A single consumption of curry improved postprandial endothelial function in healthy male subjects: a randomized, controlled crossover trial

Don't do this on your own, maybe in 50 years your doctor will have incorporated this into a diet protocol. But I doubt it. It has only been out for 2+ years so that already proves the incompetence of your doctor and hospital. I bet you don't have any curry dishes while in the hospital.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082484/

Hideki Nakayama,¹ Nobuaki Tsuge,² Hiroshi Sawada,² Noriya Masamura,² Shohei Yamada,¹ Shigeki Satomi,¹ and Yukihito Higashi³

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Published online 2014 Jun 28. doi:  10.1186/1475-2891-13-67

 

Abstract

Background

Curry, one of the most popular foods in Japan, contains spices that are rich in potentially antioxidative compounds, such as curcumin and eugenol. Oxidative stress is thought to impair endothelial function associated with atherosclerosis, a leading cause of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to determine whether a single consumption of curry meal would improve endothelial function in healthy men.

Methods

Fourteen healthy male subjects (BMI 23.7 ± 2.7 kg/m²; age 45 ± 9 years) were given a single serving of curry meal or spice-free control meal (180 g of curry or control and 200 g of cooked rice; approximately 500 kcal in total) in a randomized, controlled crossover design. Before and 1 hr after the consumption, fasting and postprandial flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) responses and other parameters were measured.

Results

The consumption of the control meal decreased FMD from 5.8 ± 2.4% to 5.1 ± 2.3% (P = 0.039). On the other hand, the consumption of the curry meal increased FMD from 5.2 ± 2.5% to 6.6 ± 2.0% (P = 0.001), and the postprandial FMD after the curry meal was higher than that after the control meal (P  = 0.002). Presence of spices in the curry did not alter significantly the systemic and forearm hemodynamics, or any biochemical parameters including oxidative stress markers measured.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the consumption of curry ameliorates postprandial endothelial function in healthy male subjects and may be beneficial for improving cardiovascular health. What about unhealthy subjects like stroke survivors? Followup needed that will never occur.

Trial registration

UMIN Clinical Trials Registry 000012012.

Keywords: Curry, Spice, Antioxidant, Endothelial function, Postprandial hyperglycemia, Flow-mediated vasodilation, Prevention, Cardiovascular events

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Background

Curry originated in Indian traditional diet, and has become widely eaten throughout the world, especially in Asia [1]. In fact, curry is one of the most popular foods in Japan [1]. Japanese curry is often milder in flavor and thicker in consistency than the traditional Indian curry, and usually is served with cooked rice [1]. With a good amount of meat and vegetables in it, Japanese curry can make a convenient and nutritious meal for people of all ages [1].

While being mild in flavor, Japanese curry still contains an abundant amount of spices, some of which are high in antioxidants. For example, turmeric contains antioxidant yellow pigment, curcumin, which is known to have many health benefits such as vasoprotective, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and neuroprotective effects [2,3]. Clove contains antioxidant aromatic oil, eugenol, which is also known to have some health benefits such as vasoprotective and pulmonary protective effects [4,5]. Epidemiologic studies have shown that curry improves pulmonary function in Asian elderly adults [6] and curry consumption improved cognitive performance of nondemented elderly Asians [7]. However, few intervention studies about curry have been reported.

It is well known that postprandial hyperglycemia is a contributing factor to the development of atherosclerosis and is a risk factor for cardiovascular events. A meta-regression analysis showed that the progressive relationship between glucose levels and cardiovascular risk extends even in subjects with normal glucose tolerance below the diabetic threshold [8].

Although mechanism by which postprandial hyperglycemia induces vascular dysfunction is not fully understood, a review by Mar and Bruno points out that oxidative stress-mediated disruptions in nitric oxide homeostasis have been implicated as key events leading to vascular dysfunction [9]. Glucose loading produced a decrease in endothelial function and an increase in a marker of oxidative stress in normal and diabetic subjects [10,11]. Hyperglycemia in response to oral glucose loading rapidly suppressed endothelium-dependent vasodilation, probably through increased production of oxygen free radicals [11-13].

Accumulating evidence suggests that endothelial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The endothelium is suggested to be a target of damage in the postprandial state [14-16].

The aim of this study was to determine whether a single consumption of a dish of Japanese curry and rice would improve postprandial endothelial function in healthy men.