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EAT MORE CURRY!

Interesting Studies about Your Diet & Alzheimer’s

The brain dysfunctions of Alzheimer’s (ALZ) and dementia are of increasing concern to the US, as individuals, and to our healthcare leaders who see it as a coming tsunami.  Most western countries share the same disheartening statistics.  India, however, has an amazing 4.4 times lower incidence of Alzheimer’s than we do!

TUMERIC (Curcumin)

While lifestyle markers such as eating fewer calories and more physical movement are certainly to be considered, in the lower incidence of Alzheimer’s in India, scientists have zeroed in on a single factor that seems to rise above all others in the uneven equation and that is the frequent ingestion of curcumin, the dominant active ingredient in Turmeric (the spice that makes curries and mustards a brilliant yellow.)

Many studies have shown curcumin to be a brain boosting anti-inflammatory powerhouse with a host of other benefits to heart health, arthritis, depression, and cancer treatment and prevention.

Interesting Facts:

Curcumin May Be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and a leading cause of dementia. Unfortunately, no good treatment is available for Alzheimer’s yet. Therefore, preventing it from occurring in the first place is of utmost importance. There may be good news on the horizon because curcumin has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier (39).

• It’s known that inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and curcumin has beneficial effects on both (40).

• In addition, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of protein tangles called amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques (41).

• Whether curcumin can really slow down or even reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people is currently unknown and needs to be studied properly.

More Interesting Facts:

Curcumin Clears Alzheimer's Plaques


• The incidence of Alzheimer’s among adults in India is about 4.4 times less than that of Americans. Researchers in Singapore suggests the reason might be curry and the spice turmeric.  They looked at curry consumption and brain performance in 1,010 Asians between 60 and 93 years of age. Those who ate curry occasionally (less than once a month) and often (more than once a month) performed better than those who rarely or never ate curry. [xvii]  [xvi]

• Over 30 studies in the GreenMedInfo database deal with the promise of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.  According to one study, turmeric showed remarkable results in Alzheimer patients in just three months.

• A 2006 UCLA study found curcumin may help clear the amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease. One way it works is by boosting the work of macrophages.  These cells in the immune system help the body fight foreign proteins.

• Researchers took macrophages from the blood of Alzheimer’s patients and healthy controls. They treated some of the macrophages with curcumin.  The treated macrophages showed improved ingestion of the beta-amyloid proteins. The researchers concluded that curcumin may support the immune system to clear amyloid plaques.[xviii]

• In animal studies, low doses of curcumin led to 40% less beta-amyloid than in those not given the spice.[xix]

• Studies indicate low doses of turmeric over a long period of time are most effective.  That’s a good reason to add turmeric to your daily diet.  It’s great in curry sauces, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, mustard sauces or salad dressings.


There are many other natural ways to keep your brain young including coconut oil, ginger, B-vitamins[xx], and saffron.

For much more information on healthy brain aging
visit: GreenMedInfo page on the Aging Brain.