Spicy food eases tendinitis and arthritis

Could a simple curry be the answer to your inflamed tendon? New research has found that a derivative of turmeric, a commonly used spice in Indian curries, could help the common condition. 

Teams at the UK’s University of Nottingham and Germany’s Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich found that curcumin may suppress the biological mechanisms that trigger inflammation in tendinitis, which is particularly prevalent in the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, heels and wrists of athletes, diabetes sufferers and the elderly.

Study co-author Dr Ali Mobasheri said, “Our research is not suggesting that curry, turmeric or curcumin are cures for inflammatory conditions such as tendinitis and arthritis. However, we believe that it could offer scientists an important new lead in the treatment of these painful conditions through nutrition. Further research into curcumin, and chemically-modified versions of it, should be the subject of future investigations and complementary therapies aimed at reducing the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the only drugs currently available for the treatment of tendinitis and various forms of arthritis.”

Source: Journal of Biological Chemistry

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