Turmeric can prevent diabetes-induced blindness

The Hindu News Update Service Turmeric can prevent diabetes-induced blindness Bangalore (IANS): Indian scientists have found yet another reason why turmeric should be part of our daily diet. Lab experiments in the past have shown that curcumin - the yellowish component of the Indian curry spice turmeric - is able to fight skin, breast and other tumour cells. It is also known to lower the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease and haemorrhagic stroke. Now a team at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) in Chennai reports that curcumin also blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication among diabetics that leads to blindness if untreated. "This is the first scientifically documented evidence of the molecular action of curcumin against diabetic retinopathy," the researchers claim in a report published in a recent issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. ...