[TanyaRD]

Thanks for your question Diannes. Curcumin (dietary Tumeric) has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (COX-2) properties which may have some benefit in the diet or in supplement form. The studies have been mixed and most of which are animal studies or done on specific cell lines thus may be difficult to apply to humans. Many of these studies suggest a promotion of cancer cell death (apoptosis) with the addition of curcumin (tumeric). Some recent animal studies have shown though that curcumin may inhibit the anticancer action of chemoagents used to treat breast cancer such as cyclophosphemide and doxorubicin. As with most strong antioxidants I would advise against supplementing with curcumin during active treatment. However, if you are done with treatment and you discuss it with your physician there may be some benefit to including this in your diet or overall regimen. As far as risks or side effects go we know that curcumin is a mild blood thinner and can increase the risk of bleeding. Therefore it is important to understand any drug interactions that may occur when starting this supplement.