Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s
disease and dementia, a leading expert claims.
Professor Murali Doraiswamy - who grew up in a part of India famed for its fiery
curries - says the magic ingredient is curcumin, a component of the spice
turmeric.
Curcumin prevents the spread of harmful amyloid plaques found in the brain of
Alzheimer's sufferers, he said.
These plaques, along with neurofibrillary tangles, are part of the disease
process resulting in symptoms of memory loss and mental impairment.
Professor Doraiswamy, who is director of the Mental Fitness Laboratory at the
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Carolina, said: 'There
is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic research on
animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits.
'Turmeric has been studied not just in Alzheimer’s research but for a variety of
conditions, such as cancer and arthritis.
'Turmeric is often referred to as the spice of life in ancient Indian medical
lore.'
A clinical trial is now underway at the University of California, Los Angeles,
to test curcumin’s effects in Alzheimer’s patients and specifically on amyloid
plaque proteins.
A small pilot trail was completed to determine the right dose and researchers
have now embarked on a larger study.
Similar research is about to start in the UK, although some British experts
caution that large amounts of curry would need to be consumed for a clinical
effect.
Professor Doraiswamy told delegates at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’
Annual Meeting in Liverpool that human studies will build on laboratory
research.
He said 'You can modify a mouse so that at about 12 months its brain is riddled
with plaques. If you feed this rat a curcumin-rich diet it dissolves these
plaques.
'The same diet prevented younger mice from forming new plaques. The next step is
to test curcumin on human amyloid plaque formation using newer brain scans and
there are plans for that.'
Studies looking at populations show that people who eat a curry meal two or
three times a week seem to have a lower risk for dementia, he said.
'Those studies seem to show that you need only consume what is part of the
normal diet – but the research studies are testing higher doses to see if they
can maximise the effect. It would be equivalent of going on a curry spree for a
week.' he added.
However, curry may be just one of the ingredients that prevent degeneration of
the brain.
'If you are eating fatty burgers and smoking then don’t expect an occasional
curry to counterbalance a poor lifestyle,' he said.
'However, if you have a good diet and take plenty of exercise, eating curry
regularly could help prevent dementia.'
Turmeric is also found in mustard and Professor Doraiswamy predicted a day when
– for those unable, or unwilling, to consume curries regularly – the public
might be advised to take a ’curry’ pill every day if the findings are confirmed
in human studies.
Alzheimer’s Society is conducting research with the help of scientists at
Southampton University who will examine whether curcumin could counteract some
of the brain changes that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the charity, said 'Indian communities
that regularly eat curcumin have a surprisingly low incidence of Alzheimer’s
disease but we don’t yet know why.
'Alzheimer’s Society is keen to explore the potential benefits of curcumin in
protecting the brain and we are conducting our own research into this area.'
However, Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:
'People would need a lot more than a weekly curry or two if they were seeking a
clinical dose of curcumin – over 100g of turmeric curry powder would have to be
eaten to ingest a 3.6g clinical dose, which is rather a lot of curry.
'Professor Doraiswamy’s unpublished research applies only to animal models; his
hypothesis has not been confirmed in human clinical trials.
'Previous research suggests we can reduce dementia risk by maintaining a
balanced diet, exercising regularly and participating in social activities.'
Professor Doraiswamy, a leading expert on brain health and fitness, grew up in
Southern Indian town of Madrasfamous for its fiery curries.
He is currently on a lecture tour promoting his consumer book The Alzheimer’s
Action Plan.
