Turmeric may protect against leukaemia

Turmeric, a spice used extensively in Asia as a key ingredient of curry, may help protect children against leukaemia. Rates of the blood cancer have been rising steadily for the past 50 years but its incidence in Asia is much lower than in the West. According to the researchers, some of the known risk factors that contribute to the high incidence of childhood leukaemia are the interaction of many lifestyle and environmental factors. Some children are born with a predisposition to the illness, which occurs most often in children aged 1-4, but that they do not develop the disease unless it is triggered by environmental factors. Infections, viruses, radiation, pesticides and chemicals are among the suspected culprits. The current study shows that turmeric in the diet mitigates the effects of some of these risk factors. Researchers from the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, USA, showed that the spice irreversibly inhibits the multiplication of leukaemia cells in laboratory studies and seems to protect against damage caused by cigarette smoke and eating certain processed foods. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, presented separate results of a study of more than 300 children that showed the benefits of eating healthy foods. They found that regular consumption of oranges and/or bananas during the first two years of life was associated with a reduced risk of childhood leukaemia. These findings were consistent with the protective role of fruits and vegetables observed in adult cancers. Oranges are rich in vitamin C and bananas have high levels of potassium, both of which are thought to protect against cancer.