TUMERIC (CURCUMIN) RESEARCH Thread,

Teakie88

I could have posted this under the Complementary and Holistic Medicine board, but I think this deserves its own thread. There is so much interesting and positive research going on with this spice as a major player against cancer and/or its progression that I would like to invite discussion relative to any research you have done and/or links found regarding dosages, benefits, down side of it if any, and any other pertinent information. It is believed this spice has anti-inflammatory benefits as well as possible programmed cancer cell death. Any possible thing we can do to keep cancer at bay is definitely a plus, so dive right in with your input! We all will benefit from it, but please keep to topic only. Thanks. Ann

Romansma

Big believer in this. Would love to hear more on dosing, though. I had to stop taking for a while when I was on Xeloda. I believe the blood thinning properties were an issue with Xeloda.

Teakie88

Romansma: This is the kind of information we need. I did not know this had blood thinning properties associated with it, so Interactions with other medications, etc are important to know. Thanks for your input, and I hope we hear about dosing as well. Ann

Barb312

I have been taking Curcumin 2K for a couple of years.  I get mine on the internet from Stop Aging Now.  It helps with inflammation which we all want to happen when it comes to cancer.  I have very little pain, but I am sure that is from the Faslodex.  I am a believer in Curcumin 2K.

Brendatrue

I cannot take it because I'm on warfarin (blood thinner), and I already have challenges maintaining therapeutic INR levels (that's generally true for women in comparison to men anyway). Here is a link to some additional info about turmeric and possible interactions with various meds (including some antidepressants, chemotherapy agents, diabetes meds, some calcium channel blockers, and more) :

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/662.html

The article states, "Large amounts of turmeric might have some of the same effects as estrogen," but the definition of "large amount" is not given in that section; however earlier in the article, a large amount taken by one patient who developed dangerous abnormal heart rhythms was listed as "over 1500mg twice daily."

exbrnxgrl

teakie,

I have taken turmeric/curcumin on and off for the last 4 years but it hasn't been clear to me what benefits it holds for stage IV patients. Since you posted this in the stage IV forum, do you have some information on how it specifically relates to stage IV? Clearly, my interest in it is very specific to those of us with metastatic bc

JFL

Turmeric must be taken with piperine for its effects to work in supplement form. Piperine is derived from black pepper. Also, you should choose a brand with standardized curcuminoids at or above 95%. Good brands (such as Vitamin Shoppe) include pipeline and are standardized. I started taking a typical dose 300mg pill daily after early stage dx eight years ago. I developed mets when I was on a turmeric break due to pregnancy. Following mets diagnosis and after I had the baby, I resumed turmeric at a higher dose and now take a triple strength 900 mg pill once daily. I also try to eat foods with turmeric when possible as the absorption is proven in food but is still somewhat questionable in supplements (such as yellow mustard, yellow curry and curry powder).

HLB

My holistic dr has me on 500 mg 2x per day of Meriva, which is a more bioavailable form of curcumin. There are so many benefits that I can't remember all I have read about, but one he mentioned that I did not know about was that it prevents the tumor from making new blood vessels.

dlb823

I've taken curcumin for several years now, but probably wasn't as consistent about it pre my re-dx. One thing I've noted is that -- without question my joint pain (from Anastrazole) is significantly worse if I run out and don't take it for even a day or two, although it does seem to take longer than that to notice the improvement in pain initially.

This is the brand I'm using and really like. http://www.lifeextension.com/Vitamins-Supplements/... I just take one a day, which is 400mg. Sometimes I wonder if more would be helpful as a cancer fighter, but I don't feel as well when I've tried taking more.

JFL

HLB, is Meriva available over the counter? I have never heard of it. Will have to look into it . . . .

HLB

I don't know, but I ordered it from Amazon. It's called Thorne Meriva-SR. I had to order a book at the time so i just ordered that too without checking anywhere else. I think it was $30 something. 120 capsules, 250 mg each.

Teakie88

• A very nice gentleman contacted me through personal message about information he had researched on Curcumin. Because his wife is Stage 2 only, he didn't want to post under Stage IV. I'm sure we're all appreciative of his research efforts. Ann
• 
  
• Curcumin is an interesting topic with potential payoff, yet it's a bit confusing when discussing the combination of natural compounds like Curcumin with conventional treatment (Tamoxifen, AI, Chemo, etc).Research evidence suggests Curcumin may be very beneficial for many cancers. It's non-toxic, inexpensive and most importantly, it can modulate multiple cell-signaling pathways known to be crucial for chronic diseases. However, in the realm of Breast cancer, the question is: Who really benefits?
  I investigated this question for Hormone positive women taking Tamoxifen. I wanted to validate the interaction of Curcumin with hormone blocking drugs like Tamoxifen. In other threads, it's been mentioned that combination therapy can lead to unpredictable side effects. On webmd, the "side effects & safety disclosure" for curcumin & Tamoxifen says:
  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-Tumeric+TURMERIC.aspx?activeIngredientId=662&activeIngredientName=Tumeric+%28TURMERIC%29&source=2
  "Curcumin might act like the hormone estrogen. In theory, turmeric might make hormone-sensitive conditions worse. However, some research shows that turmeric reduces the effects of estrogen in some hormone-sensitive cancer cells. Therefore, turmeric might have beneficial effects on hormone-sensitive conditions. Until more is known, use cautiously if you have a condition that might be made worse by exposure to hormones."
  WTH? Who writes this slop?I emailed Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, Professor of Cancer Research at MD Anderson, asking him if curcumin would block "breast cancer pathways" and the interaction between Curcumin & Tamoxifen. He's a Curcumin research expert with two+ decades dedicated to the topic.He replied back with research pdf's and did NOT directly answer my question.
  He suggested taking: "8 grams curcumin per day; four times a day (2 grams each time with milk or yogurt); for at least three months before we conclude its efficacy. Gradually escalate the dose from 500 mg per day to 8 gram per day, only if needed. Side effect in some people (less than 1%) is Diarrhea. Bioperine makes no significant difference. Preclinical studies have shown that curcumin enhances the effect of most chemotherapeutic agents including Velcade, Revlimid, Cisplatin, 5FU, doxorubicin and others."
  He included a link to his website, curcuminresearch.org, which looks like it was written when the internet was invented (it's a bit sloppy and hard to follow). He's obviously a major proponent of Curcumin and has made some bold claims. Watch what he says in the video: survivingterminalcancer.com
  Skip ahead to the 28:30 minute and watch through the ~32:00 minute mark. Assuming he's coming from a purely objective perspective, it's a fascinating response. But without large RCT's, most "by the book" oncologists will frown on his research findings.For what it's worth, there's a 2012 research report that's been floating called "Tamoxifen and Curcumin binding to serum albumin". Here's the abstract: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...
  The conclusions say that the competition between Tamoxifen and Curcumin for the binding site on serum albumin can result in a decrease in bound fraction and potentiate the toxicity of Tamoxifen. I assume that means it's potentially unsafe.It warrants more research.For those who have moved beyond Tamoxifen to newer conventional drugs, it's probably wise to research the safety.

DivineMrsM

I am no expert and can only say what my experience has been. The first year of diagnosis, after reading "AntiCancer" I researched supplements that might benefit me. One that kept popping up was turmeric, so I started taking it, got it from Vita-cost "turmeric extract curcumin c3 complex with bioperine". One pill is 1160 mg, and I take two pills in the morning. That is the dosage suggested on the bottle.

I take Arimidex daily and have very sore joints from it. And sore feet. I can't say whether or not I would have more stiffness and soreness if I didn't take the tumeric. I have been stable on Arimidex for 3+ years. Because of that, I'm not inclined to change the supplements I'm taking. Why fix it if it ain't broke?

Another reason I take turmeric is I am allergic to aspirin and ibuprofen which help with inflammation. Turmeric allegedly does, too, so I figure that may help. Whether it actually does or not, who can say. But I will continue to take it daily.

granny72

I asked my oncologist about tumeric. She is Indian. She eats it on eggs and vegetables. I asked her about how much and she pointed to the top of her little finger. I put it in salad dressings and sauces. I really like the taste. I buy organic tumeric at a natural foods store. The brand is "Simply Organic". I use about 1/4 teaspoon. 1 OZ = 28.3495 grams, 1/4 teaspoon = .0416667 oz so 1/4 teaspoon = approximately 1.12 grams. I have also put it in ginger cookies.

fcb222

I take Afinitor and read an article stating not to take Turmeric while taking Afinitor as it negates the action of Afinitor. I asked my oncologist, and she knew nothing of it. I stopped taking Turmeric prior to starting Afinitor 12 months ago as I could not run the risk and maintain my sanity. As of my last scan (every 3 months) the Afinitor was continuing to work.

gracealittle

Would you mind sharing where I can read the article stating not to take Tumeric while taking Afinitor? I have been taking Tumeric for several years. I was started on Afinitor/Femara last spring, but was taken off the Afinitor after 5 mo due to developing Pneumonitis. Since I had not heard that you should not take Tumeric, took it throughout that time. I may be put on Avastin and would like to find out if Tumeric is a no-no for that as well. Thanks!

Moderators

gracealittle, welcome to our community, and thanks for posting. It looks as though fcb222 hasn't been active for some time now.

It's probably a very good idea to speak with your medical oncologist to check for any potential interaction before you continue taking curcumin/tumeric. It's a great question.

Please let us know if your doctor has some important insights. It would be great to cover that on our site.

Warmly, The Mods

HLB

Affinitor and turmeric are both Mtor inhibitors. Maybe that's why they are contraindicated but I don't know.