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Based on several studies, researchers have tied curry to many health benefits. In some of these studies, curry was tied to having anti-cancer properties. However, simply eating curry was not tied to reducing cancer risks. In a new study, researchers from the University of Louisville, Kentucky developed a "curry implant" in the form of a dissolvable capsule. The team tested the capsules by implanting them into mice models and discovered that the spice was capable of reducing tumor size.

"Curcumin is widely known for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activities in cell culture studies. However, poor oral bioavailability limited its efficacy in animal and clinical studies. Recently, we developed polymeric curcumin implants that circumvents oral bioavailability issues, and tested their potential," the authors wrote.

For this study, the team created capsules that were two millimeters long and carried 200 milligrams of curcumin, which is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. The capsules were dissolvable. The researchers implanted two capsules into female mice that had tumors. Another group of mice were given curry spice as a part of their daily diet. The researchers monitored the mice's tumor growth over the next four months.

The researchers found that simply eating a diet with curry spice had no positive or negative effects on tumor growth. The implanted curry spice, however, positively affected tumor size and progression. The researchers found that the curry implants helped reduced the size of the tumors. The curry implants also slowed down the progression of rogue cells.

"The implants resulted in significant reduction in both the tumor multiplicity and tumor volume. But the dietary curcumin was ineffective," the researchers stated according to Dailymail.

The study, "Curcumin Implants, not Curcumin Diet Inhibits Estrogen-Induced Mammary Carcinogenesis in ACI rats," was published in Cancer Prevention Research.