What are the Attributes of Curcumin?

Curcumin for Lung Disease Protection

Curcumin, the yellow pigment of the Indian spice turmeric, may help prevent lung diseases, a new study suggests.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of lung diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and in some cases asthma.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that data from a national health survey suggest that as many as 24 million American are affected by COPD.

Researchers from France conducted a review to describe the current state of the therapeutic potential of curcumin in acute and chronic lung injuries.

They explained that occupational and environmental exposures to mineral dusts, airborne pollutants, cigarette smoke, chemotherapy and radiotherapy injure the lungs, resulting in acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Despite major advances in treating lung diseases, disease-modifying efficacy has not been demonstrated for any of the existing drugs, report the review authors.

The review noted that over the years, there has been increasing evidence that curcumin, a phytochemical present in turmeric (Curcuma longa), has a wide spectrum of therapeutic properties and a significant range of protective effects in various diseases. Several experimental animal models have tested curcumin on lung fibrosis and these studies demonstrate that curcumin attenuates lung injury and fibrosis caused by radiation, chemotherapeutic drugs and toxicants.

The growing amount of data also support the notion that curcumin plays a protective role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome and allergic asthma.

The review authors concluded that these findings many encourage the testing of curcumin in patients with lung diseases.

References
1.Venkatesan N, Punithavathi D, Babu M. Protection from acute and chronic lung diseases by curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:379-405. View Abstract.
2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FACTS ABOUT CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). www.cdc.gov. Accessed February 27, 2008.
3.Natural Standard Research Collaboration: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com. Copyright © 2008.

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