Turmeric can prevent heart failure

London, Mar 2: The secret to a healthy heart lies in your spice rack too, according to a latest research. Turmeric might prevent heart failure and repair damaged hearts, researchers suggest. Heart failure, in which the heart, damaged by heart attack or disease, gradually loses the ability to pump blood round the body, typically kills 40 per cent of victims within a year of onset.

The study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests turmeric could help as well. It contains a compound called curcumin, which has been used in Asian medicine for centuries to treat inflammatory disorders and is linked with a wide range of health benefits. ''The benefit of curcumin is not strengthened by eating more of it, as many dishes are high in fat,'' Daily Mail quoted researcher Peter Liu as saying.

When tested the spice on mice, at Toronto General Hospital in Canada it was found that the creatures' damaged hearts became more efficient at pumping blood and scars healed up after just a few doses.

UNI