Turmeric -- Naturally Supports Healthy COX-2 Levels
Clinical Observations
By
Karen Kaufman, MS, CCN
COX-2 inhibitors are members of a class of drugs that have been heavily advertised and promoted for osteoarthritis. The best known of these drugs are celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx). They are considered a better or super version of the traditional Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. NSAIDs all effectively reduce inflammation and thereby relieve pain by inhibiting substances that promote inflammation. Among these “www.ors” of inflammation are prostaglandins, which are produced through the cyclo-oxygenase 1 and 2 (COX-1 and COX-2) enzyme systems. Prostaglandins are over-expressed in inflammation, but certain prostaglandins are beneficial and protective.
NSAIDs and Side Effects
A problem with NSAIDs is their potential for serious side effects. The most notable side effects occur within the GI tract. NSAIDs block the production of the “good” prostaglandins that help maintain the protective mucosal lining of the stomach. Many of the people dealing with the chronic pain of arthritis have to ride a seesaw. The NSAIDs reduce the burning pain in their joints, but leave them feeling like they have a hole in their stomach. The NSAIDs also put arthritis sufferers at risk for a sudden, symptom-less, life-threatening GI bleeding.
Lower Cancer and Alzheimers
Because arthritis afflicts such a huge segment of the older population, millions of people take NSAIDs daily to alleviate their pain. As a result, physicians have noted that people who take these medications routinely for years for arthritis often have a lower incidence of other diseases of aging, such as Alzheimers disease (AD) and colon cancer. Some epidemiologists speculated that the drug was not affecting the disease process of colon cancer itself, but was only causing a higher incidence of bleeding in the colon or rectum, which resulted in the cancer being detected earlier. In the case of Alzheimers, speculation focused on the possibility that the brain deterioration occurred in part because of some sort of inflammatory process, and was inhibited by the anti-inflammatory effects of the NSAIDs. Nevertheless, physicians have generally avoided recommending the routine prophylactic use of NSAIDs to prevent Alzheimers or certain colon/rectal cancer because of the potentially serious side effects mentioned abo.
Selective COX-2 Inhibitors
Enter the new selective COX-2 inhibitors. Selective COX-2 inhibitors have recently become the subject of much interest and research for their potential role in preventing AD or colon cancer, due to their ability to inhibit the “bad” prostaglandins that are created through the COX-2 enzyme system, but do not inhibit the “good” prostaglandins that are created through the COX-1 enzyme system. Scientists have found an over-expression of COX-2 in plaques in the brains of people with AD. In addition, there is an over-expression of COX-2 in colon and pancreatic tumor cells. The COX-2 inhibitors seem to have eliminated the deleterious effects on the GI tract. However, they still seem to have negative side effects similar to the NSAIDs with regard to the kidneys. Some people who take these drugs experience an increase in blood pressure as well as a tendency to retain fluid. These can become serious issues, particularly in an aging population.
Turmeric
Considering the beneficial effects of the COX-2 inhibitors, it would be wonderful to find a substance that acts as a COX-2 inhibitor without the harmful side effects seen in pharmaceutical drugs. It appears that just such a substance -- the common spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) -- possesses such properties. According to results of a study in the UK, turmeric was found to inhibit the production of COX-2. This may explain why so many people experience relief from arthritis pain by taking substantial doses of turmeric. In fact, the Arthritis Foundations Guide to Alternative Therapies, (page 229) by Judith Horstman, acknowledges that there may well be some anti-inflammatory properties in turmeric that can be beneficial to arthritis sufferers.
Newsletter Archive
Learn about the role of vitamins and nutritional supplements in your health by reading
past newsletter articles.