Turmeric can help fight liver inflammation: Study

Researchers from Medical University of Graz in Austria said that curcumin, one of the principal components of turmeric which gives the spice its bright yellow pigment, delays the damage caused by liver inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis -- a chronic disease that leads to loss of liver function.

For their study, a team of researchers led by Professor Michael Trauner added curcumin to the diet fed to mice with chronic liver inflammation and analysed their tissue and blood samples after four and eight weeks. They compared the results with that of the mice with the same condition, but which were not fed with curcumin diet.

The team observed that bile duct blockage were reduced significantly and liver cell (hepatocyte) damage and scarring (fibrosis) curbed in the rodents that were fed with curcumin diet. No such effects were, however, observed in mice fed a normal diet, said the research that appeared in the journal Gut. The researchers believe that the curcumin interfered with several chemical signalling pathways involved in the inflammatory process and reduced their effect.

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver. Scar tissue are formed in the liver because of an injury or a long-term disease. It can also be caused by alcoholism, hepatitis B and C, and fatty liver disease. The condition can lead to kidney failure or liver cancer in severe cases.