A new study conducted by Thai researchers suggests that the yellow pigment in turmeric spice can ward off heart attacks after bypass surgery.

Extracts from turmeric spice which carry the yellow pigment of curcumins, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may be able to ease risks of side effects after bypass surgery, Press TV reported.

During bypass surgery, the heart muscle can be damaged from prolonged lack of blood flow, increasing patients' risk of heart attack.

Led by Dr. Wanwarang Wongcharoen of Chiang Mai University, researchers studied 121 patients who had non-emergency bypass surgery between 2009 and 2011.

They prescribed one-gram curcumin capsules for half of the patients to take four times a day, starting three days before their surgery and continuing for five days afterwards. The other half had to take the same number of drug-free placebo capsules.

The team found that during their post-bypass hospital stay, only 13 percent of patients who had been taking curcumins had a heart attack, compared to 30 percent in the placebo group.

The study also indicated that those whotook curcumins also had lower levels of inflammation and oxidative stress markers like C-reactive protein and malondialdehyde in their blood.

Researchers believe the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumins might be the reason for their ability to limit heart damage in bypass patients.

"Curcumin has for many years been shown to reduce inflammation and to reduce oxygen toxicity or damage caused by free radicals in a number of experimental settings," said Dr. Jawahar Mehta, a cardiologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, who didn't work on the study.

It is not recommended to substitute tumeric for medication, though, because drugs such as aspirin, statins and beta blockers have been proven to help heart patients, he added.