Curcumin, the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow colour, could slow mental decline in elderly people by 49 per cent, suggests a study of non-demented Asian people. Cognitive performance declines naturally with age, but the results of the new study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol. 164, pp.
898-906) suggests that eating curries "often or very often" had significantly better cognitive performance than those who "never or rarely" ate the dish. Although the mechanism of Alzheimer's is not clear, significant data exists supporting the build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits. Recent research (Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Vol.
10, pp. 1-7) from the US appeared to indicate that curcumin could help the body's immune system clear away these deposits and reduce the risk of developing the disease. The Singapore National Mental Health Survey of the Elderly, led by Tze-Pin Ng from the National University of Singapore, recruited 1,010 elderly Asian subjects (average age 68.
9) and compared scores for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Ng and co-workers report that 43 per cent of the cohort consumed curry at least once a month to daily, while16 per cent never or rarely consumed the dish.
News RSS