Common spice may help fight Alzheimer’s disease

Common spice may help fight Alzheimer’s disease - Mind, Mood and Memory, November 2007

Study suggests curry ingredient helps the immune system eliminate brain abnormalities.

Exposing immune cells to an active ingredient found in the common curry spice turmeric may spur the immune system to eliminate beta-amyloid, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that is associated with a buildup of plaque inside the brain, according to preliminary research. The finding, published in the July 16 issue of the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” may help explain previous reports of a lower incidence of dementia among groups who regularly consume turmeric in their diet.

Researchers used blood samples taken from individuals with AD to demonstrate in laboratory cell structures that AD in patients, immune cells called macrophages were impaired in their ability to clear beta-amyloid, possibly because of genetic abnormalities. But when the macrophages were treated with a synthetic version of the active ingredient in turmeric – bisdemethoxycurcumin – the ability of the cells to eliminate beta-amyloid was significantly improved.

Although further research is needed to confirm these preliminary findings and to test the action of oral bisdemethoxycurcumin agent in patients, the research is important because it sheds new light on the role the immune system may play in AD and opens the way to new treatments. The study did not assess whether turmeric in the diet would have the same effects on the brain as those observed in the study.

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