Re: Curcumin and quercetin greatly reduces size and number of colorecectal polyps

[Guest guest]

Another curve we've been ahead of. These are impressive numbers.

We've tracked turmeric and curcumin for some time. Run a search and

you'll find a number of posts on turmeric

I use turmeric in nearly all my dishes, but as is pointed out in

this article, only 5% of it is curcumin. Capsules are available on

the web. Here's one site that looks interesting but which I do not

vouch for. There are others:

http://www.raysahelian.com/

At the dosage in this paper, 10 days worth would cost about $8.00 or

about $24.00 per month.

Mike

>

>

>

> Chemicals in curry and onions may help prevent colon cancer

>

> A small but informative clinical trial by s Hopkins

investigators

> shows that a pill combining chemicals found in turmeric, a spice

used

> in curries, and onions reduces both the size and number of

> precancerous lesions in the human intestinal tract.

>

> In the study, published in the August issue of Clinical

> Gastroenterology and Hepatology, five patients with an inherited

form

> of precancerous polyps in the lower bowel known as familial

> adenomatous polyposis (FAP) were treated with regular doses of

> curcumin (the chemical found in turmeric) and quercetin, an

> antioxidant in onions, over an average of six months. The average

> number of polyps dropped 60.4 percent, and the average size

dropped by

> 50.9 percent, according to a team led by Francis M. Giardiello,

M.D.,

> at the Division of Gastroenterology, The s Hopkins University

> School of Medicine, and Marcia Cruz-Correa, M.D., Ph.D., at s

> Hopkins and the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.

>

> " We believe this is the first proof of principle that these

substances

> have significant effects in patients with FAP, " says Giardiello.

>

> Familial adenomatous polyposis is a disorder that runs in families

and

> is characterized by the development of hundreds of colorectal

adenomas

> (polyps) and eventual colon cancer. Recently, nonsteroidal

> anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used to treat some

patients

> with this condition, but these compounds often produce significant

> side effects, including gastrointestinal ulcerations and bleeding,

> according to Giardiello.

>

> Previous observational studies in populations that consume large

> amounts of curry, as well as laboratory research on rodents have

> strongly suggested that curcumin -- a relatively innocuous yellow

> pigment extracted from turmeric, the powdered root of the herb

curcuma

> longa and one of the main ingredients in Asian curries -- might be

> effective in preventing and/or treating cancer in the lower

intestine,

> according to Cruz-Correa. She said curcumin has been given to

cancer

> patients, and previous studies have demonstrated that is well

> tolerated at high doses.

>

> Similarly, quercetin -- a member of a group of plant-derived

> polyphenolic anti-oxidant substances known as flavanoids (found in

a

> variety of foods including onions, green tea and red wine) -- has

been

> shown to inhibit growth of colon cancer cell lines in humans and

> abnormal colorectal cells in rodents.

>

> Although these substances were administered together, due to

relative

> dose levels it is Giardiello's belief that curcumin is the key

agent.

>

> " The amount of quercetin we administered was similar to what many

> people consume daily; however, the amount of curcumin is many times

> what a person might ingest in a typical diet, since turmeric only

> contains on average 3 percent to 5 percent curcumin by weight, "

says

> Giardiello. Because of this, he cautions that simply consuming

curry

> and onions may not have the same effect as was produced in this

study.

>

> In the trial, five patients were selected from the Cleveland

Clinic in

> Weston Fla. All patients had previously had their colons surgically

> removed. Four of the five patients retained the rectums, whereas

the

> remaining patient had both colon and rectum removed and part of the

> small intestine adapted to serve as colon and rectum. All patients

had

> five or more adenomas in their lower intestinal tract. None of the

> patients had taken NSAIDS for more than one week during the three

> months leading up to the study.

>

> Participants were examined using a flexible sigmoidoscope before

> treatment was initiated and at three month intervals (range three

to

> nine months) during treatment. Number and size of polyps were

examined

> at each visit.

>

> Each patient received 480 milligrams of curcumin and 20 milligrams

of

> quercetin orally three times a day for six months and was told not

to

> use NSAIDs for the duration of the study. Three patients followed

> treatment as prescribed. One patient did not follow the scheduled

> treatment doses between months three and six and was continued on

> therapy until the ninth month. A second patient dropped out of the

> study after the third month.

>

> A decrease in polyp number was observed in four of the five

patients

> at three months and four of the four patients at six months.

>

> Side effects were minimal. One patient reported slight nausea and

sour

> taste within a couple of hours of taking the pill, which went away

> within three days, and a second patient had mild diarrhea for five

days.

>

> " This study showed for the first time that curcumin treatment was

> efficacious in decreasing the number of polyps in patients with

FAP,

> similarly to what has been seen with the use of synthetic NSAID

> agents, but with minimal side effects. Furthermore, we saw that

> adenomas found in the small intestine of our patients also

responded

> to curcumin, " says Cruz-Correa. She says a randomized clinical

trial

> will be conducted between s Hopkins and University of Puerto

Rico

> Comprehensive Cancer Center involving more patients. No date has

been

> set for this trial.

>

> ###

>

> This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of

> Health. Additional researchers who contributed to this study

include

> A. Shoskes, M.D.; , M.D.; Rhongua Zhao,

M.D.,

> Ph.D., and D. Wexner, M. D., of the Cleveland Clinic,

Weston,

> Fla.; and M. Hylind of The s Hopkins University School of

> Medicine.

> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/jhmi-cic073106.php

>

>

> Here is the abstract:

>

> Volume 4, Issue 8, Pages 1035-1038 (August 2006)

>

>

>

> View previous. 24 of 30 View next.

>

> ABSTRACT

>

> FULL TEXT

>

> PDF (125 KB)

>

> CITATION ALERT

>

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> Combination Treatment With Curcumin and Quercetin of Adenomas in

> Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

>

> Marcia Cruz–Correa & #8270;‡, A. Shoskes§,

& #8270;, Rhongua

> Zhao & #8270;, M. Hylind‡, D. Wexner & #8741;, Francis M.

> Giardiello‡¶#Corresponding Author Informationemail address

>

> published online 6 June 2006.

>

> Background & Aims: Familialadenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an

> autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by the development of

> hundreds of colorectal adenomas and eventual colorectal cancer.

> Regression of adenomas in this syndrome occurs with the

administration

> of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cyclooxygenase-2

> inhibitors, but these compounds can have considerable side

effects. We

> evaluated the efficacy of the combination of diet-derived

> nonprescription supplements curcumin and quercetin to regress

adenomas

> in patients with FAP. Methods: Five FAP patients with prior

colectomy

> (4 with retained rectum and 1 with an ileal anal pouch) received

> curcumin 480 mg and quercetin 20 mg orally 3 times a day. The

number

> and size of polyps were assessed at baseline and after therapy. The

> Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine differences in the

> number and size of polyps. Treatment side effects and medication

> compliance also were evaluated. Results: All 5 patients had a

> decreased polyp number and size from baseline after a mean of 6

months

> of treatment with curcumin and quercetin. The mean percent

decrease in

> the number and size of polyps from baseline was 60.4% (P < .05) and

> 50.9% (P < .05), respectively. Minimal adverse side effects and no

> laboratory abnormalities were noted. Conclusions: The combination

of

> curcumin and quercetin appears to reduce the number and size of

ileal

> and rectal adenomas in patients with FAP without appreciable

toxicity.

> Randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these findings.

>