Is turmeric the natural way to keep dementia at bay?

If there was an easy way to stop dementia and Alzheimer’s in their tracks, we would have heard of it by now, right?

Well, it turns out there very well may be.

But the only “problem” with this potent substance is that it’s a gift to us from Mother Nature — not an overpriced drug from Big Pharma.

I’m talking about turmeric — that same yellow spice that’s probably sitting in your kitchen cabinet right now. Over the years, we’ve learned that turmeric can prevent everything from plaque buildup in your arteries to inflammation and depression.

Now Australian scientists have found that turmeric may be the key to protecting your precious memories.

And it doesn’t take much of this delicious spice to deliver some really big results.

Yellow belly

Sometimes the answers to the biggest health problems we face can be right under our nose.

And if you’ve ever cooked with turmeric, you know exactly what I mean!

The “magic” of this pungent spice comes from a powerful antioxidant it contains, called curcumin.

Researchers believe that curcumin can actually prevent those rogue “sticky” amyloid proteins from clumping together in your brain, which can lead to Alzheimer’s.

In this new study, scientists at the Edith Cowan University in Australia, spent a year giving seniors and middle-aged volunteers either a daily placebo or a curcumin supplement.

Those who got the placebo all showed declines in their verbal and memory skills — but absolutely nobody in the curcumin group did.

That’s impressive — but not terribly surprising. India, where turmeric is part of the traditional diet, has the lowest rate of Alzheimer’s in the world.

A previous study from UCLA found that taking curcumin supplements along with vitamin D3, appears to stimulate the immune system to conduct a clean sweep of any amyloid plaques in the brain.

Researchers think that adding just one dish with turmeric to your diet every week (or you can pick up curcumin supplements just about anywhere) could be enough to deliver some really big brain results.

Now, if something appears to prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s without causing side effects, you would think it would be embraced without hesitation.

Yeah, you would think.

But like most every other positive study on curcumin, the Australians said we need more research to make a call on its “potential benefits.”

Seriously?

Believe me, if this was a drug they were talking about, it would be on the pharmacy shelf already making Merck or Pfizer billions!

But aside from Alzheimer’s prevention, other research has found that turmeric can reduce plaque buildup in the arteries, is more effective than most diabetes drugs, and is as potent as steroids at reducing inflammation.

A study published in 2011 even found that turmeric relieves depression as well as popular antidepressants like Prozac.

I don’t know about you, but I think we know enough right now to start incorporating turmeric into our diets.

It’s quite delicious, and goes really well with lots of dishes from eggs to chicken to seafood.

And now we know you don’t have to consume a ton of it to benefit.