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MGUS and Curcumin/Tumeric

Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Sep 11, 2023 | Replies (60)

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@michey

As I expected, my hematologist/oncologist would not give his opinion about taking tumeric/curcumin or participating in any clinical trials involving it. Since I must take an iron supplement to not get iron deficiency anemia, I am careful about taking high doses of tumeric/curcumin based on this 2019 report: "Smith TJ, Ashar BH. Iron Deficiency Anemia Due to High-dose Turmeric. Cureus. 2019 Jan 9;11(1):e3858". Here is copy of abstract from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30899609/:
"Turmeric is increasingly studied as an anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agent. It binds to ferric iron in the gut and causes iron deficiency in mice. We report here a possible case of iron deficiency anemia in a human taking turmeric. A 66-year-old physician treated himself for an osteoarthritis flare after steroids with six turmeric extract capsules (538 mg) daily, to help with inflammation. During this time, his hemoglobin never rose above 12 and his iron and ferritin levels were consistent with iron deficiency. Upper and lower endoscopy and Hemoccult™ studies were negative. Two weeks after stopping the turmeric and continuing his usual iron supplement, his hemoglobin had returned to normal, with normalizing iron studies. Turmeric was associated with significant iron deficiency anemia, consistent with the binding of available iron in the gut and the prevention of absorption. This resolved after the turmeric was stopped, consistent with animal studies. This may be the first case of documented iron deficiency anemia in people due to turmeric supplements. Given the widespread use of turmeric and curcumin supplements across many illnesses, further attention is warranted."

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Replies to "As I expected, my hematologist/oncologist would not give his opinion about taking tumeric/curcumin or participating in..."

I read about this in a previous discussion. I’m also cautious about turmeric due to my Celiac disease and related absorption issues.
My decision to try a small dose may meet some opposition from my “ologists” and if so, I will cease and desist.
12 years of Catholic school and Jewish graduate school influenced my tolerance for guilt associated with the defiance of authority. 😇

Did anyone else hear this mornings broadcast, that Jewish Scientist think they have a cure for Multiple Myeloma. They have just completed their first study and all of the participants are now in remission. They are planning on starting their second trial.
Gina5009