Spices in Asian cuisine have health benefits

Scientists have found that turmeric, used in spicy Asian food, can protect the body against damage that leads to cancers, in particular leukaemia.

The growing popularity of Indian food is evident from the increasing number of Indian restaurants opening up across the country. But it is not merely the lure of the palate that ensures the success of the cuisine, now health benefits will add to the charm of a well-cooked roghan josh.

HT Image

Scientists have found that spicy food could protect the body against damage that leads to cancers, in particular leukaemia. Most children in India grow up with the knowledge of the benefits of turmeric, but on Thursday, a childhood leukaemia conference in London was told that the root that gives yellow colour to Indian dishes is an anti-oxidant which can protect against environmental chemicals that damage DNA. Scientists now increasingly believe that lower rates of leukaemia in Asia may be due to the difference in diet.

Turmeric is also said to slow the rate of diseases such as Alzheimer's and to possess anti-inflammatory properties that could help with Crohn's Disease. Speaking at the conference, Professor Moolky Nagabhushan, of Loyola University Medical Centre in Chicago, said turmeric blocks some of the harmful effects of cigarette smoke, protects against chromosome damage and prevents dangerous chemicals forming after eating processed food.

Ken Campbell, of the Leukaemia Research Fund, said leukaemia was rare in people of Asian descent. He said: "This suggests that lower rates of childhood leukaemia in India, China and Japan may, at least in part, be due to differences in genetically determined susceptibility."