Cancer Prevention. Australia vs India

A comparison of age-adjusted cancer rates in Australia and India in 2022 illustrates a clear difference between the two countries.

  • Australia 507 cases per 100,000 people
  • India 107 cases per 100,000

Assessing differences in dietary practices may expose part of the reason why. There is an abundance of spices in Indian cooking. One ingredient in common Indian curry and a spice with potent anti-inflammatory activities is Turmeric. Diet surveys in India, show the use of Turmeric averages around 0.24 g/person/day among high-income households, and around 0.49 g/person/day among low-income households. In rural areas of India, consumption is around 0.73 g/person/day. Another estimation for Turmeric consumption by some adults in India puts it as high as 4 g/person/day, which would supply approximately 80 to 200 mg of curcumin.Turmeric, through its major active constituent curcumin, has the potential to inhibit the formation and spread of cancerous cells through a range of mechanisms.

These mechanisms include:

Antioxidant Effects

  • Cancer is a multistage process defined by at least three stages: initiation, promotion, and progression. Oxidative stress interacts with all three stages of this process. Antioxidants help counter oxidative stress. Curcmuin has been shown in studies of breast and prostate cancer to regulates cellular resistance to oxidative stress.

Antiproliferative and Antimetastatic Activity

  • Many research groups have shown that curcumin inhibits cancer cell proliferation, survival, invasion, metastasis, chemoresistance, radioresistance, and angiogenesis of various cancers (e.g., pancreatic, colon and ovarian cancer, and multiple myeloma).
  • Curcumin’s potential to inhibit the growth, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells is well documented. Beneficial effects on this target have been demonstrated in brain, oral, lung, pancreatic, liver, colon, bladder, breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cells.

Apoptosis (cell death) and Autophagy (body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells)

  • If apoptosis and autophagy are dysregulated it can lead to the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumour cells. Curcumin has been shown to influence these processes beneficially in lung, liver, breast, thyroid, pancreatic, colon, chronic myeloid leukaemia, malignant glioma, and oesophageal cancer cells.

Antiangiogenic Effects (a blood supply to cancer to feed it)

  • Curcumin can inhibit multiple stages of angiogenesis in the early stages of tumour development, progression and metastasis (spreading).

Incorporating Turmeric Into Your Food

All longevity diets involve the use of liberal amounts of herbs and spices. Keep key herbs and spices like turmeric, ground ginger and ground cinnamon next to your cooking space to be reminded to add to food. Keep pots of parsley and coriander remember to add them to cooking and fresh salads every time!

You can also download our 10 turmeric recipes below for more ideas:

Glow-turmeric-recipesDownload

Are you supplementing with the best turmeric?

Turmeric has been traditionally used for nearly 4000 years in the Ayurvedic health care system. In India it was and still is used as a medicine, culinary spice and holds strong religious significance. Contemporary use has focused mainly on one class of compounds, extracted and isolated from turmeric root; the curcuminoids. However, curcuminoids are only the tip of the iceberg when considering the therapeutic benefits of turmeric.  

Turmeric has over 235 phytochemicals including the much studied curcuminoids. Its other main compounds such as curdione and tumerone, have been shown to work synergistically with the curcuminoids as well as possessing significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumor activities of their own. 

While some turmeric extracts only contain three curcuminoids, Orthoplex White Curcuma Clinical contains a new industry-first natural turmeric matrix closely mirrors what is found in nature but is better absorbed than the powdered root. The whole turmeric rhizome is fractioned using three extraction methods. A food grade ethanol is used to extract the curcuminoids, resulting in a curcuminoid powder. Turmeric essential oils are extracted by steam distillation and water is used to extract protein, fiber and carbohydrates. These components are then combined with the curcuminoids by a unique polar-nonpolar sandwich technology that protects the curcuminoids in the resulting matrix. This enhances stability, controls the curcuminoid release and provides high bioavailability. Moreover, absorption studies in human subjects show 2-5 times greater absorption compared to the other leading turmeric extracts.

References

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  2. Sathishkumar K, Chaturvedi M, Das P, Stephen S, Mathur P. Cancer incidence estimates for 2022 & projection for 2025: result from National Cancer Registry Programme, India. Indian J Med Res. 2022;156(4&5):598-607. DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_1821_22
  3. Sinha R, Anderson DE, McDonald SS, Greenwald P. Cancer risk and diet in India. J Postgrad Med. 2003;49(3):222-228.
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  5. Hutchins-Wolfbrandt A, Mistry AM. Dietary turmeric potentially reduces the risk of cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2011;12(12):3169-3173.
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  12. Yang Y, Cao Y. The impact of VEGF on cancer metastasis and systemic disease. Semin Cancer Biol. 2022 Nov;86(Pt 3):251-261. DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.03.011
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