Spice-rack star: turmeric

Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its bright yellow colour and curried dishes their warm glow, may help tame wild blood sugar. That's because turmeric root, a relative of ginger, is one of Earth's most concentrated sources of curcumin, an antioxidant compound that's been shown to help prevent blood sugar surges, at least in diabetic animals. Read on to learn more.

While turmeric the spice has not been well studied, researchers have set their sights on extracts containing curcumin, the active ingredient. One study in lab rats, for example, found that 10 milligrams of a turmeric extract lowered blood sugar levels by 37 percent within three hours and by 55 percent after six hours.

Exactly how curcumin works isn't known, but researchers point to a number of different possibilities. The main one: it may act directly on the pancreas to stimulate the release of insulin. Curcumin also has very powerful antioxidant effects that could help stave off heart disease as well as damage related to high blood sugar, including kidney disease, nerve damage and retinopathy (eye damage).

Turmeric has a long history as a folk medicine in India and other countries for treating stomach ailments, inflammation, arthritis and sprains. It's also being studied as an anti-cancer spice. Population studies find dramatically reduced rates of colon cancer in people whose diets are rich in curcumin. And in test tube studies, curcumin has caused the death of cervical cancer cells and blocked harmful cell changes.

Most recently, researchers have begun to look at whether curcumin may help prevent Alzheimer's. In India, where turmeric is practically ubiquitous in food, there is a very low incidence of the disease. In animal studies, curcumin decreased the formation of amyloid, the stuff that makes up the brain deposits characteristic of people with Alzheimer's. While the findings are promising, curcumin has not yet been studied for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's in

Be careful to keep turmeric contained when you use it, because it will stain almost anything — your fingernails, plastic cups and utensils, and even some kitchen countertops.

• Purchase bright yellow curry powder; it's likely to contain the most turmeric. Or add extra turmeric to your favourite brand of curry powder.
• Use yellow mustard on burgers and when cooking. Its colour comes from turmeric.
• Add turmeric to rice instead of saffron in paella and Spanish rice.
• Include up to five millilitres (one teaspoon) of turmeric in your favourite pea soup recipe.
• Add turmeric to stews and casseroles.
• A touch of turmeric works very well in lentil dishes.