What do eggplant squash marsala, Mexican lentil stew and traditional mutton curry have in common? These recipes all contain the spice known as turmeric, or curcumin.
Early results from a new animal model study by the Agricultural Research Service suggests that curcumin, a polyphenol found in curry and turmeric, can halt the spread of fat tissue by slowing new blood vessel growth (a process known as angiogenesis), which is needed to build fat tissue. Asians have traditionally used both spices as a key ingredient in their cuisine for thousands of years.
The parameters of the study and its results were described in the May 2009 issue of The Journal of Nutrition. Scientists divided mice into different groups for a 12-week study during which time two groups of mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 22% fat. In one group, the high-fat diet was supplemented with 500 milligrams of curcumin daily.
Researchers tracked the body weight and food consumption of the mice at regular intervals and found that at the end of the three-month period, those mice consuming the curcumin-laced diet not only gained less weight but had less total body fat, even though they consumed the same amount of food as the non-curcumin-consuming mice. Blood glucose, triglyceride, fatty acid, cholesterol and liver fat levels were lower as well.
Researchers say their findings suggest that dietary curcumin may play a role in preventing obesity but that further research is needed.
Would definitive research demonstrating the fat-fighting properties of these two spices cause you to incorporate more Asian-style dishes in your diet?
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