July 25, 2005
Developments to Watch
Innovations
Curry Power

Curry really is a spice of life. It seems to protect people against
Alzheimer's disease -- India has the world's lowest incidence of the
ailment -- and is also a potent cancer killer, at least in test tubes. The
latest evidence comes from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston. It found that curcumin, one of the main biologically
active chemicals in turmeric, not only inhibits the growth of melanoma
cells in vitro but also induces the cells to commit suicide. The study, in
the Aug. 15 issue of Cancer, comes on the heels of earlier reports that
curcumin can kill breast and colon cancer cells.