November 29, 2012
People tend to think that bypass surgery is pretty safe. But the reality is, patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery—its official name—are vulnerable to an in-hospital heart attack in the first few days after the operation.
Now here’s good news: Curcuminoids, chemicals in the spice turmeric (the spice that gives curry its yellow color), may help prevent many of these post-op heart attacks, according to new research from Thailand.
HEART OF THE MATTER
I love this sort of news—don’t you? Here’s a natural spice accomplishing something that no drug has yet to do as effectively.
In the study, beginning three days prior to their bypass surgery, participants were given either a placebo or 4,000 milligrams (mg) of a curcuminoid supplement daily. They remained on that dose for five days after surgery, along with any necessary medications that they were given before, during and after surgery. The results were striking—30% of the patients who took the placebo had heart attacks in the 72 hours following the surgery...while only 13% of those who took the supplement had heart attacks.
“We believe that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of curcuminoids are mainly what helped prevent heart attacks,” the study’s lead author, Wanwarang Wongcharoen, MD, told me.
It’s possible that curcuminoids might also help patients who aren’t undergoing bypass surgery but are at high risk for heart attack, said Dr. Wongcharoen.
SHOULD YOU EAT MORE CURRY?
Before you head to the nearest Indian or Malaysian restaurant thinking that a great-tasting, curry-flavored meal will help protect your heart, keep in mind that the amount of curcuminoids that you get in such a meal is typically less than 10 mg—which is very, very little compared with the massive amount that patients in the study received (4,000 mg). So it’s unlikely that consuming curcuminoids through foods would have anywhere near the dramatic effect seen by the bypass patients in the study. Curcuminoid supplements, however, would be more likely to help because they contain much higher amounts, said Dr. Wongcharoen—usually about 250 mg to 500 mg per capsule.
If you’re about to undergo bypass surgery, ask your doctor whether taking 4,000 mg of a curcuminoid supplement daily—for three days before the operation and for five days after it—is a good idea, said Dr. Wongcharoen. Just be sure not to abandon your surgery meds. “I do not recommend replacing any drugs with a curcuminoid supplement,” Dr. Wongcharoen said. “But it might be a helpful addition.” You can buy a curcuminoid supplement at a health-food store or at many health-food and vitamin Web sites—there are many different types, so just make sure that the word “curcumin” is on the label, said Dr. Wongcharoen.
It’s generally considered to be a very safe supplement, said Dr. Wongcharoen. Potential side effects include nausea, dizziness and/or diarrhea, and it can slow blood clotting, so if it’s taken with other drugs or supplements that may also slow blood clotting (including clopidogrel, ibuprofen, naproxen, warfarin, garlic, ginger, ginkgo and/or ginseng), that could be dangerous. (Dr. Wongcharoen found in his study that the supplement group did not bleed any more than the placebo group, which suggests that the anticlotting effect of these curcuminoids may not be very strong—therefore, in his opinion, the reduction in heart attack risk outweighs an additional risk of bleeding.) Keep in mind that taking any supplement in an extreme amount does raise the risk for side effects and adverse interactions—so definitely check with your doctor first.
And if you had bypass surgery more than 72 hours ago, the danger of having an operation-related heart attack has passed, so Dr. Wongcharoen does not recommend that you take a curcumin supplement to prevent heart attacks until future research shows whether it’s helpful.
Source: Wanwarang Wongcharoen, MD, department of internal medicine, faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/the-spice-that-could-save-your-heart?
