For the study, Drew Tortoriello, M.D., an endocrinologist and research scientist at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center, and his colleagues tested turmeric diabetic mice and found evidence suggesting that the herb may reduce the risk type 2 diabetes in humans.

The researchers discovered that mice treated with turmeric had better blood glucose levels and better glucose and insulin tolerance.   They also found turmeric-treated obese mice showed significantly reduced inflammation in fat tissue and liver compared to controls.

They speculate that curcumin found in turmeric may be the active ingredient that lessens insulin resistance and prevents type 2 diabetes in the mice by dampening the inflammatory response triggered by obesity.

The findings were presented at ENDO 2008, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco this week and is scheduled to appear in Endocrinology.

Turmeric is safe to use as a spice.   Up to 12 grams daily do not cause any harm to humans.   High doses of a dietary curcumin were tested in two mouse models of obesity and type 2 diabetes, high fat diet fed male mice and leptin-deficient obese female mice. Lean wild-type mice fed low-fat diets were used as controls.

The researchers hypothesized that turmeric may suppress the number and activity of immune cells called macrophages in fat tissue throughout the body, which produce "cytokine" molecules that can cause inflammation in organs like the heart and islets of the pancreas and increase insulin resistance in muscle and liver.  

Curcumin may also reduce some adverse effects of obesity.   They found that curcumin administration resulted in a small, but significant decline in body weight and fat content.

Diabetes affects at least 21 million Americans, according to National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.   This condition can result in a number of serious complications such as heart disease and Diabetic foot.

Previous studies have shown that eating Mediterranean diet and lots of green leafy vegetables reduces risk of diabetes while drinking fruit juice and exposure to pesticides are linked to increased risk of the disease.