Curcumin

Although I do not have a direct answer for you I’m passing on two links, below.

Also, I have in my personal notations that that it could interfere due to metabolizing through P450 pathway, I’m thinking I had decided it was okay to take. (Sorry I can not remember specifics although this was only a short while ago, AI has interfered with my memory)
I did start taking curcumin around the time I was beginning Arimidex but it made me break out in hives so had to quit.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ckane/brcaprev.htm#Curcumin

http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/ci...10100508b603a14

When I finished treatments, I asked my onc about several supplements/herbs I wanted to take and she discussed them with the chief pharmacist. They came back with 'absolutely NO!' to curcumin because it ' can cause heart problems.' I'd never heard or read that but I stopped taking it (had already started). Who knows if it's true, but I'd rather not chance it.

I started taken cucumin last august after my bc spread to
the skin. There is medical studies to back up the use for inflammatory dieases. Also MD Anderson website approves
of it. My skin did clear up with chemo and curcumin. I do believe in it. Go on Ageless cure website and they
have a place where you can read the medical studies.

I don't think it causes heart problems, they'd be keeling in India all over the place if that were true. I wonder where they hear such stuff? It's probably keeping Indians alive.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/feb2004_report_curcumin_02.htm

Marin!!
"When I finished treatments, I asked my onc about several supplements/herbs I wanted to take and she discussed them with the chief pharmacist. They came back with 'absolutely NO!' to curcumin because it ' can cause heart problems.' I'd never heard or read that but I stopped taking it (had already started). Who knows if it's true, but I'd rather not chance it. "

Who knows if it's true?EDGE knows!I asked him, after I read this rumor.He says it's is a rediculous untruth!!

Rosemary,
I think it is called chemo brain
Where were we?

I remember Edge said it is okay with Femara (which I take), I do not remember the other AI's with it (called selective storage? since I have only limited capacity "up there").

God Bless

OK, my mind is nearly blank, too, but I take Arimidex and curcurmin is OK with that. I think curcumin may have been a problem for Aromasin. Garlic supplements were a problem with Femara.

The MDA ANderson site does not approve. It rates it a C. Unproven. They have backed away from the conclusions people were reaching.

I noticed that about MD Anderson; at one time they had a protocol on their website; that is no longer there.

I have not heard of taking it with AIs; I think the majority of the work was done with Tamoxifen. I take it; initially because I thought it might help with preventing a reoccurance. I now take it because it seems to help with joint achiness. Maybe it is the placebo effect.

I too have never heard about heart problems being associated with curcumin.

AH-HA! I remember calling Astra-Zeneca to find out if Arimidex used the p450 pathway and they said it wasn't on the list. So it wasn't Arimidex, but I remember tamox was on Flockhart's list in 2 places. That's all I remember.

I found Flockhart's list again:

http://medicine.iupui.edu/flockhart/table.htm

Uh-oh, something tells me Calico forgot already.

Actually I just put it off that is not the same....
I'll check today

Here is Constantine's reply, what a kind man to go in such detail....it is so much appreciated!!!



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Calico:

Thanks for the gracious appreciation. As to these issues, they aren't easy to understand under any circumstances, but here the evidence is wholly reassuring.

As to the AIs, letrozole (Femara) strongly inhibits CYP2A6, moderately inhibits CYP2C19, and has a low affinity for CYP3A4; exemestane (Aromasin) is metabolized by CYP3A4, and anastrozole (Arimidex) metabolism is in part CYP1A1/2, CYP2B1, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4-mediated.

The metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the aromatase inhibitors (AIs) show the well-know potential dependency on the p450 hepatic (liver) enzyme system, especially with CYP3A4, and to a lesser extent CYP1A1 and CYP2B1-mediation. But although curcumin can theoretical induce CYP3A4 in human hepatocytes, it been determined by Judy Raucy of the California Toxicology Research Institute (Raucy, Drug Metab Dispos (2003): Regulation of CYP3A4 Expression in Human Hepatocytes by Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products) that curcumin lacks clinically significant (true in vivo) CYP3A4 activity, and hence it lacks potential adverse CYP3A4-mediated interactions.

Secondly, although curcumin also displays CYP1A1 and CYP2B1-mediated metabolism and anastrozole (Arimidex) is a CYP1A1-mediated AI agent, for complex reasons having to do with substrates and metabolites, when curcumin is co-administered with such agents, the effect is of increasing the bioavailability of curcumin, not of reducing the effect of the interacting agent, and increased curcumin bioavailability is unproblematic as curcumin has been demonstrated to be safe even up to 12 grams/daily.

Finally, although anastrozole (Arimidex) metabolism is also in part CYP1A2, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4-mediated (in addition to CYP1A1 and CYP2B1), and carries an FDA labeling warning to that effect, the FDA concludes - in the same warning - that these dependencies exist but only at relatively high concentrations in vitro and therefore that it is unlikely that co-administration of (a 1-mg dose) of Arimidex with other drugs would result in any clinically significant drug inhibition in vivo, and my own research confirms this (as per AstraZenica scientists Scott Grimm and Martin Dyroff's determination (Drug Matab Dispos (1999): Inhibition of human drug metabolizing cytochromes P450 by anastrozole, a potent and selective inhibitor of aromatase) who concluded that Arimidex would not be expected to cause clinically significant interactions with other CYP-metabolized drugs at physiologically relevant concentrations achieved during therapy with Arimidex); and I determined that this is further confirmed by Masha Lam and Robert Ignoffo in their comprehensive review (J Oncol Pharm Pract (2003): A guide to clinically relevant drug interactions in oncology).

In sum therefore, curcumin coadministration with any AI is unproblematic in terms of any potential adverse metabolic interaction or pharmacokinetics, and no adverse interactions have appeared to date for curcuminin general.

kinds regards,
Constantine

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Constantine Kaniklidis


Breast Cancer Watch

edge@evidencewatch.com

sorry took so long to get back. Gemzar carboplatuim and avastan. 8 mths still clear for inflammatory

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