How Certain Spices Decrease Inflammation and Prevent Chronic Diseases

Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) - Provider #21328, Activity #146706 approved for 2 CPEUs.

CPEU Course Description

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world accounting for approximately 60% of all deaths.  Inflammation is essentially an immune response to infection or injury in the body that helps to maintain tissue homeostasis under stressful conditions.  It is now well established that the major risk factors associated with chronic diseases induce inflammation and dysregulate inflammatory pathways.  This CPEU course discusses the potential of various dietary agents such as spices and its components in the suppression of inflammatory pathways and their roles in the prevention and therapy of cancer and other chronic diseases. 

Brooke H. Dekofsky, MPH, RD, CLE, CDE was involved in the creation of this course.

Article Author:  Ajaikumar Kunnumakkara, Ph.D., et al.

Exam writer: Tiev LaGuire, M.S.

CPEU Course Objectives 

1. Discuss what NF-kB activation leads to.
2. Explain how persistent infection and chronic inflammation is linked to cancer.
3. Investigate the key mediator among the main molecular mediators of the inflammatory response.
4. Identify the compound shown to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and to sensitize breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent, taxol.
5. Provide the most potent pro-inflammatory cytokine discovered to date.
6. Describe how certain compounds prevent inflammation and cancer, and identify the spices they are found in.