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Curcumin improved memory and mood in older adults

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 40 older adults (aged 51-84) who had mild memory complaints, found that those given 90 milligrams of curcumin twice daily for 18 months experienced significant improvements in their memory and attention abilities. Those taking curcumin also had mild improvements in mood, and brain scans showed significantly less amyloid and tau signals in the amygdala and hypothalamus, compared with those who took placebos.

Four people taking curcumin, and two taking placebos, experienced mild side effects such as abdominal pain and nausea.

Cinnamon improves learning in mice

A mouse study has found that a month of consuming cinnamon produced a significant cognitive improvement in poor-learning mice.

The mice were sorted into good and poor learners using a maze test. Analysis of the differences between the groups revealed differences in two brain proteins – increases in GABRA5 and a decrease in CREB in the hippocampus of poor learners. These effects, and the poor learning, were reversed by one month of cinnamon treatment.

The effect appears to be due mainly to sodium benzoate, a chemical produced as cinnamon is broken down in the body.

Peppermint & rosemary for memory

A couple of studies reported at the recent Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society are intriguing.

In the first study, 180 healthy adults completed questionnaires relating to their mood before being given either a drink of peppermint tea, chamomile tea or hot water. Twenty minutes later, their memory and cognition were tested, followed by another mood questionnaire.

Curcumin lowers inflammation

Anecdotal and scientific evidence suggests curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, promotes health because it lowers inflammation. However, it is not absorbed well by the body. Most curcumin in food or supplements stays in the gastrointestinal tract, and any portion that's absorbed is metabolized quickly.

A new study thinks they've come up with a better and more effective way to deliver curcumin, and in so doing has demonstrated how it works. Curcumin powder was mixed with castor oil and polyethylene glycol, allowing it to dissolve and be more easily absorbed by the gut to enter the bloodstream and tissues.

When this was given to mice who had been injected with an extract that stimulates an immune reaction, a key protein that triggers an immune response was blocked. The mice given plain curcumin, on the other hand, showed the same protein actively triggering an immune response.

The emulsified curcumin also stopped recruitment of macrophages. Inflammation triggered by overactive macrophages has been linked to cardiovascular disease, disorders that accompany obesity, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and lupus-related nephritis.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-11/osu-nra110614.php

Rosemary and oregano contain diabetes-fighting compounds

Oregano and rosemary turn out to be packed with healthful compounds that may work in much the same way as prescription anti-diabetic medication in keeping their blood-sugar level in check. While greenhouse-grow herbs contained more polyphenols and flavonoids compared to the equivalent commercial dried herbs, commercial extracts of Greek oregano, Mexican oregano and rosemary were better inhibitors of the enzyme, required to reduce risk of type-2 diabetes.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-07/acs-rao072314.php

Bower, A. M., Real Hernandez, L. M., Berhow, M. A., & de Mejia, E. G. (2014). Bioactive Compounds from Culinary Herbs Inhibit a Molecular Target for Type 2 Diabetes Management, Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 62(26), 6147–6158. http://doi.org/10.1021/jf500639f

Benefit of cinnamon for fighting Alzheimer’s

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

I’ve been happily generous with cinnamon on my breakfast ever since the first hints came out that cinnamon might help protect against Alzheimer’s (it’s not like it’s an ordeal to add cinnamon!). Now a new study has revealed why. Two compounds found in cinnamon —cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin —appear to help prevent tau tangles (one of the characteristics of Alzheimer’s).

Scent of rosemary may help cognition

A small study involving 20 people has found that those who were exposed to 1,8-cineole, one of the main chemical components of rosemary essential oil, performed better on mental arithmetic tasks. Moreover, there was a dose-dependent relationship — higher blood concentrations of the chemical were associated with greater speed and accuracy.

Herbs & spices

An ingredient of the curry spice turmeric called curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory apparently helps learning and memory through its action on BDNF. It may also fight against amyloid plaques, and so help fight Alzheimer's.

Two small studies indicate that the herbs sage and lemon balm also help cognition. Both of these seem to increase the activity of acetylcholine, and so may be helpful to protect against Alzheimer's.

See article on Mempowered

Older news items (pre-2010) brought over from the old website

Too much licorice in pregnancy may affect child's IQ and behavior

A Finnish study involving 321 eight year old children has found that those whose mothers ate more than 500mg of glycyrrhizin per week (found in the equivalent of 100g of pure licorice) had significant decrements in verbal and visuospatial abilities and in narrative memory, compared to those whose mothers consumed less licorice. They were also more likely to have poor attention spans and show disruptive behaviour such as ADHD. The effects on cognitive performance appeared dose related (that is, higher consumption correlated with greater impairment). Glycyrrhizin may impair the placenta, allowing stress hormones to cross from the mother to the baby. These hormones (glucocorticoids) are thought to affect fetal brain development and have been linked to behavioural disorders in children. Consumption of licorice among young women is common in Finland.

Raikkonen, K., Pesonen, A.-K., Heinonen, K., Lahti, J., Komsi, N., Eriksson, J. G., … Strandberg, T. E. (2009). Maternal Licorice Consumption and Detrimental Cognitive and Psychiatric Outcomes in Children. Am. J. Epidemiol., 170(9), 1137-1146. Retrieved from http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/1137

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/uoe-eli100609.php

How food affects the brain

I’ve reported on quite a lot of studies finding beneficial effects of one food or another on the brain. Now a researcher has analyzed more than 160 studies about food's effect on the brain, and here’s the bottom line. He comes out for omega-3 fatty acids, as both improving synaptic plasticity and the expression of several molecules proteins to learning and memory, as well as protecting against attention-deficit disorder, dyslexia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He suggests it’s better to get it from food than supplements (which is always recommended). Salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit are all good sources. They’re still working out which fatty acids are most important, but one is definitely docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA — which like vitamin C we’re not good at making for ourselves; we have to ingest it. He also concludes that diets high in trans fats and saturated fats are bad for cognition.
Studies also support the need for folic acid (found in spinach, orange juice and yeast), which is essential for brain function, and appears to reduce age-related cognitive decline and dementia. And BDNF, important for learning and memory as well as metabolic regulation (so there’s a connection there with obesity), is helped by omega-3 fatty acids and the curry spice curcumin, and also, it seems, smaller food portions.

Gomez-Pinilla, F. (2008). Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nat Rev Neurosci, 9(7), 568-578. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrn2421

Full text is available online at www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v9/n7/abs/nrn2421.html
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uoc--slh070908.php

Curry helps older brains

Turmeric, an ingredient of curry, contains curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that may inhibit the build-up of amyloid plaques in people with Alzheimer's. Now an investigation of 1010 older Asians (between 60 and 93 years) has found that those who ate curry "occasionally" (once or more in 6 months but less than once a month) and "often" (more than once a month) performed better on a standard test of cognitive function than those who only ate curry "never or rarely".

Ng, T.-P., Chiam, P.-C., Lee, T., Chua, H.-C., Lim, L., & Kua, E.-H. (2006). Curry Consumption and Cognitive Function in the Elderly. Am. J. Epidemiol., 164(9), 898-906. Retrieved from http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/9/898

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125635.500?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg19125635.500

Sage improves memory

Sage has long had a reputation for improving memory and concentration. Now, clinical trials with healthy, young adults (aged between 18 and 37) have found that those who had taken sage oil capsules performed significantly better in a word recall test. Sage is being investigated as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's Disease after earlier research found that it inhibits an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which breaks down the chemical messenger acetylcholine (reduced in those with Alzheimers').

Tildesley, N.T.J., Kennedy, D.O., Perry, E.K., Ballard, C.G., Savelev, S., Wesnes, K.A. & Scholey, A.B. 2003. Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish Sage) enhances memory in healthy young volunteers. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 75 (3), 669-674.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-08/uonu-sim082703.php

Helping memory with "natural" supplements

Do caffeine and glucose help concentration? A recent study found that volunteers who drank a mixture containing caffeine and glucose (as well as trace levels of guarana, ginkgo and ginseng) showed clear improvements in memory and attention. Those who consumed the individual ingredients, or a placebo, did not show such improvements.
Another study by the same researchers found that high doses of lemon balm improved memory and led to greater feelings of calmness in 20 volunteers. The lemon balm was found to increase the activity of acetylcholine – an important chemical messenger which is reduced in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Scholey, A. & Kennedy, D. 2003. Report at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Bournemouth 13-15 March.

Sunflower seeds helpful in reducing hypertension and associated cognitive impairment

Research in rats has found that linoleic acid improved not only blood pressure, but also hypertension-induced memory decline, suggesting that the early incorporation of linoleic acid in the diet, may not only help in controlling hypertension, but may also improve hypertension-induced cognitive impairment. Linoleic acid is found in vegetable seed oils, such as safflower, sunflower, and hemp seed.

Holloway, V. 2002. Effects of early nutritional supplementation of linoleic acid in Hypertension. Paper presented at an American Physiological Society (APS) conference, "The Power of Comparative Physiology: Evolution, Integration and Application", August 24-28 in San Diego, CA.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-08/aps-mk082602.php

Drug derived from curcumin may help treat stroke

A new molecular compound derived from curcumin (found in turmeric) holds promise for treating brain damage caused by stroke. Turmeric has a long history of use in Ayurvedic and Chinese traditional medicine. However, curcumin has several important drawbacks as far as treating stroke is concerned — mainly because it can’t cross the blood-brain barrier. The new compound can.

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