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Dozens of laboratory studies concerning turmeric and Alzheimer's have been conducted. Some clinical trials are currently ongoing. Is it a cure? We’ll have to wait for results. Here’s what we do and don’t know. Many of the studies have been conducted in India, one of the major producers of the spice plant, but more and more studies are being conducted in the US and other parts of the world. Where at one time the major demand for the spice was in Indian and Asian cuisine, currently there is more demand by scientific researchers and health supplement manufacturers. The plant is a staple of traditional medicine. It has been used for centuries to treat everything from the common cold to serious infections. Within the last two decades, researchers have identified an active compound in this medicinal plant. It’s called curcumin. In the laboratory, curcumin has been found to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-amyloid and chelating activity. Those last two are the reasons for the clinical trials concerning turmeric and Alzheimer's. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, although there are three popular theories, as well as a couple of less popular ones. The oldest is that the cause is reduced production of acetylcholine, a compound that transmits signals among brain cells and nerve endings. The other two theories have to do with amyloid-beta and tau proteins. Amyloid-beta is the primary component of the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The second theory came about because amyloid plaque deposits do not correlate well with brain cell loss. So, the latest hypothesis is that tau protein abnormalities initiate what is referred to as a “disease cascade”. One of the goals is to find what causes the plaques to form and what causes the abnormalities in tau. Clinical trials concerning turmeric and Alzheimer's were initiated primarily because of the anti-amyloid activity. It prevents the amyloid-beta plaques from forming and also breaks them up. The chelating activity is being studied in an effort to explain the abnormalities in tau. Some researchers believe that ingestion of small amounts of aluminum, mercury and lead may lead to the disease cascade, because the metals are toxic to the nervous system in large amounts. The theory is that small amounts may cause a small amount of damage that gradually becomes a great deal of damage. In animal studies, the researchers have shown that curcumin is able to cross the blood brain barrier and scavenge these metals. Compounds that break up heavy metals in the body have chelating activity. The least popular theory is that the HSV1 (herpes simplex 1 virus) plays a causative role. But even that theory supports further research concerning turmeric and Alzheimer's, since turmeric has anti-viral activity. The one theory that it does not address is the reduced production of acetylcholine. Some of the better multi-nutritional supplements contain curcumin and lecithin, which is needed by the body to make acetylcholine and is lacking in the typical diet. Hopefully, the results of the trials concerning turmeric and Alzheimer's will be positive. We’ll have to wait and see, but as a preventative measure, we should all be taking a good supplement. Visit my website today to learn about a multi-nutritional supplement I've discovered that I'd like to share with you. Gordon Hall is fervent about enabling you and everyone to live a healthy lifestyle, and is an ardent reviewer of herbal, vitamin and mineral extracts. To discover which supplements Gordon recommends after far ranging and extensive research. Visit his website now at : http://www.your-supplement-resource-site.info
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