Cognition

Curcumin Brain Benefits Include Boosting Memory and Mood

A lot has been written lately about the health benefits of curcumin. Although many people enjoy this spice for its distinctive flavor, it appears to have even more to offer. In fact, it appears to have a variety of positive effects on health. According to several studies on curcumin and the benefits to the brain, it may even help to protect our brains from disease while helping us to feel better on a daily basis.

What Is Curcumin?

Curcumin is a compound found in turmeric that gives turmeric powder its distinctive yellow color and spicy taste. Although it is best known for its place in Indian food, particularly yellow curries, it also is used in Latin food and a variety of spicy cuisines. Although it is a flavor loved by many people, some people dislike both curcumin and spicy foods. While these people may feel they are not missing out on any cuisine, they may in fact be missing out on some very important health benefits, as curcumin appears to be a healthy choice in a wide variety of ways.

Could a Curry Be Good For Your Health?

Many cultures have used turmeric root as a traditional home remedy for a variety of medical conditions, from infections to pain, and new research is suggesting that this spice may indeed have a variety of medical uses. Curcumin in particular has been found to possess powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properites, both of which encourage health by fighting the underlying causes of many diseases.

As early as 2010, researchers noted that curcumin was effective in supporting healthy cell growth in several different cancers, including cancers of the head, neck, prostate and colon. It was also found to sooth minor pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and tendinitis. However, the real benefits of this compound may lie in its effects on the brain.

New Curcumin Brain Benefits Found

Researchers began studying curcumin’s effects on the brain after noting that Alzheimer’s disease is significantly less common in India, where people consume turmeric as part of their traditional daily diet. They found that curcumin appears to have neuroprotective effects, encouraging the repair and regrowth of brain tissues. Later studies on rats found that curcumin’s effects on brain regeneration can be seen not just in Alzheimer’s disease, but in stroke as well. In fact, it promotes the growth of new brain tissue by around 80 percent.

However, even younger people may be able to enjoy benefits from taking a supplement that contains curcumin. According to new research this year, people who take a curcumin supplement score higher on tests of memory. In addition, this spice appears to support healthy mood, performing as well as several prescription antidepressants in clinical trials.

Researchers are currently performing more studies to find out exactly how curcumin can have such a wide range of positive effects. Its proven role as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory likely contribute, but there may also be special factors unique to this compound. We still do not understand completely how this compound interacts with our cells. Because there are no serious side effects associated with curcumin, a growing number of people are beginning to take supplements that contain this ingredient.

Nutrition as Medicine: Eating Your Way to Good Health

Can you really lower disease risk, improve your memory and feel better simply by eating curry? The recommendations are mixed. Most experts do not feel that the turmeric in your spice cabinet contains enough bioavailable curcumin to make a measurable difference. However, people in India who routinely eat turmeric on a daily basis have around one-tenth the Alzheimer’s risk of Americans. Clearly, eating turmeric can make a difference if you eat enough of it.

Diet and nutrition appear to have a greater impact on our general health than we previously realized. The Western diet in particular appears to fall short
when it comes to promoting good health and preventing disease. However, the wide availability of foods from other countries along with the range of supplements on the market have made it so we all can enjoy the health benefits of a balanced diet even when our lifestyle choices fall a bit short.

Most people in the West do not eat spicy curries every day. We still can enjoy the disease-fighting benefits of turmeric. Although there is no way to guarantee that you will maintain optimal brain health throughout your life span, getting enough curcumin in your daily life just may increase your odds.

Eating Fish Weekly Boosts Kids’ Intelligence and Improves Sleep

Feb 01 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

One of the most common parenting struggles occurs at the kitchen table. While most parents want their children to eat a healthy variety of foods, many children are picky eaters who make this a challenge. Introducing a variety of healthy foods is both time-consuming and expensive for many families. However, research suggests that nutrition is essential to both physical and mental health, and according to a new study, eating fish weekly may even make children smarter and help them to sleep better.

The Health Benefits of Fish

Aside from the health benefits of fish, people in the Western world are eating less of it than in prior generations. Although modern food storage and transportation have made seafood available even in inland areas, fish is expensive and requires care in both storage and preparation. Many people also have concerns about pollutants such as mercury that are present in certain types of seafood. Last, there are environmental concerns as over-fishing has compromised certain ecosystems. Even with these concerns, experts recommend that people eat fish in moderate amounts.

Limited seafood consumption decreases pollutant exposure and environmental impact, yet provides beneficial nutrients that would otherwise be lacking if it was avoided entirely. There are health benefits from fish that are difficult to get from other foods. Fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other long chain fatty acids with proven positive effects. In addition, fish are a rich source of lean protein as well as several essential vitamins. Eating fish in moderation can improve one’s health immensely, and, as previously mentioned, eating fish weekly can especially benefit children.

Could Eating Fish Weekly Make Kids Smarter?

Everyone wants to give their children the best possible start in life, and existing research has suggested that there are several ways to do this. In particular, early child education, reading to children and supplementing their diet with long chain fatty acids (such as those found in fish) appear to have a measurable impact. Children who have these three factors consistently score higher on intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. Eating fish weekly also appears to improve children’s sleep, which in turn improves health and academic performance.

However, prior research has been slightly controversial for several reasons. Although it showed a link between eating seafood, high intelligence and better sleep, there were possible confounding factors. People who can afford fish, for example, may be more likely to be able to afford high-quality preschools and other things that improve intelligence. A new study has addressed these objections by looking solely at the effects of eating fish weekly on intelligence and sleep, with other factors accounted for.

New Links Between Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Sleep and Intelligence

Researchers looked at more than 500 children in China. Parents were asked about the children’s diet, particularly how often they ate fish. In addition, children underwent an intelligence test and evaluation of their sleeping habits. Finally, researchers controlled for parental education, family size and other factors that are purported to affect both intelligence and sleep. The results of this analysis showed a statistically significant link between eating fish, sleep quality and intelligence, even among children who otherwise had similar backgrounds and advantages.

How much of a difference can eating fish weekly make in a child’s life? Children who ate fish on a weekly basis had an average IQ that was 4.8 points higher than those who reported eating it rarely or never. Eating fish even occasionally raised IQ by 3.3 points. Eating fish weekly also was linked to a lower rate of sleep disturbances. Although this study did not look specifically at omega-3 fatty acids, these compounds are believed to be the reason for the improvements in sleep and intelligence.

A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Start

The evidence is clear that diet and other lifestyle factors can have a sizable impact on pediatric health. However, many parents struggle to help their children eat right. Many children have a natural preference for salty and sugary foods. In addition, many initially dislike the strong flavors of healthy foods such as fish and vegetables. However, the effort will likely pay off in better long-term health. There are a few ways that parents can encourage a healthy diet and teach children good habits for a lifetime:

Keep only healthy options in your home. Children will eat healthy foods when these are the only foods available.
Encourage children to enjoy treats in moderation rather than banning them altogether or restricting them excessively.
Praise healthy food choices rather than criticizing poor ones. Children, like all people, respond best to positive reinforcement.
Eat together. This allows children to see adults modeling healthy choices.
Do not force or pressure to eat. They will make healthy choices if these are the only ones available. Force will make them dislike healthy foods.
Give children control. Let them select foods at the store and request dishes they enjoy.
Supplement with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement if they show a long-term aversion to seafood.

Diet and nutrition appear to be important in a child’s lifelong health, intelligence and sleep quality. Although teaching them to eat healthy can be a challenge, it will lay the foundation for a lifetime of good choices and improved well-being.

Natural Ways to Boost Brain Health and Support Healthy Cognitive Function

Nov 10 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Cognitive function is a term that refers to a large collection of mental functions, including but not limited to attention, concentration, language use, learning new information, memory, processing thoughts and reading comprehension.

The strength of your cognitive function abilities is directly related to your brain health. Cognitive ability is also linked to aging—it is normal to experience a certain amount of cognitive decline as you get older. However, different people experience different levels of age-related cognitive decline. Some older adults may maintain the same high levels of cognitive function well into their 80s, while others may start to show signs of cognitive decline by their 60s.

Out of all the cognitive functions, those most likely to be affected by aging are attention and memory. Of course, individual experiences will vary as far as what specific cognitive functions are affected. Researchers have tied age-related cognitive decline to changes in brain structure. This may make it sound like cognitive function is out of your control—how could you possibly change your brain structure? The reality is that there are many things you can do to boost brain health and support healthy cognition as you get older. Because it’s never too early to start protecting brain health, the following advice is applicable to adults of any age group.

Eating Right to Improve Cognitive Function

Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet is helpful for preserving cognitive function. This diet places an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, lean protein and healthy fats like olive oil. Eating this way has also been shown to help prevent major chronic diseases and help you live longer.

It is easy to shift the way you eat to the Mediterranean diet with a series of small changes. Opt for fish or lean poultry instead of meats with a higher saturated fat content, like beef and pork. Eat a couple of servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Switch out processed grains for whole grains. Replace saturated fats, like butter, with extra-virgin olive oil. In fact, the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil has been linked with cognitive preservation, independent of the rest of the Mediterranean diet, making this healthy oil one of the most important components.

There are also specific foods that contain compounds that research has linked to better cognitive function. Incorporate the following foods into your diet to boost your memory and learning ability:

avocado
blueberries
cinnamon
cocoa
coffee
egg
kale
peppermint tea
spinach
walnuts

Living a Brain-Healthy Lifestyle

Making certain lifestyle choices can boost your mental functioning. Arguably, the most important thing is to get plenty of aerobic exercise. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and improves neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to grow new brain cells and form new neural connections. Exercise balances neurotransmitters, decreases the levels of stress hormones, improves memory and much more.

Getting plenty of sleep, including taking naps, is great for brain health and cognition. One study found that among adults over the age of 65, taking an hour-long nap in the afternoon improves performance on cognitive tests. Those who did not nap at all, or who took naps of a different length, did not receive this benefit.

Reducing stress will help your brain function more smoothly. In one study, volunteers who meditated and listened to music daily for three months had better memory and cognitive performance than volunteers who did not take these stress-relieving measures. In other research, just 25 minutes of meditation and yoga per day was helpful for mood as well as cognition.

Supplements to Boost Brain Health

In conjunction with a Mediterranean diet and healthy lifestyle, certain ingredients can help boost brain health. For example, inositol and choline are two essential nutrients that are synthesized within the human body but that can also be bought as a supplement. These nutrients are found in all living cells. Inositol has neuroprotective properties, which can help preserve cognition as the decades pass. Choline is known to be very important for brain development.

Vinpocetine is a naturally-occurring compound derived from the periwinkle plant. It has neuroprotective properties, reduces neural inflammation and improves blood flow to the brain. These factors make it great for improving cognition. It is scientifically proven to improve reaction time, and a fast reaction time can improving your functioning in a surprising number of areas.

DMAE, short for 2-dimethylaminoethanol, is a substance that’s great for improving alertness and mental clarity. It works by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is also important for memory and mood. In one 2009 study, researchers found that DMAE can help improve memory in people with cognitive impairment.

Huperzine A is a supplement derived from the moss species Huperzia serrata. This supplement helps balance neurotransmitters, improves memory and protects nerve cells. Research even suggests that huperzine A could even help with Alzheimer’s disease.

Lastly, NADH is a coenzyme derived from the B-vitamin niacin. Research shows that higher levels of NADH in the brain can help improve mental function. Another use of NADH is to treat chronic fatigue syndrome.

Incorporating some of these powerful nutrients into your diet or supplementing with a high-quality formula that provides one or more of these could help protect brain health and cognitive function as you age.

Researchers Discover New Connections Between Melatonin and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Nov 06 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A stroke is a serious medical condition caused by poor blood flow to the brain that often results in cell death. At least 80 percent of all cases of stroke are the ischemic type of stroke. In an ischemic stroke, an artery to the vein is blocked, preventing brain tissue from receiving oxygen and nutrients. However, approximately 13 percent of all stroke cases are a different type called a hemorrhagic stroke. In this type of stroke, a weakened blood vessel in the brain ruptures, leaking blood into the surrounding brain tissue, ultimately damaging it. The most common cause of a hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure. Some other causes include trauma, infection, tumors, blood vessel abnormalities and blood clotting deficiencies.

A hemorrhagic stroke often causes severe disability, if not death. Most hospital patients who have suffered a hemorrhagic stroke require mechanical ventilation. However, staying on mechanical ventilation for very long is undesirable, as it can cause side effects like lung injury, pneumonia and gastrointestinal bleeding. Fortunately, new research on melatonin and hemorrhagic stroke has discovered a natural way to improve recovery from hemorrhagic stroke and to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in such patients.

New Study Finds Link Between Melatonin and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Though hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke, it leads to death more frequently than ischemic stroke. New discoveries about how to treat the aftermath of hemorrhagic stroke and reduce mortality are invaluable. Getting proper medical care as soon as possible is important for avoiding death from stroke. In particular, experts believe that early initiation of neuroprotective treatments (i.e. medications that help keep nerve and brain cells alive and functioning) may improve the outcome of hemorrhagic stroke.

A 2017 study sheds valuable light on possibilities for hemorrhagic stroke treatment. This study was conducted by researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, and it was published in the scientific journal Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice.

The study involved collecting information about 40 adults who had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and who had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit within 24 hours of the event. The researchers had some of the patients receive 30 milligrams of melatonin every night, while the rest of the patients did not receive any melatonin.

Upon analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that melatonin shortened both the duration of mechanical ventilation and the duration of ICU stay. Patients who received this treatment did not need mechanical ventilation for as long and got out of the Intensive Care Unit sooner. This suggests that melatonin helped them recover from the stroke. Further research may prove that melatonin deserves a place as an integral part of the stroke treatment protocol. The authors of the study also note that melatonin may be useful for any patient undergoing mechanical ventilation, regardless of whether or not that is because of a stroke. They note this chemical has sedative, pain-relieving, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This could mean melatonin has many more therapeutic properties than we currently realize.

The Benefits of Melatonin

What exactly is melatonin? Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland. It is secreted in far greater quantities during the dark hours of the day. Its main function is to regulate the circadian rhythm, or the sleep-wake cycle. Though the body produces melatonin naturally, it can also be helpful for certain conditions to take melatonin by mouth. By far, the main reason to take a melatonin supplement is for a sleep disorder such as insomnia and jet lag. It may also help improve quality of sleep even in people who do not have a definable sleep disorder.

Melatonin has many other lesser-known benefits. It may be helpful for treating certain types of stomach ulcers, tinnitus and heartburn. Some research even suggests that melatonin can slightly improve memory and cognitive function. Further research into melatonin’s antioxidant and neuroprotective properties could reveal many more therapeutic uses for this amazing substance.

Reducing Your Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Some estimates say that an astonishing one in six people will suffer some type of stroke within their lifetime. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, including hemorrhagic stroke. It increases the likelihood of blood clots forming, and has many other negative effects that contribute to your stroke risk. Quitting smoking, as well as avoiding exposure to second-hand smoke, will reduce your chance of suffering a stroke.

Along with tobacco, alcohol is another substance that increases your risk of hemorrhagic stroke. For optimal health, men should have no more than two drinks per day, and women should have no more than one.

Diet — even skipping meals — influences the risk of stroke. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, get enough potassium and limit saturated fat. Exercise is also important; meeting the official minimum recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week will help reduce your risk of stroke. A healthy diet in conjunction with regular exercise will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which is important because being overweight or obese greatly increases your risk of stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

Since the most common cause of hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure, it is crucial to prevent and treat this condition in order to avoid the risk of stroke. In addition to following the above suggestions, limit your sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day, as well as to relieve and avoid stress.

Talk to your doctor about your risk of hemorrhagic stroke. If he or she assesses you to be at a high risk of stroke, you may be prescribed a medication to help prevent blood clots from forming.

Research on Glucosamine and Seizures Suggests Supplementation May Offer Protection

Oct 27 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A seizure is an event that happens because of a sudden electrical abnormality in the brain. There are many different types of seizures. Seizures that affect just one region of the brain are known as focal seizures, while seizures that affect both sides of the brain are called generalized seizures. Even within these categories, there is more specificity. For example, there are many types of generalized seizures, including grand mal, petit mal, clonic, myoclonic, tonic and atonic seizures. Each seizure has its own collections of symptoms, which can include loss of consciousness, muscle spasms and convulsions, loss of bladder or bowel control and more.

Isolated seizures can have a wide variety of causes, including medications, head injuries and high fevers. Seizures generally last between 30 seconds and two minutes and don’t cause any lasting harm. However, the chronic seizures caused by seizure disorders can be a detriment to daily living and quality of life. Those who suffer recurring seizures can suffer physical injuries due to the muscular convulsions. Seizure disorders are also known as epilepsy; this disorder affects about three million adults and 470,000 children in the United States alone.

New Study Looks at Glucosamine and Seizures

Scientists believe that over-excitability of brain cells may be at the root of epilepsy. A recent study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, looks at the effects of a common dietary supplement known as glucosamine on the excitability of brain cells. This study found that glucosamine reduces brain cell excitability in rats and mice. Although this was not a human study, nor a conclusive one, it raises important questions about the possibilities of new developments in the treatment of epilepsy.

A Possible New Addition to the Seizure Disorder Treatment Arsenal?

Though this study does not present a suggestion to try to actually relieve epilepsy with glucosamine, it paves the way for future research to investigate this chemical’s effects further. Effective new epilepsy treatments could be developed in the face of such research.

Currently, the selection of epilepsy treatments available is not quite ideal. Current medications can only prevent some of the seizures, and even this moderate benefit is only experienced by about 70-80 percent of patients. This means that 20-30 percent of people with epilepsy are resistant to epilepsy medications. When medications don’t help, brain surgery or nerve stimulation procedures may be required. Even if a medication does help, most of them have undesirable side effects. So, the development of new treatments for epilepsy originating from this research into glucosamine and seizures (whether medicating with glucosamine itself or other similar chemicals that produce the same effects in the brain) could potentially help improve the quality of life for many thousands of people.

Supplementing with Glucosamine

Glucosamine is one of the most common non-nutrient dietary supplements. But, what exactly is it? Glucosamine is a type of chemical called an amino sugar (alternatively, a sugar protein). It occurs naturally in bones and bone marrow, as well as in other species such as shellfish and fungus. Glucosamine helps your body build cartilage, which is a firm connective tissue found mainly around your joints.

Further research could lead glucosamine to become a popular anti-seizure supplement. However, its most common uses are for joint problems; most notably, glucosamine can be beneficial for people with osteoarthritis. It can help reduce the rate of collagen degradation, slowing the progression of the disease, as well as providing minor pain relief and increasing range of motion. It is, of course, not a miracle cure—it slows the progression of osteoarthritis but does not cure it completely, and one meta-analysis showed that it is capable of only producing a modest 13-point reduction in pain on a scale of 0-100.

Glucosamine is also sometimes used by people who partake in high-impact physical activity, such as running. Its cartilage-preserving effects could help prevent wear and tear on joints caused by such sport. One study also showed that the supplement helps to heal acute knee injuries in athletes.

Glucosamine is a very safe supplement to take. The most common side effect is flatulence; other side effects such as nausea, heartburn and gastrointestinal distress are rare. Nevertheless, people with certain medical problems should exercise caution when supplementing with glucosamine. If you have a shellfish allergy, glucosamine could be dangerous depending on how severe your allergy is, because the majority of commercial glucosamine is produced from shellfish exoskeletons. However, some glucosamine products are made from corn or wheat, which would be the safe form of glucosamine for someone with a shellfish allergy. Furthermore, consult your doctor before taking glucosamine if you have diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, liver disease, cancer or asthma. Glucosamine may be risky to take alongside certain prescription medications such as blood thinners, so ask your doctor first if you are taking any prescriptions.

This recent research is by no means a suggestion that seizure disorders can be treated with glucosamine alone. If you have a seizure disorder, ask your doctor before taking glucosamine and do not try to replace any prescription medications with this supplement.

Curcumin Shows Promise for Keeping Skin and Cells Healthy

Oct 06 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Curcumin is the bioactive chemical in turmeric root, and is best known for its bright yellow color. This chemical has much more to offer than its distinctive color; there are also numerous health benefits of curcumin, including a variety that have just been discovered over the last few years. Here are some of the most important findings regarding this powerful plant compound.

Curcumin Effects on Melanoma and Breast Cancer Cells in the Lab

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and often the most difficult to treat. While melanoma makes up just 4 percent of skin cancer cases each year, it’s responsible for 79 percent of skin cancer deaths.

A study has found that in the laboratory, curcumin can stop the growth of melanoma. The study, published in Cancer in 2005, found that curcumin blocks an important pathway melanoma and other cancers need to spread. The compound even causes cell death in melanoma cells.

Essentially, curcumin triggers apoptosis, the natural death process of cells, in cancer cells. Curcumin works by suppressing production of a protein normally found in cancer cells to prevent the cells from functioning. The larger the dose of curcumin delivered, the greater the amount of cell death.

In laboratory tests, this compound has also been found effective against other types of cancers, such as breast cancer. Evidence suggests that curcumin can target breast cancer with numerous anti-cancer effects that involve proliferation of cancer cells, estrogen receptor pathways, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) pathways.

Recent research has found that curcumin can even offer promise in the treatment of neuroblastoma, a deadly form of cancer that usually affects children under the age of one. In a study published in Nanoscale, researchers found that attaching curcumin to nanoparticles helps target neuroblastoma cells that have become resistant to treatment.

It’s important to note that studies have only been conducted with mice, and there have been no human trials yet. Because curcumin has low bioavailability, its potential in treating cancer in humans is limited without the use of a novel approach.

Curcumin and Chemotherapy Resistance

While curcumin has many anti-carcinogenic properties, it’s very quickly metabolized by the body. Researchers have called for more trials and clinical studies to determine if it has therapeutic benefits in humans, potentially in combination with other forms of treatment.

One study examined whether curcumin could have benefits when combined with traditional chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. This study, published in Carcinogenesis, investigated whether the chemical could overcome chemoresistance, a common problem in treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Cancer stem cells are suspected to be the culprit in chemotherapy resistance in PDAC treatment as previous studies have found these stem cells can escape chemotherapy drugs. These stem cells are believed to be the primary cause of metastasis.

Research indicates that curcumin may be able to block chemoresistance, possibly due to a subunit of a polycomb protein group that are important in the maintenance of stem cells. The study found that curcumin blocks the pathway of a subunit called EZH2, making cells more receptive to chemotherapy.

Curcumin and Skin Health

Lab studies have found that curcumin has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, all of which can have benefits for skin health. As an antioxidant, curcumin can help protect the skin from free radical damage while supporting healthy inflammatory processes. Curcumin is also a modulator of phase II detoxification enzymes which are necessary for normal detox processes in the body and to protect against oxidative stress.

Some research indicates that curcumin may benefit common skin conditions such as psoriasis and scleroderma. Psoriasis is a common skin disease that can affect the uality of life and increase the risk of heart problems. Current psoriasis treatments take time and can risk damage to organs with chronic use. Curcumin has been found to inhibit immune pathways responsible for psoriasis, including cell signaling that increases inflammation and abnormal cell growth.

Benefits of Curcumin: Alzheimer’s Studies

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and often fatal neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s leads to progressive cognitive deterioriation and estimates 5 to 6 percent of people over the age of 60. Dozens of studies have investigated whether curcumin may offer protection against Alzheimer’s. Indian cuisine is typically very high in tumeric, and thus curcumin, and the country has a much lower prevalence of Alzheimer’s; 4.4 times less than the United States.

One study investigating curcumin found that people who eat curry at least occasionally performed better on a standard test of cognitive function than those who never ate curry. It’s believed that curcumin may offer promise because it can address the three ways in which Alzheimer’s disease degrades nerve cells: inflammation, oxidative damage and the formation of beta-amyloid plaques.

A UCLA study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that curcumin can help macrophages, or the body’s “cell-eaters,” clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin also possesses antioxidant properties and helps support healthy cellular inflammatory processes. Alzheimer’s disease degrades nerve cells through chronic inflammation.