If you are trying to stop piling on the pounds, eating lots of curry might seem like a bad idea.
But it is not as ridiculous as it sounds, according to the latest scientific findings.
The flavouring turmeric, used in most Indian meals, has an active ingredient which could help fight obesity.
Skinny spice: Meals containing turmeric can lead to less weight gain
A meal which includes turmeric will lead to less weight gain than a meal with all the same ingredients apart from the yellow powder.
Turmeric contains a plant-based chemical called curcumin which is easily absorbed by the body, according to a study from Tufts University in Boston.
Reporting their findings in the Journal of Nutrition researchers found curcumin suppresses the growth of fat tissue in mice and human cell cultures.
In particular turmeric is effective when added to a high-fat meal, suggesting it could help fight obesity.
It appears the curcumin prevents the formation of new blood vessels which in turn help expand fatty tissue which is the cause of weight gain.
The laboratory tests saw one set of mice fed high-fat diets for 12 weeks and another set given the same food except with 500mg of curcumin added to each meal.
After 12 weeks, the mice which were fed curcumin weighed less than those which did not eat it.
The researchers found the curcumin-fed mice were not growing as many new blood vessels as the others and had lower blood cholesterol.
Senior researcher Mohsen Meydani said: 'Weight gain is the result of the growth and expansion of fat tissue which cannot happen unless new blood vessels form, a process known as angiogenesis.'
'Based on our data, curcumin appears to suppress angiogenic activity in the fat tissue of mice fed high-fat diets.'
The next step will be to perform clinical trials on humans, said the researchers.FREE SMS ALERTS ON
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