Did you know that in India, where curry is a key element of traditional cooking, fewer people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline? Scientists took some time to understand why, but they eventually came up with a plausible explanation: they believe it’s the curcumin in turmeric, the spice which gives curry its bright yellow colour, which is responsible.

Initial studies quickly lent credence to this hypothesis. They demonstrated in turn the substance’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the laboratory. They then identified its ability to inhibit the spread of cancer cells by promoting synthesis of certain antioxidant molecules such as glutathione . But when the research was extended to human studies, scientists failed to observe the same effects as they had in the laboratory. They did find it was able to stabilise the development of pancreatic cancer² (at a dose of 8g of turmeric a day), as well as that of bowel and other intestinal cancers³, but for other cancers, the results were disappointing.

So why is curcumin so effective for treating cancers of the digestive tract? And why does it appear to be less so in the case of other kinds of tumour? It didn’t take long for a clear answer to emerge: curcumin has very low bioavailability⁴. If it has proven to be effective at treating intestinal cancers, it’s because it doesn’t have to cross the intestinal barrier in significant amounts before it has an effect. In order to reproduce the same therapeutic effects as those seen in the laboratory, it is therefore necessary to use much larger quantities and to select the most bioavailable forms of curcumin.

Curcumin improves memory and mood

Scientists have recently become interested in another of curcumin’s properties: its amazing ability to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. This is one of the substance’s most intriguing benefits, and it must be admitted that so far, nobody has really been able to explain it.

That explanation could, however, come sooner than expected: a team of researchers has just published the results of an 18-month study of individuals aged 50-90 in which the outcomes of curcumin-supplemented subjects were compared with those of non-supplemented subjects. This is what they found:

• In the curcumin-supplemented group, the researchers observed a 28% improvement in their memory test results compared with 18 months previously. No such improvement, however, was noted in the placebo group.
• Curcumin-supplemented subjects experienced improvements in mood.
• Brain imaging showed much lower levels of tau protein (the main element in degeneration) and beta-amyloid peptides (which form the problematic plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease) in supplemented individuals than in those given a placebo.

What does this mean? This new study suggests that the curcumin in turmeric offers preventive effects in relation to Alzheimer’s disease and that it even improves memory and cognitive function. The study’s authors believe it is curcumin’s ability to reduce inflammation in the brain which is responsible.