You may want to order your lunch today from the nearest Indian restaurant or at least “spice” up your dinner now that a new study by UCLA scientists revealed that a chemical in a popular food seasoning may be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

According to a new UCLA-Veterans Affairs study, researchers found that the yellow pigment in the curry spice turmeric slowed the progression of the neurodegenerative disease by helping rid the blood of a key ingredient that forms a   plaque on the brain that could interfere with the memory process.¹

This finding, which was reported in the December 7, 2004 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, may also help explain why Alzheimer’s disease rates are reportedly among the world’s lowest among the elderly in India, where curry is a dietary staple.

While many people worry about suffering from Alzheimer’s in their later lives, especially when another family member is stricken, Dr. Northrup staunchly proclaims that dementia is not inevitable. “Most of us women have a very good chance of preserving our memories as we grow older—and in fact we may even improve them.”

This new study reported by the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) spotlights the crucial chemical found in the curry spice—curcumin, which has been the subject of many anti-aging studies over the years. While the new findings showed that curcumin can reduce build-up of knots in the brain called amyloid plaques, it reportedly can also aid digestion, help fight infection, and guard against heart attacks. And then there’s the growing interest in its possible use for diseases of aging involving oxidative damage and inflammation like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease.

While she is a proponent for all new research that will eradicate Alzheimer’s, Dr. Northrup doesn’t buy into the self-fulfilling prophecy about memory decline with age. “Our society currently operates under the mistaken notion that it is normal to become senile, lose memory, and have a change of personality with age,” she explains. “And all of us have been around relatives and friends with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and know what a toll this illness can take on everyone concerned.”

Dr. Northrup says when we’re born, we have a full complement of nerve cells in our brains, which reach their peak size at about age 20, after which there is a gradual decline in size through the rest of our lives. “If bigger is better, that would mean that we reach peak wisdom and intelligence by age 20, which is a completely ridiculous notion. This will immediately become obvious to you if you watch much MTV,” she chuckled.  

The key, Dr. Northrup says, is to remember that normal loss of brain cells over time is not necessarily associated with loss of function. “Think of your brain as a tree that requires regular pruning if it is to acquire its optimal shape and function. Brain cell loss with aging is akin to pruning the nonessential branches that may actually be interfering with optimal function by clouding consciousness and mental clarity.”

So before you bury all of your entrees with an excess of curry, here are Dr. Northrup’s six simple steps to help prevent Alzheimer’s and boost your brain power:

1. Feed your brain with nutrients. I recommend a relatively low-fat diet that contains lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
   
2. Quell free-radical damage to your brain tissue. Make sure your diet is rich in vitamins C and E, selenium, and the B vitamins including folic acid. In fact, vitamin E has been shown to slow the progression of already diagnosed Alzheimer’s, but why wait?
   
3. Avoid medications that decrease your brain’s acetylcholine levels. You’d be amazed by how many drugs decrease acetylcholine levels and by how few doctors realize their adverse affect on brain function. (Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that regulates memory, learning, and other cognitive functions.) Check the label of any medication used for sleep, colds, or allergies to see if it contains diphenhydramine (which is commonly sold under the name Benadryl). Examples are Tylenol PM, Exedrin PM, Actifed, Contact, and Tylenol Flu PM.
   
4. Maintain healthy DHEA levels. Studies suggest that DHEA (and related hormones, progesterone and pregnenolone) act as neurotransmitters in the brain and can promote the same kind of dendritic and axonal branching between brain cells—a process associated with enhanced memory.
5. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake. Cigarettes are well-known factors in small blood vessel changes that decrease oxygen to your brain, among other areas. And excessive alcohol intake affects the basal forebrain, an area associated with memory.
6. Exercise. Studies have shown that exercise improves memory even in those who are already showing signs of dementia. Imagine what it does to prevent the problem!

You can find more details on Dr. Northrup’s Alzheimer’s Prevention Program in Chapter 14 of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (Bantam 2006) and Chapter 10 of Wisdom of Menopause (Bantam 2006).

 

References

1. Yang, F., et. al. 2005. Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo, J Biol Chem, Feb 18;280(7):5892-901.