Turmeric Gobbles Up Plaques Against the Risk of Atherosclerosis

By Kyle J. Norton

Atherosclerosis is a medical condition caused by the plaque accumulated on the arterial wall,  leading to stiffing and hardening arteries.

 The condition is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, depending on the area of blocking in the arteries.

Arteries are the blood vessels that carry the oxygen-rich blood to the heart and other parts of the body.

Plaque is a combination of cholesterol, calcium, cadmium and other harmful chemical substances found in the blood.

According to statistics, atherosclerosis is the leading cause of 50% of all deaths in Western society. 

The exact causes of atherosclerosis are not identified. However, epidemiological studies suggested, damage or injury of the inner layer of an artery, high blood pressure and cholesterol and medical conditions such as arthritis, lupus or infections, or inflammation of unknown cause are some of the most prevalent factors found in patients with atherosclerosis.

Most common symptoms of atherosclerosis are chest pain or angina, pain in the leg, arm, shortness of breath, fatigue.

If the blockage occurs in the brain, confusion, atherosclerosis may induce neurological symptoms such as confusion, muscle weakness, facial pain, and impaired vision.

Some researchers by examing the formation of plaque associated with high blood cholesterol in patients with atherosclerosis suggested a healthy diet high in polyunsaturated fat may have a strong impact on inducing the risk of atherosclerosis

Dr. William E. Connor and colleagues wrote, "the fat content of seafood is largely polyunsaturated, fish and shellfish are commonly recommended in diets designed to reduce serum cholesterol levels and to treat atherosclerosis in man".
And, " 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, "Eighteen recently published articles and books, without exception, stress the preferential use of fish and shellfish in diets for the treatment of coronary heart disease".

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belongings 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 for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On findings a potential compound for the treatment of heart disease, researchers examined the effect of an ethanol-aqueous extract obtained from rhizomes of C. longa on LDL oxidation susceptibility and plasma lipids in atherosclerotic rabbits.

The study included a total of 18 rabbits fed for 7 weeks on a diet containing 95.7% standard chow, 3% lard and 1. 3% cholesterol, to induce atherosclerosis then divided into groups, two of which were also orally treated with turmeric extract at doses of 1.66 (group A) and 3.2 (group B) mg/kg body weight, respectively and control.

According to the tested analysis, the low dosage of turmeric extract showed much higher efficacy in decreasing the susceptibility of LDL to lipid peroxidation compared to that of higher dosages.

However, both curcumin extracts doses demonstrated lower levels of total plasma cholesterol compared to the control group.

Furthermore, compared to the higher dose, the lower dosage not only lowered the lower levels of cholesterol but also levels of phospholipids and triglycerides in LDL.

In other words, curcumin protected the arteries against the plaques accumulated on the wall to initiate the risk of atherosclerosis.

After taking others into account, Dr. Ramírez-Tortosa MC, wrote in the final report, " The use of this extract could be useful in the management of cardiovascular disease in which atherosclerosis is important.".

Taken altogether, turmeric 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.

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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) Oral administration of a turmeric extract inhibits LDL oxidation and has hypocholesterolemic effects in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis by Ramírez-Tortosa MC1, Mesa MD, Aguilera MC, Quiles JL, Baró L, Ramirez-Tortosa CL, Martinez-Victoria E, Gil A. (PubMed)
(2) Effects of the antioxidant turmeric on lipoprotein peroxides: Implications for the prevention of atherosclerosis by Ramirez Bosca A, Carrión Gutierrez MA, Soler A, Puerta C, Diez A, Quintanilla E, Bernd A, Miquel J. (PubMed)
(3) Production of Hypercholesterolemia and Atherosclerosis in Rabbits by a Diet Rich in Shellfish by William E. Connor, M.D., F.A.C.P.; Jay J. Rohwedder, M.D.; John C. Hoak, M.D. (ACP)