Curcumin is one of the super foods with antioxidant powers recognized by science, such as matcha or cocoa to name a few. Curcumin has many health benefits, and it appears that daily consumption of some form of curcumin will improve memory and mood in people with mild, age-related memory loss.
According to a study published January 19, 2018 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, a contribution in specific curcumin supplements is beneficial to memory. Indeed, the study reports that a supplement of twice a day for a year and a half stimulated cognitive power over memory performance in people without dementia. The researchers also highlight the potential impact of curcumin on Alzheimer's disease and its protective effect against cognitive decline.
THE VIRTUES OF CURCUMIN AGAINST COGNITIVE AGING
Yellow polyphenolic pigment, curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric. Already known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in laboratory studies, curcumin has been present in the shelves of organic food stores for some years, in the form of capsules or even juice. Curcumin has also been suggested as a possible reason that older people in India, where curcumin is a staple, have lower prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and better cognitive performance.
"The process curcumin does have effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and major depression," say researchers .
The study involved 40 adults aged 50 to 90 years with mild memory impairment. Participants were randomized to receive placebo or 90 milligrams of curcumin twice daily for 18 months.
All 40 subjects received standardized cognitive assessments at the beginning of the study and at six-month intervals, and monitoring of curcumin levels in the blood at the start of the study and after 18 months. Thirty volunteers underwent positron emission tomography (PET) to determine amyloid and tau levels in their brain at the start of the study and after 18 months.
CURCUMIN IMPROVES MEMORY AND ATTENTION
People who took curcumin experienced significant improvements in their memory and attention capacity, unlike subjects who received placebo. In memory tests, people taking curcumin improved their results by 28% over the course of 18 months. Those taking curcumin also had slight improvements in mood, and their cerebral PET scans showed significantly fewer amyloid and tau signals in the amygdala and hypothalamus than those taking placebo. The amygdala and the hypothalamus are areas of the brain that control several emotional and memory functions.
Finally, the researchers plan to conduct a follow-up study with more people. This study will include some people with mild depression so that scientists can explore whether curcumin also has antidepressant effects.
A larger sample would also allow them to analyze whether curcumin memory enhancement effects vary with the genetic risk of Alzheimer's patients, their age, or the extent of their cognitive problems.
To conclude, these findings suggest that taking this relatively safe form of curcumin could provide significant cognitive benefits over the years and aging. Many applications for medical treatments could also become unavoidable.
SOURCES
"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", January 2018, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016 /j.jagp.2017.10.010