Japanese study finds spices can suppress respiratory inflammation
Damaging air pollutant particles, typically found in most urban and some suburban areas, are capable of penetrating people’s lungs and entering their bloodstream. They can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
A joint study by Japanese curry roux maker House Foods and a professor of environmental medicine at Kyoto University has revealed that select spices used in curry may be able to curb inflammation caused by inhalation of fine air pollutant particles –particularly cloves, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander.These spices were observed to suppress inflammation caused by air pollutant PM2.5 during laboratory experiments using human airway cells; PM2.5 includes particles measuring 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller.
The study did not involve any humans eating curry containing the spices, nevertheless Hirohisa Takano of Kyoto University was elated over the positive results on a cellular level: “There’s a good possibility that consuming the spices will also produce a desired outcome.”
House Foods, which is a unit of House Foods Group, will conduct additional studies into the health benefits of curry, a popular dish in Japan and a staple diet in India and much of South Asia.
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