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A Curry to Remember
New study shows common spice could protect against memory loss
By Colette Bouchez
HealthScoutNews Reporter
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthScoutNews) -- Looking to protect your memory? Try adding a little spice to your life. Turmeric, to be exact. New research shows this zesty staple of Indian fare, which puts the zing in curry sauces, may protect you from the memory loss and eventual mental decline of Alzheimer's disease. Text Continues Below
The key appears to lie in a chemical compound called curcumin, which is found in turmeric. Researchers say curcumin reduces inflammation caused by a buildup of a protein known as beta-amyloid, a plaque-like substance that blocks brain cells from communicating with each other and eventually affects your ability to remember. Accumulations of beta-amyloid plaques are linked to Alzheimer's disease. "We believe curcumin will do three important things: trigger clearance of amyloid already present; reverse oxidative damage contributing to memory loss, [and] reduce toxic substances associated with chronic inflammation," says Sally Frautschy, study co-author and associate professor of medicine and neurology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). All three actions, she says, work together to protect the ability of brain cells to communicate with one another, which is key in the preservation of memory. But why single out turmeric, or more specifically curcumin? One reason is because the rate of Alzheimer's disease in India is extremely low -- in many instances, less than 1 percent of people over age 65 are affected. Many believe it is their high dietary intake of turmeric that accounts for the low incidence of disease. In America, about 3 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74 have Alzheimer's, and half of those 85 or older have it, according to the National Institutes of Health. "The study [suggests] that there may be a dietary factor in the Indian diet that makes [this group] have the lowest incidence [of Alzheimer's disease] in the world. One such substance may be curcumin," says Frautschy. Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>
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Copyright © 2001 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 12/5/2001
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SOURCES: Interviews with Sally Frautschy, PhD, study co-author, associate professor of medicine and neurology, department of medicine, University of California Los Angles (UCLA), and researcher, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, VA Medical Center, North Hills, California;
Jyni Hollander, R.D., nutritionist and registered dietician, New York University Medical Center, New York City; November 2001 presentation, Society for Neuroscience annual meeting; December 2001 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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