Can Curry Help Fight Cancer?

When you think of curry powder, you probably imagine the key ingredient in a delicious Indian meal. But based on current research, curry powder may be much more than a simple and delicious spice: it's shown to play a role in cancer prevention. Mounting evidence indicates that curry powder's anchor spice, turmeric, contains an active compound shown to prevent the progression of certain types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, melanoma, and prostate.

It may come as a surprise to some that curry powder isn't actually a single spice. It's actually a fragrant blend of several herbs and spices. Like any recipe, thousands of curry powder variations exist, but turmeric is almost always in the mix. It is the brightly colored turmeric that lends the familiar golden color to curry powder, and stains the adventurous chef's wooden spoons a bright hue. Turmeric's active compound, curcumin, is a phytonutrient with antioxidant properties, and is the focus of a number of cancer studies. Phytonutrients play a critical role in chronic disease prevention since they are known to improve immune function and can reduce the risk for illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.