We’re all familiar with turmeric. A spice which is used in many curries and is responsible for the orange colouring in some of them.

Curcumin is found in turmeric and has already been shown to have properties that can help to combat cancer and arthritis. But a new study has shown that curcumin may also be effective in preventing type 2 diabetes.

The Study

The study was carried out on 240 people, in Thailand, who were diagnosed with prediabetes. These are people who have higher than normal blood sugar levels and are most at risk of diabetes. Each of the participants took six capsules a day for nine months. Some of the participants were taking supplements containing 250mg of curcumin, while the rest were taking placebos.

The Results

The results showed that none of the participants who had been taking the curcumin supplements had developed diabetes over the nine months. However, 16 percent of those taking placebos did develop diabetes in that time. Not only did the curcumin appear to reduce the chance of a person developing diabetes, but it also helped the participants to lose weight and reduce their waste size.

While this study is not conclusive; it has gone far enough to suggest that taking large quantities of curcumin could prevent diabetes. Doctors have admitted that there needs to be more research carried out in order to prove it one way or the other. They have also said that this new find does not mean that people with high blood sugar should rush out and eat lots of turmeric-based curry. Even if scientists were certain that curcumin can prevent diabetes, eating vast amounts of curry would be a very poor health choice. If curcumin proves to be effective, large quantities (in tablet form) would need to be taken.

The odd curry couldn’t hurt though.