New research has found evidence that curcumin, a polyphenol found in turmeric, may reduce weight gain.

Turmeric is a perennial herb related to ginger, and native to tropical South Asia, and has long been known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

For the study, scientists from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University fed high-fat diets to mice for 12 weeks. The diet of one group was supplemented with 500 mg of curcumin per 1 kg of food.

The results suggested the animals fed the curcumin-supplemented diet did not gain as much weight as those that did not receive it.

“Weight gain is the result of the growth and expansion of fat tissue, which cannot happen unless new blood vessels form, a process known as angiogenesis,” says senior author Dr. Mohsen Meydani, director of the Vascular Biology Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA.

“Based on our data, curcumin appears to suppress angiogenic activity in the fat tissue of mice fed high fat diets,” he concludes.

Those who are struggling to lose weight or would like to maintain a healthy body mass may turn to the alkaline diet. It is rich in citrus fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and legumes, and it has the added benefit of boosting bone health into old age.