Topping our list of recommended foods is curry. Curry dishes originated in Southeast Asia, where the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is particularly low, but are now enjoyed widely throughout the world. Although frequently thought of as a single spice, curry is in fact a mixture of several. Curry typically includes cumin, turmeric, coriander and chili powder, but can also contain a variety of additional spices.
From the perspective of AD prevention, the most notable ingredient in curry is curcumin (see Figure), one of several compounds known as curcuminoids, which have well-established antioxidant and other medicinal properties. Curcumin has been investigated extensively in animal models of AD [1][2], where it has shown to reduce two toxic proteins implicated in the disease: beta-amyloid [3][4][5] and tau [6]. Interest in curcumin’s ability to combat AD is so strong that it is even being tested in clinical trials, both completed [7] and currently ongoing [8].
While the scientific evidence supporting the use of curcumin is especially strong, obtaining an effective daily dose would require a steady diet of curry dishes—a delicious but not entirely realistic prospect! Curcuminoids can also be taken in the form of dietary supplements, however. Notably, Curt Hendrix, a founding member of the AD Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, designed a nutritional supplement containing curcumin, together with several other active ingredients, that was found to be effective in preventing Alzheimer’s-type symptoms in two different animal models [5,9].
The exact formula shown to be effective in these scientific studies can now be purchased as a dietary supplement called A.L.Z. Defense™ through our partner NooMeds. A.L.Z. Defense™ can be purchased here: NooMeds.com
Speaking of dietary supplements...
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References
- Ringman JM, Frautschy SA, Cole GM, Masterman DL, Cummings JL. A potential role of the curry spice curcumin in Alzheimer’s disease. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2005 Apr;2(2):131-6. Link
- Begum AN, Jones MR, Lim GP, Morihara T, Kim P, Heath DD, Rock CL, Pruitt MA, Yang F, Hudspeth B, Hu S, Faull KF, Teter B, Cole GM, Frautschy SA. Curcumin structure-function, bioavailability, and efficacy in models of neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2008 Jul;326(1):196-208. Link
- Yang F, Lim GP, Begum AN, Ubeda OJ, Simmons MR, Ambegaokar SS, Chen PP, Kayed R, Glabe CG, Frautschy SA, Cole GM. Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2005 Feb 18; 280(7):5892-901. Link
- Lim GP, Chu T, Yang F, Beech W, Frautschy SA, Cole GM. The curry spice curcumin reduces oxidative damage and amyloid pathology in an Alzheimer transgenic mouse. J Neurosci. 2001 Nov 1; 21(21):8370-7. Link
- Parachikova A, Green KN, Hendrix C, LaFerla FM. Formulation of a medical food cocktail for Alzheimer’s disease: beneficial effects on cognition and neuropathology in a mouse model of the disease. PLoS One. 2010 Nov 17; 5(11):e14015. Link
- Ma QL, Zuo X, Yang F, Ubeda OJ, Gant DJ, Alaverdyan M, Teng E, Hu S, Chen PP, Maiti P, Teter B, Cole GM, Frautschy SA. Curcumin suppresses soluble tau dimers and corrects molecular chaperone, synaptic, and behavioral deficits in aged human tau transgenic mice. J Biol Chem. 2013 Feb 8; 288(6):4056-65. Link
- Ringman JM, Frautschy SA, Teng E, Begum AN, Bardens J, Beigi M, Gylys KH, Badmaev V, Heath DD, Apostolova LG, Porter V, Vanek Z, Marshall GA, Hellemann G, Sugar C, Masterman DL, Montine TJ, Cummings JL, Cole GM. Oral curcumin for Alzheimer’s disease: tolerability and efficacy in a 24-week randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2012 Oct 29; 4(5):43. Link
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Curcumin and yoga therapy for those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. US National Institutes of Health, Clinical Trial Registry. 2015. Link
- Head E, Murphey HL, Dowling AL, McCarty KL, Bethel SR, Nitz JA, Pleiss M, Vanrooyen J, Grossheim M, Smiley JR, Murphy MP, Beckett TL, Pagani D, Bresch F, Hendrix C. A combination cocktail improves spatial attention in a canine model of human aging and Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;32(4):1029-42. Link