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Curcumin, one among the most popular Indian spices, which is derived from the turmeric root, can help in reducing the risk of cancer women who are exposed to hormone replacement therapy after the menopause.
Studies have been conducted in the past related to this topic. These studies have put forward the suggestions that hormone replacement therapy where oestrogen and progestin are used together can increase the risk of women in their post menopause stage developing breast cancer.
"The results of our study show that women could potentially take curcumin to protect themselves from developing progestin-accelerated tumours," said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professorship in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Centre.
The study that was conducted using the animal model proved that curcumin has the ability to delay the onset of breast cancer in post menopause women. Curcumin also prevented the appearance of gross morphological abnormalities in the mammary glands.
The research team previously showed that progestin accelerates the development of certain tumours by increasing production of a molecule called VEGF that helps supply blood to the tumour. Blocking the production of VEGF can significantly reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells.
Hyder said that curcumin inhibits progestin-induced VEGF secretion from breast cancer cells.
"Curcumin and other potential anti-angiogenic compounds should be tested further as dietary chemopreventive agents in women already exposed to hormone replacement therapy containing estrogen and progestin in an effort to decrease or delay the risk of breast cancer associated with combined hormone replacement therapy," Hyder said.
The study has been published in Menopause, a journal of the North American Menopause Society.
