Curcumin and Alzheimers's Disease


    Curry Spice May Fight Alzheimer's Disease
    Early Studies Show Curry Reduces Plaque
    Buildup in Brain Linked to Disease

    WebMD Medical NewsJan. 5, 2005 -- The compound that gives the popular Indian spice curry its
    mustard yellow color may ward off Alzheimer's disease.

    Researchers at UCLA have shown that the curry pigment curcumin slows the formation of, and even
    destroys, accumulated plaque deposits in mouse brains.

    Brain plaque, sticky clumps of beta-amyloid protein, are believed to play a key role in the development of
    Alzheimer's dementia.

    Curry is a dietary staple in India, a country where the rate of Alzheimer's disease is among the world's
    lowest. For centuries, doctors practicing traditional Indian medicine have safely prescribed curcumin in
    extract form for a variety of illnesses and ailments.

    Researchers say curry's powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make it a very attractive
    possibility for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease.

    In studies looking at curcumin's potential as a chemopreventive therapy, no side effects were seen in
    patients taking as much as 2,000 to 8,000 mg per day.

    For this study, scientists raised two groups of mice, one that was fed a diet high in curcumin and the
    other a regular diet. Previous research in mice has shown that daily curcumin lowers plaque deposits in
    the brain.

    When fed to aged mice with advanced plaque deposits similar to Alzheimer's disease, the curcumin
    reduced the amount of plaque.

    The scientists then injected curcumin into the brains of the mice with the Alzheimer's-like condition. The
    curcumin attached to the plaques, hampering further development of plaque and reducing plaque
    levels.

    Moreover, in other experiments, the researchers showed that curcumin reduced plaque better than the
    over-the-counter painkillers naproxen and ibuprofen. Some studies have shown that people taking these
    common anti-inflammatories have a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

    "The prospect of finding a safe and effective new approach to both prevention and treatment of
    Alzheimer's disease is tremendously exciting," Gregory Cole, MD, a professor of medicine and neurology
    at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said in a news release.

    The results are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The study was funded in part by the
    Alzheimer's Association.

    "The scientists then
    injected curcumin into
    the brains of the mice
    with the Alzheimer's-
    like condition. The
    curcumin attached to
    the plaques, hampering
    further development of
    plaque and reducing
    plaque levels."

    (Article Below)
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