Spice It Up...It Will Save You From Both Bland Food and Chronic Illness
Written by Maggie Bauer
Edited by Jasmine Jeon
Jan 23rd 2022
Edited by Jasmine Jeon
Jan 23rd 2022
Could something as simple as adding spices potentially ward off some of the most deadly diseases? A category of disease labeled chronic illness is responsible for approximately “60%” of all deaths worldwide. These are called chronic illnesses because they are difficult to cure so they persist; examples include “Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease,” etc. and are believed to be caused by chronic inflammation in different areas of the body. Although a number of risk factors have been identified including “infections, obesity, alcohol, tobacco, radiation, environmental pollutants, and diet,” many questions still remain on how to treat many of these illnesses. Efforts have been made to combat these diseases through the use of drug treatments, but these have proven to be costly and come with unwanted side effects.
First, let's address the underlying pathway of inflammation. There are two types of inflammation: “acute or chronic” which are employed in the body depending on the scenario. Acute inflammation is a normal immune response from the body due to pathogens, injury, etc., but it doesn’t last long and isn’t a problem. On the other hand, chronic inflammation lasts much longer than acute, which can lead to all kinds of problems in the body- in some cases, chronic disease. Like many pathways in the body, inflammatory pathways can be upregulated (increase rate) or downregulated (decrease rate) depending on the state of the body. For example when you get a common cold, increased inflammation is part of the body's immune system- this is why you have symptoms such as a runny nose, which goes away once the virus is fought off. Research is now being done to develop treatments that target these pathways. One observation made in a recent study may provide a solution: in countries where spices are consumed more regularly, such as India, we see a lower cancer rate than in other countries. As cancer is a chronic illness, this may indicate connections to a variety of other diseases. This suggests that a diet heavy in species could result in lower cancer or other chronic illness rates.
In this study, researchers compiled information on different spices with anti-inflammatory and other beneficial properties, to paint a picture of the possible benefits of spice consumption. Through the compiling of information, multiple components of common spices were identified as having anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, and suppressed the spreading of cancer cells to surround tissues, as well as many other effects. These components were shown to not only decrease rates of chronic disease but also help to control risk factors for chronic disease such as how inflammation of certain areas or organs can lead to cancer. For example 1,8-cineole–a component of basil, cardamom, and sage–has been linked to “decreased acute pulmonary inflammation” and “decrease in asthma, colitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pancreatitis” by controlling inflammatory pathways. Another example is Diosgenin, which is shown to control the movement of breast cancer. This study maps out the potential benefits spices can have on our lives. Further studies should be conducted into the active components of these spices and their potential clinical applications. So maybe it's time to open up the spice cabinet- it may just save your life.
Image Source: “Fragrant spices. Ground paprika, turmeric and a mixture of peppers in wooden spoons” by Marco Verch licensed under CC BY 2.0