some of the most common killers in humans today.