Turmeric Powder, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cholesterol

I was just reading an article today in the September 15, 2007 (Vol. 172) issue. On page 167 they have an article titled “Curry Powder”. The article discusses the beneficial effects of regular consumption of turmeric.

Apparently in India, turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory for a long time. Researchers began investigating the anti-inflammatory properties in the 1990’s. I had already heard that turmeric was a great anti-oxidant and thus worked well at getting rid of free radicals. This article was the first time I had heard of the potential for Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment.

Alzheimer’s has been thought to occur as a result of the buildup of plaques in the brain. The article says that researchers have done tests on mice who have been genetically engineered to have the same gene that makes human’s susceptible to the plaques that cause Alzheimer’s. The studies showed that turmeric not only help prevent the formation of plaque, but it also was helpful at getting rid of existing plaque.

As a side note, the article also says studies have shown that people with cholesterol problems are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Reducing cholesterol might also reduce the plaque in the brain.

Researchers have started looking at Alzheimer’s rates for people who regularly eat turmeric. In countries, such as India, where people who regularly eat yellow curry containing turmeric the incidence of Alzheimer’s is much lower than the U.S. The data is not conclusive. They still need to do more studies.

A study is currently underway studying the benefits of turmeric on Alzheimer’s patients. The study will be complete next year.

I was fascinated. My grandmother had dementia that started to get bad in her 80’s. She lived to be 97. My mother, who is in her 70’s is already starting to forget things. I do eat yellow curry. I don’t know if my mother has ever had it and it’s unlikely that my grandmother ate curry. I’m definitely calling her to tell her about this article!