Turmeric is one of the wonderful ingredient that has many beneficial values. It is not only used for its amazing flavour, but used mainly for its various health benefits.
 
Scientists now have found one more reason to include turmeric in your diet. They claim that it can also fight oral cancer caused by a virus. It was stated that the cancer fighting property of turmeric is mainly due to its key ingredient called ‘Curcumin’. It is an anti-oxidant that has a quelling effect on the activity of human papillomavirus (HPV).

The Indian-origin scientist, Alok Mishra of the Emory University, Atlanta, US, explained that turmeric has established antiviral and anti-cancer properties, and according to his findings it is good for oral health too.

Dr Mishra’s research group first noted the effect of curcumin on HPV and cervical cancer cells in 2005. The antioxidant slowed the expression of HPV, suggesting that curcumin could control the extent of HPV infection.

“Since HPV-related oral cancer cases are on the rise, we tested the same hypothesis on oral cancer,” Dr Mishra says.

The new findings suggests that curcumin turns down the expression of HPV in infected oral cancer cells by down regulating the levels of cellular transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kB.

The research has been published in the journal ecancermedicalscience.

By Lizitha