UCLA-VA study names India dietary staple as potential Alzheimer's weapon

[Guest guest]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own

opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic.

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Public release date: 28-Dec-2004

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/potn-usn122804.php

Contact: Dan Page

dpage@...

University of California - Los Angeles

UCLA-VA study names India dietary staple as potential Alzheimer's weapon

Yellow pigment in curry spice blocks, breaks up brain plaques in mice

A dietary staple of India, where Alzheimer's disease rates are

reportedly among the world's lowest, holds potential as a weapon in the

fight against the disease.

The new UCLA-Veterans Affairs study involving genetically altered mice

suggests that curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, inhibits the

accumulation of destructive beta amyloids in the brains of Alzheimer's

patients and also breaks up existing plaques.

Reporting in the Dec. 7, 2004, online edition of the Journal of

Biological Chemistry, the research team also determined curcumin is more

effective in inhibiting formation of the protein fragments than many

other drugs being tested as Alzheimer's treatments. The researchers

found the low molecular weight and polar structure of curcumin allow it

to penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and bind to beta amyloid.

In earlier studies (Journal of Neuroscience, 2001; 21:8370-8377;

Neurobiology of Aging, 2001; 22:993-1005), the same research team found

curcumin has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,

which scientists believe help ease Alzheimer's symptoms caused by

oxidation and inflammation.

The research team's body of research into curcumin has prompted the UCLA

Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) to begin human clinical

trials to further evaluate its protective and therapeutic effects. More

information about enrolling in this and other clinical trials at the

Center is available by calling or online at

http://www.npistat.com/adrc/Treatment.asp.

" The prospect of finding a safe and effective new approach to both

prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease is tremendously

exciting, " said principal investigator Cole. He is professor of

medicine and neurology at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,

associate director of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and

associate director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical

Center at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at Sepulveda, Calif.

" Curcumin has been used for thousands of years as a safe

anti-inflammatory in a variety of ailments as part of Indian traditional

medicine, " Cole said. " Recent successful studies in animal models

support a growing interest in its possible use for diseases of aging

involving oxidative damage and inflammation like Alzheimer's, cancer and

heart disease. What we really need, however, are clinical trials to

establish safe and effective doses in aging patients. "

The research was funded by the Siegel Life Foundation, Veterans Affairs,

Alzheimer's Association, UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and

private donors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder

that occurs gradually and results in memory loss, unusual behavior,

personality changes, and a decline in thinking abilities. These losses

relate to the death of brain cells and the breakdown of the connections

between them.

The disease is the most common form of dementing illness among middle

and older adults, affecting more than 4 million Americans and many

millions worldwide. The prevalence of Alzheimer's among adults ages

70-79 in India, however, is 4.4 times less than the rate in the United

States.

Widely used as a food dye and preservative, and in some cancer

treatments, curcumin has undergone extensive toxicological testing in

animals. It also is used extensively in traditional Indian medicine to

treat a variety of ailments.

Other members of the research team are Fusheng Yang, Giselle Lim, Aynun

Begum, Mychica , Suren Ambegaokar, Ping Ping Chen of UCLA; Rakez

Kyad and Charlie Glabe of the University of California at Irvine; and

Sally Frautschy of UCLA and the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System

at Sepulveda.

The Alzheimer Disease Research Center at UCLA, directed by Dr.

L. Cummings, was established in 1991 by a grant from the National

Institute on Aging. Together with grants from the Alzheimer's Disease

Research Center of California and the Sidell-Kagan Foundation, the

center provides a mechanism for integrating, coordinating and supporting

new and ongoing research by established investigators in Alzheimer's

disease and aging.

Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and Sepulveda

Ambulatory Care Center combine resources to form a unified Geriatric

Research Education and Clinical Center, one of 20 nationwide. These

centers of excellence are designed to improve health care and quality of

life to older veterans through the advancement and integration of

research, education and clinical achievements in geriatrics and

gerontology into the total VA health care system and broader communities.

A copy of the full paper can be found on the Journal of Biological

Chemistry Web site at

http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/M404751200v1?maxtoshow= & HITS=10 & hits=10 & \

RESULTFORMAT= & fulltext=curcumin & searchid=1103563055202_5944 & stored_search= & FIRST\

INDEX=0.

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Additional online resources:

Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: www.medsch.ucla.edu/

UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center: www.adc.ucla.edu/

VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center:

http://www.grecc-gla.org/mission.htm

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/