Caregiving Articles
© Copyright 2007 Sheryl Karas & Paul Hood
Currying Your Way to Health—Turmeric and the Brain
by Sheryl Karas M.A.
India has the lowest rate of Alzheimer's Disease in the world. Studies have shown that in some Indian villages the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease in people over the age of 65 is just 1%. In the United States the incidence is close to 10% and rises significantly as people age. New research reported last month by the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, CA shows that eating curry—or more specifically, turmeric—could be at least one of the factors that makes the difference.
Turmeric is the ingredient that makes curry yellow and it is in almost everything the typical Indian villager eats. The chemical constituent of turmeric that seems to have the preventative or healing effect is called curcumin. A team of researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles has been doing Alzheimer's research with rats genetically-altered to develop the build-up of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's Disease in humans. It was found that middle-aged and elderly rats fed curcumin-rich diets had half the amyloid plaque build-up of other rats. They also outperformed rats fed a normal diet in maze-running tests, and their brain tissue showed significantly less inflammation, another symptom associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Although more tests need to be done to prove the ingredient's effectiveness in humans, researcher Dr Sally Frautschy said she believed curcumin had potential as a treatment at least for the prevention of the disease—particularly when combined with anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.
Turmeric has already been proven to have both anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. It is widely used in India and elsewhere as a treatment for arthritis, infection, and various kinds of cardiovascular disease. It lowers cholesterol and seems to have a beneficial effect on the liver. New research also shows it can block the growth of cancer cells.
Researchers say it will be many years before curcumin is thoroughly researched in the West and a drug is manufactured for patient use although turmeric has been used in India's Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Meanwhile, Elan Pharmaceuticals recently announced that they have temporarily suspended trials of AN1792, their anti-amyloid drug, because four people in their test group in France have developed a serious central nervous system inflammation.
So, should we all start eating curry?
Nobody in the West is recommending it yet but Indian research shows that adding as little as a teaspoon of turmeric to one's daily diet has a beneficial effect. The only people who might want to avoid turmeric are those with blood clotting problems or those taking anti-coagulant medication. A small amount added to vegetables or eggs makes a nice seasoning. Large quantities, however, taste bitter and can upset your stomach so if you want to experiment with this, don't overdo it!
Here's a recipe you might enjoy:
Curried Nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cups nuts: walnuts, almonds etc.
Combine the ingredients in a skillet except for the nuts. When the mixture is very hot, add the nuts. Stir until well coated. Next line a baking pan with baking paper, pour in the nuts and bake at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crisp.
This article can be found in Sheryl’s latest book The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving.
Caregiving Articles