An important, new study links one ancient, golden spice to improvements in both memory and mood in people with mild, age-related memory loss.
This new study comes from the same group of researchers with the UCLA Longevity Center, whose groundbreaking work found that 90 percent of people could actually reverse dementia symptoms with 12 simple nutritional and lifestyle modifications.
I gave you a full report on UCLA’s program to reverse memory loss in the February 2016 issue of my Insiders’ Cures newsletter, together with 6 more steps of my own. (If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you can access this article, “The all-natural Alzheimer’s cure hiding in plain sight,” by logging into my newsletter archives on www.DrMicozzi.com. Not a subscriber? Simply click here.)
In my view, every single doctor in the world should offer these natural treatments to every single patient. Instead, only a handful of integrative medicine centers around the country pay any attention to them.
So, suffice it to say, I was pleased to see the UCLA researchers moving forward to study additional natural approaches for memory and mood…
Ancient Indian spice thwarts inflammation in the brain
For the new study, the UCLA researchers chose to focus on curcumin — likely due to its well-known anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to protect the brain from neurodegeneration.
Of course, I write quite a bit about curcumin. It’s the active ingredient in turmeric, the golden spice used to make Indian curry. And it also has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine for treating a wide variety of ailments.
In India, where curry is a staple on the menu, dementia is almost unheard of. Of course, curcumin is also a key component in my ABCs for combatting joint pain, along with ashwagandha and boswellia. (For more on this natural but potent combination, simply type “ABCs” into the search bar on www.DrMicozzi.com.)
For the new study, the UCLA researchers recruited 40 adults, between the ages of 40 and 90, who had mild memory loss. Participants received either a placebo or 90 mg of curcumin twice daily for 18 months. The researchers evaluated the participants’ cognitive function at the beginning of the study and then at six-month intervals.
By the 18-month mark, the curcumin group’s cognitive function improved by a whopping 28 percent. The curcumin group also experienced improvements in mood. And brain scans showed improvements in the appearance of the regions that influence emotional state and memory.
It’s interesting to note the connection between these two parts of the brain. Perhaps emotions help to create and keep memories?
I look forward to following these developments. And I’ll certainly be keeping tabs on the UCLA folks, in any case.
The researchers concluded that a relatively small, safe dose of curcumin can provide meaningful cognitive benefits over the years. Note that the 180 mg daily dose in this study is comparable to my recommended dose for joint pain (200 to 250 mg).
Plus, remember, curcumin has a number of other health benefits, too — from improving blood sugar to reducing joint pain, as I mentioned earlier. Ultimately, studies like this should remind us that natural remedies often have multiple, full-body benefits…once you go looking for them. By comparison, modern mainstream medicine has a “one disease-one drug” approach.
If you choose to use powdered turmeric to get your daily dose of curcumin, be sure to sprinkle it liberally on your favorite fish, meats, and vegetables. I think it makes a great addition to chicken salad, tuna salad, and fresh pork chops or pork loin.
As for curcumin supplements, you can easily find them online or in nearly any local pharmacy, grocery store, or health supplement retailer.
Sadly, these valuable insights for preventing dementia may never make it into mainstream medical practice in our lifetime. Luckily, you don’t have to wait for those minions to catch up to the science, because the original UCLA research inspired me to create my own online learning protocol to prevent and reverse Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with all 12 steps from the UCLA studies, and a half-dozen more of my own. To enroll in, or learn more about, my Complete Alzheimer’s Cure, simply click here.
Source:
“Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial.” Am J Geriatr Psychiatry March 2018; 26(3): 266-277