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Curry fights

cancer: study

ISLAMABAD: A key ingredient of curries could help prevent or manage colon cancer, according to research being carried out in Leicester.

The news comes just days after cold and flu experts recommended a spicy dish as the perfect antidote to winter sniffles.

Researchers at the oncology department of Leicester University noticed that, out of 500 patients diagnosed with colon cancer, only two were Asian, despite 20 percent of the city's population being Asian.

They believe that the secret of the Asian community's ability to resist cancer lies in the spice curcumin, which is frequently used in curry cooking.

Professor Will Steward and his team are testing curcumin capsules on colon cancer sufferers to see what effect the spice has on the system.

But they hope that eventually the capsules will be given to healthy people to test their preventive abilities. Research in the US has already suggested that the spice could block or shrink tumours.ÑAPP