Last updated at 08:17 29 February 2008

The spice of life: Scientists believe turmeric may help prevent heart failure and repair damaged hearts

The secret to a healthy heart could lie in your spice rack.

Research shows that the curry spice turmeric can help prevent heart failure and repair damaged hearts.

Although the tests were carried out in mice, scientists are hopeful the findings could apply to humans.

Heart failure, in which the heart, damaged by heart attack or disease, gradually loses the ability to pump blood round the body, typically kills 40 per cent of victims within a year of onset. Symptoms include tiredness, swollen ankles and breathlessness.

Although there are drugs that can control the condition, there is no way of repairing the scarring and damage suffered by heart muscles.

The study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests turmeric could help. It contains a compound called curcumin, which has been used in Asian medicine for centuries to treat inflammatory disorders and is linked with a wide range of health benefits.

When experts at Toronto General Hospital in Canada tested the spice on mice, they found the creatures' damaged hearts became more efficient at pumping blood and scars healed up after just a few doses.

Exactly how the orange-coloured spice heals is not clear, although scientists think it may be switching off the genes that cause the heart to become enlarged and scarred.

However, they warned eating more curry may not be the answer, as many dishes are high in fat.

Researcher Dr Peter Liu said: "The benefits of curcumin are not strengthened by eating more of it."