Turmeric May Help Prevent Heart Failure

Eating the spice turmeric may dramatically reduce the chance of developing heart failure, researchers at the Toronto General Hospital said.

Dr. Peter Liu, cardiologist in the hospital’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, said the healing properties of curcumin, a natural ingredient in turmeric has been well known in eastern cultures for some time.

Curcumin works directly in the cell nucleus by preventing abnormal unraveling of the chromosome under stress, and preventing excessive abnormal protein production, Liu explained.

The study, published in the February edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found when the herb is given orally to a variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts — hypertrophy — it can prevent and reverse the condition, restore heart function and reduce scar formation.

The larger your heart is, the higher your risk is for developing heart attacks or heart failure in the future, Liu said in a statement. However, until clinical trials are done, we don’t recommend patients to take curcumin routinely.

In fact, the beneficial effects of curcumin are not strengthened by eating more of it, Liu said.