Curcumin may support prostate cancer patients
Curcumin supplementation significantly reduced urinary tract-related side-effects of radiation therapy in cancer study
An Iranian study of men with prostate cancer found that curcumin supplementation significantly reduced urinary tract-related side effects of radiation therapy.
The randomised, double-blind trial, which was published in the Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy, included 40 prostate cancer patients who were undergoing external beam radiotherapy. The patients took either 3g of curcumin daily or a placebo for 20 weeks.
The researchers gave each participant a quality-of-life questionnaire at baseline and at the end of the intervention. While there was no difference in participants’ bowel symptoms, sexual activity levels or other radiation treatment-related symptoms, the researchers noted that the curcumin group experienced much milder urinary symptoms compared with the placebo group.
Urinary symptoms included daytime and nighttime urination frequency, urinary urgency, lack of sleep due to frequent nocturnal urination, incontinence, pain with urination, and limits on activities due to urinary problems.
Researchers noted decreases in all symptom categories in the curcumin group. Specifically, they reported that the curcumin group had about a 50% reduction in daytime urinary frequency and about a 40% reduction in limitations of daily activities compared to the placebo group.
In addition, the researchers noted that 'MRI/MRS results and PSA levels of patients in [the curcumin and placebo groups] was not significantly different 3 months after intervention completion.' Thus, they concluded, 'it seems that at least in short-term, curcumin does not have any unfavourable effect on treatment outcomes.'
