Curry 'may slow Alzheimer's'

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1668000/1668932.stm

Wednesday, 21 November, 2001, 16:33 GMT

Curry 'may slow Alzheimer's', Turmeric is the crucial ingredient

A spicy ingredient of many curries may be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's

disease, say researchers. A team from

the University of California at Los Angeles believes that turmeric may play a

role in slowing down the progression of

the neurodegenerative disease.

The finding may help to explain why rates of Alzheimer's are much lower among

the elderly in India than in their Western

peers. Previous studies have found that Alzheimer's affects just 1% of people

over the age of 65 living in some Indian

villages.

Turmeric is found in everything from mild Kormas to the hottest Vindaloos. The

crucial chemical is curcumin, a compound

found in the spice. Alzheimer's is linked to the build up of knots in the brain

called amyloid plaques. Turmeric

reduced the number of these plaques by a half. The researchers also found that

turmeric had other health benefits.

It aids digestion, helps fight infection and guards against heart attacks.

In the study, middle aged and aged rats were fed a diet rich in curcumin. All

the rats received brain injections of

amyloid to mimic progressive Alzheimer's disease. Not only was there less

evidence of plaque build up in the

curcumin-fed rats, they also outperformed rats on normal diets when carrying out

maze-based memory tests. Curcumin

also appeared to reduce Alzheimer's-related inflammation in the brain tissue.

Researcher Dr Sally Frautschy said the compound had potential as a treatment for

the prevention of Alzheimer's disease -

particularly in tandem with anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. Dr

Harvey, director of research at the

Alzheimer's Society, said: " Curcumin has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory

properties. Drugs with similar

properties could potentially be used as preventative treatments for Alzheimer's

disease. "

However, Dr Harvey warned that it could be many years before such drugs were

made widely available.

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Nice hot, veggie currie anyone? Yes, please.............

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Good Health & Long Life,

Greg , gowatson@...

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