The Turmeric "mystery"-Is it really as iconic as it is made out to be?

It was only recently this Blogger put up a piece regarding the role played by black pepper in enhancing the health protective properties associated with phytochemicals contained in the popular Asian condiment turmeric. It is a fact that curcumin, one of the more active constituents of turmeric, has significant anti-inflammatory properties, preventing many diseases that afflict mankind and Asians who consume curry powder formulations containing turmeric and black pepper are invariably found to be healthier, in spite of wide spread poverty all around. It was also realized that curcumin absorption across the intestine is much more efficient when turmeric is part of a preparation containing high fat levels. Now comes a new report indicating that curcumin can be formulated to be a therapeutic product or well being product through the technique of nano emulsification. Here is a gist of this report which appears to have significant implications for many population not consuming turmeric regularly in their daily diet. 

"A modified formulation of curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in turmeric, releases its anti-inflammatory goodness throughout the body, the findings showed. Although known for promoting health by lowering inflammation, currently available curcumin supplements are not absorbed well by the body. Most curcumin in food or supplements stays in the gastrointestinal tract, and any portion that is absorbed is metabolised quickly. "This study suggests that we have identified a better and more effective way to deliver curcumin and know what diseases to use it for so that we can take advantage of its anti-inflammatory power," said lead author of the study Nicholas Young from Ohio State University. Curcumin powder mixed with castor oil and polyethylene glycol in a process called nano-emulsion, has the best potential against macrophage-associated inflammation, the researchers found in a mice study."

The fact that turmeric itself was used in the nano emulsion formulation is significant by itself because most products in the market to day are based on extracted curcumin. However there seems to be large wastage of curcumin in the gastrointestinal tract as it is not absorbed efficiently due to its poor solubility in aqueous phase. Though the above study is based on rat experiments, the authors who pioneered the work feel that same results would hold good in human beings also. It is a question of time before further proof of this hypothesis will emerge as it has excited many scientists across the world. To think of a pill containing low doses of turmeric or curcumin for every day use to preempt many diseases is really exciting. The possibility that higher doses can be prepared in deliverable format to cure certain diseases is also good news for millions who are suffering from such dIseases
V.H.POTTY
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TURMERIC AND INFLAMMATION-NEW FINDINGS

Turmeric has a unique dietary role under the Indian cooking system and there is practically no curry preparation without the presence of this ubiquitous natural condiment. With almost all artificial colors being weeded out of human diet because of the health risks associated with them, Turmeric emerged as a rich source of natural yellow color which is available to day across the world for food industry to use in hundreds of processed food products. More than the color, Turmeric is recognized as a food component with medicinal effects. Besides its antibacterial credentials, the Curcumin that is present in it is considered as an anti inflammatory substance possessing properties to combat a number of human diseases linked to inflammation. Here is the latest findings on Curcumin which seem to be opening new avenues for its effective use in counteracting human diseases among population across the world.. 

"Turmeric has been used widely in Indian cooking for thousands of years, and, in the past two decades, hundreds of studies have determined curcumin helps fight arthritic inflammation, reduces cancer risk and slows the onset of diabetes, said Sukumar, co-director of the breast cancer programme at Johns Hopkins. Curcumin is a potent inhibitor of inflammation, which can exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis and spur cancerous growths, according to Sukumar. The compound inhibits a molecule called NF-kB that plays a key role in initiating inflammation. "What curcumin does is blunt this pathway. That's how it is able to mediate its effect," Sukumar said. Consuming curcumin also has been shown to repair skin damage caused by radiation therapy for cancer, she said. Maitra, Sukumar's colleague, began working a few years ago on a water-soluble form of curcumin that can be taken in pill form. That formulation is still in the experimental stages. The body doesn't readily absorb curcumin so a person has to consume several grams of curcumin a day to get the health benefits, Sukumar said. Pills containing unaltered curcumin are on the market. "The other way, the preferable way, is to add (turmeric) to everything you cook," Sukumar said. To get the full benefits, dissolve turmeric in warm oil and add it to foods, she said".

It is true that Curcumin is not water soluble and most of it, consumed through oral route, does not get absorbed across the intestine having only limited effect on flora associated with the gut. The attempt to increase absorption through its solubilization and creating ready to take preparations like tablets or pills is a welcome effort. Since Indian culinary preparations contain high levels of Turmeric even the limited solubility does help getting adequate quantity into the blood stream to derive the benefits attributed to this food adjunct. It is for those population which do not like the typical flavor of Turmeric in the food, camouflaged preparations are necessary to deliver sufficient dosage to confer the benefit. 

V.H.POTTY
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NEW TOOL TO MEASURE INFLAMMATION DUE TO FOOD

Vast information about foods of various kind, especially the health benefits as being claimed by the manufacturers, can put any consumer, even if highly educated, into a state of confusion, hardly helpful in selecting right foods from the aisles of the supermarket. Government agencies have limitations in controlling or policing the industry and ultimately it falls on the shoulders of the consumer to decide which food is beat for him. Recent action by the EU in enforcing some order in health claims is a welcome move and rejecting more than 99% of the claims routinely printed on the labels generates some confidence among consumers that industry does not have unbridled freedom to mislead them. Development of a new analytical tool recently to test the healthiness or otherwise of foods developed for the market may go a long way to routinely assess the effect of any food on the inflammation will be a valuable tool for the industry as well as developmental scientists in the field of new product design. Here is a take on this new optical based test protocol which may become a common gadget in the coming years.

"The human body is complex, and designing a miniature artificial gastrointestinal system proved to be extremely exacting. The solution provided by researchers at EPFL ultimately took the shape of a two-level chip, whose levels are connected via a porous membrane. The upper level, which represents the intestinal wall, is made of a homogeneous layer of cultured epithelial cells. The lower level represents the circulatory system and is made up of immune system cells, and in particular macrophages. The macrophages' job within the human body is to keep it clean: when they encounter any potentially dangerous agents they release molecules such as cytokines that activate other immune-system cells. The NutriChip platform uses CMOS high-resolution optical sensors developed by Sandro Carrara's team in the EPFL's Integrated Sytems Lab in order to precisely detect and measure cytokine production by the immune cells that are on the other side of the layer of intestinal wall cells. These measurements, which are performed using fluorescence, show exactly how much inflammation is caused by a given food".

How far such tools become popular depends on the sincerity of the industry in ensuring the well being of the consumers because of the prevalent trust deficit that exists in the minds of consumers regarding the true intentions of industry in making products that are healthy in stead of being tasty. But a time may come when safety agencies can insist on al foods being non-inflammatory as tested by the nutriChip system as being developed now. Whether the industry will concur with such tight regulations remains to be seen. But if consumer pressure is mounted in an organized way, there is no reason as to how the industry can continue its resistance to measures like this in the interests of the consumer.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

CURRY FOR BETTER HEALTH?-THE SCIENTIFIC ANGLE!

Curry dishes of India have often been ridiculed and reviled because of their strong smell and pungency not tolerated by people in the West. Traditionally Curry preparation is a blend of different spices, the major one being Turmeric which imparts its characteristic yellow color and mild aroma. Turmeric shot into prominence some years ago as a source of natural color after synthetic colors were weeded out by the food industry due to their toxicity to humans. The Curcumin fraction in Turmeric is responsible for the yellow color and it can be extracted in relatively concentrated form through oleoresin route. India is the major country which supplies Curcumin to the world market for use by the food and pharmaceutical industries. It was known that Turmeric has health protecting properties which were exploited by the traditional Ayurvedic medicinal system in India. Now comes the news that Curcumin from Turmeric plays an important role in boosting human immune system and reducing systemic inflammation in the body when taken regularly and can protect the regular consumers from many infections. Here are more details about these findings. 

"Any natural compound that can influence or raise CAMP levels is of significance to human health, as it helps boost immunity and provides a barrier against a host of chronic conditions and pathogenic invaders. In recent years, vitamin D has been studied extensively and has been found to be a potent stimulator of CAMP activity. New research has found that curcumin and vitamin D work synergistically to fight infection and systemic inflammation as they both exhibit disease-fighting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The lead study author from the Linus Pauling Institute, Dr. Adrian Gombart commented about the study,"This research points to a new avenue for regulating CAMP gene expression... it's possible that sustained consumption over time may be healthy and help protect against infection, especially in the stomach and intestinal tract."Researchers compared the CAMP-stimulating activity of curcumin to omega-3 fatty acids and found that curcumin caused levels of CAMP to almost triple. Vitamin D and curcumin have both been the subject of intense research over the past decade, because of the many potential therapeutic benefits in treating infection, cancer, psoriasis, and other diseases. New studies will be designed to fully examine the ability of these natural nutrients to enhance the genetic expression of the CAMP peptide to protect against a broad range of bacteria, including those that cause tuberculosis and protect against the development of sepsis. Experts suggest 2000 to 5000 IU of vitamin D and 500 mg of a standardized curcumin supplement daily to yield optimal protection from bacterial and viral pathogens and chronic diseases".

The synergy between Curcumin and Vitamin D is another discovery with far reaching implications. Those living in Tropical countries like India are exposed to Sun more than others in other parts of the world which helps them to generate plenty of Vitamin D in the process and interestingly the same people also consume lot of curry preparations containing Turmeric. Probably this may explain the relatively high immunity enjoyed by Indians against many pathogens that are prevalent here under conditions which are conducive to their proliferation while food poisoning episodes in highly "sanitized" countries like the US are frequent and serious. More studies planned to elucidate the full impact of Curcumin+Vitamin D combination preparations may herald a new era of food based palliative products that can fight a plethora of diseases that bother the world to day.

V.H.POTTY
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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

HEART AILMENT-A NEW INSIGHT

"Heart attack" is commonly perceived as a result of cholesterol build up on the arterial walls due to excessive consumption of fatty foods, especially the ones rich in saturated fats. But what causes the cholesterol to stick to the arterial tissue is not that well understood. The routine testing of blood cholesterol levels and assessing the value against some notional ranges are considered adequate to conclude whether some body is vulnerable to heart attack or not. Also the relationship between circulating cholesterol and the extent of plaque build up inside the artery is obscure. The argument by a few experts that inflammation is the cause of cholesterol build up inside the arteries is not universally accepted though there is some logic in this proposition. Following is an excerpt from the writings of the reputed cardiac surgeon Dr Dwight Lundell, forwarded by one of the readers of this Blog, Mr Thomas Mathai from Mysore which is quite informative though for a layman it can be some what confusing.

"The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice. It Is Not Working! These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated. The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences. Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before. Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped".

All said and done, it is common sense that if one lives a life of moderation, the possibility of acquiring any of the life style disorders is indeed remote. A balanced diet containing just enough calories to meet the demands of day to day activities, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber as evolved over a period of time and avoiding sedentary life style can be expected to maintain the correct BMI and provide reasonable guarantee against serious health ailments as one grows. Overwhelming predominance of factory processed foods over natural foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and others can pose a serious challenge in maintaining health in a prime state.

V.H.POTTY

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ORANGE JUICE, HIGH CALORIE FOODS AND INFLAMMATION-THE CONNECTION

A balanced food with adequate calories and proteins can prevent many life style disorders in humans where as high carbohydrate or fat containing foods when consumed regularly may cause havoc to the health condition of even a normally healthy person. The calorie rich foods containing too much sugar or high amounts of fat have been found to cause inflammation at the cellular level leading to undesirable changes in the functioning of the body causing varied disorders. While moderating food consumption is the most logical step to protect one's health, the recent findings that consuming orange juice can neutralize the adverse effect of bad diets can give some comfort to consumers.

The study involved three groups of 10 normal-weight healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 40. After an overnight fast, participants ate a 900-calorie breakfast composed of an egg "muffin" sandwich, a sausage "muffin" sandwich and a serving of hash browns. The meal contained 81 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of fat and 32 grams protein. Along with the breakfast, one group drank 300 calories of "not-from-concentrate" orange juice, a second group drank a 300-calorie glucose drink and the third group drank an equal amount of water. All participants were given 15 minutes to finish their food and drink. Blood samples were collected before the meal and at 1, 3 and 5 hours after wards. There was no significant difference in inflammatory mediators among the groups before the meal.

Analysis of the samples after the meal showed that oxygen free radicals increased an average of 62 percent with water, 63 percent with the glucose and 47 percent with orange juice. There also was an increase in blood components known as toll-like receptors, which play an important role in the development of inflammation, atherosclerosis, obesity, insulin resistance, and injury to cardiac cells than can occur after a blocked vessel is reopened. Orange juice also prevented a significant increase in SOCS-3, an important mediator of insulin resistance, which contributes to development of type 2 diabetes. "These data emphasize that a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal is profoundly and rapidly pro inflammatory, and that this process occurs at the cellular and molecular level," says Paresh Dandona, MD, UB distinguished professor of medicine, director of the Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York at Kaleida Health and senior author on the study.

"In addition, specific pro inflammatory genes are activated after the intake of glucose and a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal, and these changes are observed in mono nuclear cells that participate in vascular inflammation and insulin resistance," he says."These observations extend our previous work showing oxidative and inflammatory stress following such meals by demonstrating a remarkable increase in the mediators of insulin resistance after a single meal, and the equally remarkable prevention of these changes following the intake of orange juice." Dandona emphasizes that vascular inflammation is an essential component of atherosclerosis, and that this inflammation may become permanent if a person consumes similar meals regularly."The choice of safe foods that are not pro inflammatory may provide protection from the unending cycle of postprandial and cumulative inflammation," he says. "This choice may lower the risk of atherosclerosis and resistance to insulin."

Drinking a glass of orange juice during breakfast is a standard practice in many countries and people there invariably take heavy breakfast which is the first food of the day on an empty stomach. How far this good habit has given way to uncontrolled consumption of other high calorie drinks amongst the young consumers is a matter of conjecture. It is up to the parents to bring orange juice back to the dining table as a part of the breakfast sooner than later!

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com