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The South Asian spice turmeric has been used for centuries to treat many ailments. University of Arizona researchers are studying how it could be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Turmeric has been traditionally known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. How it affects the body had not been determined.
Janet Funk, an associate professor of medicine at UA, and her research team have studied the compounds in turmeric for about a decade.
The chemicals in turmeric “can inactivate a protein that’s responsible for starting at the very tip of the cascade of inflammatory events that happens in your body. So if you inhibit this one protein you prevent lots and lots of inflammatory things from being produced,” Funk said.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s defense system to attack itself. When it flares, tissue around joints become inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, joint destruction and disability, Funk said. There is no known cure.
Funk said her group is ready to bring the studies to humans. They are recruiting 45 people for a clinical trial. Participants will take dietary supplements for a month to determine the safety of the remedy and its effective doses.
A questionnaire has also been prepared by the research team to identify popular botanical dietary supplements currently being used by people with rheumatoid arthritis. Additional information about botanical arthritis research at the University of Arizona is available by emailing botanicals@email.arizona.edu
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