This simple spice can do what Pharma’s drugs can’t
As researchers pour billions of dollars into searching for ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, could the answer be as simple as… a trip to the supermarket?
Researchers at UCLA have just published the results of a nearly two-year trial studying the brain-protective powers of a humble spice.
And what they found was simply amazing.
Taking these findings to heart — and to your kitchen — could be the easiest way possible to stay sharp, keep your memories intact, and, as an added bonus, improve your mood as well!
Mellow yellow
Just last week, I told you how Big Pharma had thrown up its hands in disgust after its latest Alzheimer’s drug fail.
I also gave you the details about certain natural approaches to protecting against dementia and Alzheimer’s, such as increasing your intake of foods containing anti-inflammatories, omega-3 fatty acids, and tryptophan.
You can now add curcumin — the active, brain-saving ingredient in the spice turmeric — to that list.
A double-blind study done by UCLA researchers — just published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry — has come up with further proof of the superpowers of this humble yellow spice.
They found that it can improve your memory and ability to stay focused… reduce inflammation… elevate your mood… and (drumroll, please) reduce amyloid plaques in the brain.
Those, of course, are thought to be a primary culprit in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
You wouldn’t know it by the amount of press that this study received, but the implications of these findings are enormous!
As the researchers explained, these “brain health benefits” appear to come from curcumin’s ability to disrupt the “formation, accumulation, and toxicity of amyloid plaques.”
And that’s a very big deal. It’s the holy grail of what Big Pharma has been trying to accomplish over the years.
A drug that could do that would be worth billions, and I could imagine the pharma executives behind that med being given a ticker-tape parade and the Nobel Prize in medicine!
And yet, that remarkable benefit can be achieved by just a spice.
Now, it would be incredible enough if those finding came from laboratory studies with rats or mice.
But this research was with people who ranged in age from 50 to 90 years and had been experiencing memory problems. And the amount of curcumin they were given wasn’t some gigantic dose, either, but a 90-milligram supplement twice daily for 18 months.
To put that into perspective, one teaspoon of ground turmeric contains approximately 200 mg of curcumin (depending on where it was grown and under what conditions). But you can help your body absorb this spice better by using another spice in your cooking right along with it — black pepper!
Along with all those phenomenal benefits, those taking the curcumin also reported a boost to their moods. That could mean that a daily dose of turmeric could also have a role in battling depression — especially in seniors. In fact, that will be one of the aims of a follow-up study the UCLA team is planning.
Exactly how this compound is able to provide such seemingly miraculous benefits is something we just don’t know yet. But the researchers believe that it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which they say has been linked to both Alzheimer’s disease and major depression.
So, don your chef’s hat and pull out your recipe book! And if curry isn’t your favorite, there are plenty of other dishes that turmeric can be used in, ranging from fish to meat to chicken. Even if you don’t do a lot of cooking, you can still benefit by taking it in supplement form.
The only caveat is that it can thin your blood, so avoid it if you’re currently on an Rx blood thinner.
