Is Curcumin A Telomerase Regulator?

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The smartest spice in your kitchen

By Al Sears MD

Dear Health Conscious Reader,

Big Pharma has a huge arsenal of cancer drugs. But they all have one fatal flaw. They kill healthy cells along with the cancer cells.

That's why chemo drugs result in such toxic and devastating side effects. They can't tell a good cell from a diseased cell.

Nature doesn't have the same blind spot. Let me give you just one example.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a healing plant that's been used for over 4,000 years. It's the foundation of the ancient Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. 

I've seen traditional healers in India, Bali, Jamaica and Africa use this one root to treat the common cold and allergies… liver disease… sore joints… fevers… and earaches.  And I saw how strong — mentally and physically — their village elders were. Modern research proves why. 

Studies show turmeric helps reverse many of the chronic illnesses we associate with aging, including Alzheimer's… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer.¹And it works by protecting your telomeres. 

You know by now that telomeres are like little fuses at the ends of your chromosomes. They prevent DNA strands from unraveling.   

As cells in your body divide, the fuses burn down. When your telomeres get too short, your cells stop dividing. New cells no longer replace damaged ones. And you begin to develop the symptoms and diseases of old age.

New research shows that curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric, helps stop your telomeres from shortening. And it may actually help your telomeres grow longer.

You see, curcumin activates the enzyme telomerase that helps preserve and lengthen telomeres.² So your aging process slows down. And you avoid many of the diseases of aging.

But there's another side to the telomere story. In cancer cells, telomerase also helps maintain telomere length.³ It can help unhealthy cells — like cancer — keep from dividing and spreading.

And this is why I call turmeric the smartest spice in your kitchen. Curcumin knows the difference between a healthy cell and a cancer cell. A recent study from Singapore found that curcumin works differently in cancer cells. It inhibits telomerase activity and leads to telomere shortening in cancer cells.⁴

In other words, curcumin is a telomerase regulator. It turns on telomerase in normal cells, but turns it off in unhealthy cells. 

None of Big Pharma's drugs can do what curcumin can. But your doctor will never prescribe it. It's all natural and they can't make a profit.

I recommend this miracle root to all my patients. I buy fresh turmeric root in an Indian specialty shop near my home in South Florida. You can also find it in many health food stores.

I like to use the fresh root in the kitchen. I grate it like ginger and add it to soups, stews, stir-fries, rice or lentil dishes. I try to use some every day for the anti-aging benefits.

You can also buy ground turmeric, but make sure it's all turmeric and not mixed with curry. Here's a recipe I use for a dry rub for lamb and chicken. It's delicious!

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin	• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander	• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric	• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garam masala	• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder	• Pinch of sea salt

In this country we don't use enough turmeric in our food to get the full health benefits of curcumin. That's why I recommend curcumin supplements to my patients. But don't waste your money on one that doesn't really work.

Curcumin is the main beneficial component of turmeric root, so look for at least 90% or greater "curcuminoids." And most curcumin supplements are not absorbed well. Find one with piperine (an extract from black pepper). It increases the bioavailability by 2,000%.

Take at least 500 mg, or 1,000 mg if you want to see even better benefits. 

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

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1. Sordillo PP, Helson L. "Curcumin and cancer stem cells: curcumin has asymmetrical effects on cancer and normal stem cells." Anticancer Res. 2015;35(2):599-614.
2. Xiao Z, Zhang A, Lin J, et al. Telomerase: a target for therapeutic effects of curcumin and a curcumin derivative in aβ1-42 insult in vitro. PLoS One. 2014;9(7):e101251.
3. Shippen-Lentz, D. and Blackburn, E.H. "Functional evidence for an RNA template in telomerase." Science. 1990; 247: 546–552
4. Khaw AK, Hande MP, Kalthur G, Hande MP. "Curcumin inhibits telomerase and induces telomere shortening and apoptosis in brain tumour cells." J Cell Biochem. 2013;114(6):1257-70.