Kerrie tegen reumatische artritis (RA) en osteoporose.*
De stof die Kerrie geel doet kleuren, turmeric(kurkuma) lijkt ook goed te zijn in de voorkoming en behandeling van reumatische artritis (RA) en osteoporose.
Wetenschappers keken eerst naar extracten van verschillende delen van de geelwortel (curcuma longa) en supplementen die zo te koop zijn. Het blijkt dat supplementen overeenkomen met het beste extract dat genomen werd. Turmeric blijkt een bepaald ontstekingsenzym NF-KB te deactiveren waardoor ontstekingsproteïnes niet gevormd worden. Daardoor worden de gewrichten niet aangetast. Uit dezelfde studie bleek ook dat turmeric reacties blokkeert die botafbraak te weeg brengen.
Turmeric
for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis
An
ancient spice, long used in traditional Asian medicine, may hold promise for the
prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, according to a
recently completed study at The University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Turmeric,
the spice that flavors and gives its yellow color to many curries and other
foods, has been used for centuries by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine to
treat inflammatory disorders. Turmeric extract containing the ingredient
curcumin is marketed widely in the Western world as a dietary supplement for the
treatment and prevention of a variety of disorders, including arthritis.
At
the UA College of Medicine, Janet L. Funk, MD, working with Barbara N.
Timmermann, PhD, then-director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded
Arizona Center for Phytomedicine Research at the UA, set out to determine
whether (and how) turmeric works as an anti-arthritic. They began by preparing
their own extracts from the rhizome, or root, of the plant, providing themselves
with well-characterized materials to test and to compare with commercially
available products. (Dr. Timmermann since has joined the faculty of the
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan.)
Dr.
Funk and her colleagues then tested in animal models a whole extract of turmeric
root, only the essential oils, and an oil-depleted extract containing the three
major curcuminoids found in the rhizome. Of the three extracts, the one
containing the major curcuminoids was most similar in chemical composition to
commercially available turmeric dietary supplements. It also was the most
effective, completely inhibiting the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr.
Funk, an endocrinologist in the UA Department of Medicine, says this study
provides several noteworthy "firsts." Completed with the researchers'
own prepared, well-defined extracts, the study represents the first
documentation of the chemical composition of a curcumin-containing extract
tested in a living organism, in vivo, for anti-arthritic efficacy. It also
provides the first evidence of anti-arthritic efficacy of a complex turmeric
extract that is analogous in composition to turmeric dietary supplements.
The
significance, she explains, is that translating the results of trials such as
these to clinical use depends on accurate information about the chemical content
and biological activity of the botanical supplements available for use. This
work paves the way for the preclinical and clinical trials needed before
turmeric supplements can be recommended for medicinal use in preventing or
suppressing rheumatoid arthritis.
This
study also provides the first in vivo documentation of a mechanism of action ?
how curcumin-containing extracts protect against arthritis. The researchers
found that the curcuminoid extract inhibits a transcription factor called NF-KB
from being activated in the joint. A transcription factor is a protein that
controls when genes are switched on or off. Once the transcription factor NF-KB
is activated, or turned on, it binds to genes and enhances production of
inflammatory proteins, destructive to the joint. The finding that curcuminoid
extract inhibits activation of NF-KB suggests that turmeric dietary supplements
share the same mechanism of action as anti-arthritic pharmaceuticals under
development that target NF-KB. It also suggests that turmeric may have a use in
other inflammatory disorders, such as asthma, multiple sclerosis and
inflammatory bowel disease.
In
addition to preventing joint inflammation, Dr. Funk's study shows that the
curcuminoid extract blocked the pathway that affects bone resorption. Noting
that bone loss associated with osteoporosis in women typically begins before the
onset of menopause, she has begun work on another NIH-funded study to determine
whether turmeric taken as a dietary supplement during perimenopause can prevent
bone loss and osteoporosis. Both of the studies are supported by the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Office of
Dietary Supplements (ODS), both of the NIH.
An initial publication of the rheumatoid arthritis study results in the Journal of Natural Products, which was among the most-accessed articles from April-June 2006 in this prestigious American Chemical Society journal, is being followed by more detailed study results, which will appear in the November 2006 issue of the American College of Rheumatology flagship journal, Arthritis and Rheumatism. The article, "Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Turmeric Supplements in the Treatment of Experimental Arthritis," is scheduled to appear in the online issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism. (Nov. 2006)