India has one of the world's lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease.
One recent report demonstrated an incidence in India approximately 25% that of the United States. [go to second study in link]
Results of a new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry suggest that curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, inhibits the accumulation of destructive beta amyloid protein fragments in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and also breaks up existing plaques.
The research team, from UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine, found that curcumin is more effective in inhibiting formation of the fragments than many other drugs being tested as Alzheimer's treatments.
More details on the work here.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
Good news, if further study bears it out! Especially since I LOVE curry! (Mmmmm, musaman... [Homer Simpson drool])
2 - Mike Kole
Nobody will have to twist my arm to get me to eat curry dishes more often!
3 - Michael Roberts
There is evidence that the herb sage can help to boost the memory, and may even be useful for treating Alzheimers disease. Scientists found that adults who took sage oil capsules performed significantly better in memory tests, than those who did not. Researchers from the Medical Plant Research Centre believe sage protects chemical messengers which transmit information around the brain, and are essential for memory. Volunteers taking sage oil did up to 10 per cent better in a word recall test.