Turmeric Suppresses the Formation of Plaque Against the Onset of Atherosclerosis

By Kyle J. Norton

Atherosclerosis is a condition caused by long-term plaques built-up on the wall of the arteries, leading to narrowing the arteries, a major cause of heart disease and stroke.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.

There are some stages of atherosclerosis, depending on the types of atheromatous plaques.

* In the early lesions or type I, foam cells of macrophage are localized to fatty deposits on blood vessel walls.

* Type II of atheromatous plaques are associated with contractile fibrils accumulated on the arterial wall that are not highly ordered and lipid infiltration.

* Type III is the stage caused by connective tissue deposition that is thicker and less cellular than the normal intima, leading to fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity in the artery.

The above development may take years to develop. Patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and who smoke. are found to accelerate the time of onset.

* Type IV and V are stages that the condition in type III now has become a softer plaque with thinner fibrous cap, containing macrophages and smooth muscle cells.

At stage V, aterial plaques are more volnerble to disruption.

Some researchers suggested that the promotion of a high-fat diet in the western world may be one of the major culprits that cause widespread atherosclerosis.

Dr. Zhao Y, the lead scientist said, " At 6 months, (high-fat diet fed group) plaque lesions appeared in the abdominal aorta and iliac artery, while at 8 months, they appeared in the coronary artery. At 12 months, atherosclerotic lesions could be found in all major arteries, while lipid core, cholesterol precipitation, and calcium deposition appeared in the most serious sites".

And, "The progression of arterial lesions and distribution of the lesions were highly consistent in the pigs".

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and to treat flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

With an aim to find a potential ingredient for the treatment of atherosclerosis, researchers examined the effect of curcumin, a bioactive compound found in turmeric in modulating the expression of proinflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages against atherosclerotic plaques.

According to the assays from vitro and in vivo, researchers found that curcumin not only exerts lipid-lowering effects, and also can modulate the function of different macrophage subsets in various macrophage-involved diseases, including atherosclerosis.

In order to reveal more information about curcumin anti the development of atherosclerosis, researchers investigated the effect of a supplement containing Curcuma longa, silymarin, guggul, chlorogenic acid and inulin on NAFLD and atherosclerosis.

The study included C57BL/6 mice fed an HFD for 16 weeks followed by a treatment of a daily oral administration (os) of the NDS on half of the mice.

According to the PCR assay, NDS showed not only exhibited the genes involved in lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory activity (Cpt2, Ifng) but also inhibited the genes involved in pro-inflammatory response and in free fatty acid uptake (Fabp5, Socs3).

Compared to the untreated group, injection of NDS also displays liver protective activity by significantly lowering hepatic angiotensinogen (AGT) and AT₁R mRNA expression (real-time PCR) and plasma angiotensin (ANG)-II levels (ELISA)plasma levels, the indication of hepatocellular impairment and overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in facilitating onset of M1 macrophages.

Additionally, NDS exerted a similar effect as seen in the aforementioned study by protecting the arteries against plaques accumulation caused by imbalanced levels of M1 and M2 macrophages in populated growing atherosclerotic lesions.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " these results suggest that NDS prevents NAFLD and atherogenesis by modulating the expression of different genes involved in NAFLD and avoiding RAS imbalance".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed a high amount of curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters 
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally 

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca


Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Curcumin as a potential modulator of M1 and M2 macrophages: new insights in atherosclerosis therapy by Momtazi-Borojeni AA1,2, Abdollahi E3,4, Nikfar B5, Chaichian S6,7, Ekhlasi-Hundrieser M8. (PubMed)
(2) NAFLD and Atherosclerosis Are Prevented by a Natural Dietary Supplement Containing Curcumin, Silymarin, Guggul, Chlorogenic Acid and Inulin in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet by Amato A1, Caldara GF2, Nuzzo D3, Baldassano S4, Picone P5, Rizzo M6, Mulè F7, Di Carlo M. (PubMed)
(3) Atherosclerosis Induced by a High-Cholesterol and High-Fat Diet in the Inbred Strain of the Wuzhishan Miniature Pig by Zhao Y1, Xiang L1, Liu Y1, Niu M1, Yuan J1, Chen H. (PubMed)