Turmeric helps in recovery of Alzheimer's patients
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Has been used in India for more than 5,000 years, which is probably the reason why even today its rural and urban populations have some of the lowest prevalence rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world. A recent study found that less than one gram of turmeric day, taken over three months, helped in the recovery of patients with Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's disease: a modern disturbing rite that precedes death
A diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease has unfortunately become a rite of initiation in the so-called developed countries. Alzheimer's is considered the most common form of dementia, defined as a severe loss of cognitive function in previously undeveloped individuals, beyond what is expected of normal aging.
A 2006 study estimated that 26 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's and that by 2050, the prevalence will quadruple, at which point, 1 in 85 people worldwide will be affected by the disease.
Given the global scope of the problem, the interest in safe and effective preventive and therapeutic interventions within the medical professions and conventional alternatives, are growing equally.
Unfortunately, conventional drug-based approaches can result in severe neurological damage, as shown by the fact that this class of drugs carries an alarming risk of seizures, according to post-marketing surveillance statistics from the World Health Organization.
Therefore, what the public is increasingly betting on, is to food-dependent therapies that are proven to be safe and natural and otherwise more effective, such as spices such as turmeric and ingredients Common culinary.
Turmeric helps in recovery of Alzheimer's patients
At the end of last year, a remarkable study was published in the journal Ayu titled " Effects of Turmeric on Alzheimer's Disease with Behavioral and Psychological Dementia Symptoms ". Researchers describe three patients with Alzheimer's disease, whose behavioral symptoms were "markedly improved," as a result of eating 764 milligrams of turmeric (curcumin 100 mg/day) for 12 weeks. According to the study:
"All three patients showed irritability, agitation, anxiety, and apathy, two patients suffer from urinary incontinence. They were prescribed capsules of turmeric powder and began to recover from these symptoms without any adverse reaction in the clinical and symptom data. "
After only 3 months of treatment, both the patient's symptoms and the burden on their caregivers decreased significantly.
The report describes improvements in this way:
"In one case, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) rose five points from 12/30 to 17/30. In the other two cases, no significant changes were observed in the MMSE. However, they came to recognize their family after taking the treatment for a year. All cases have been taking turmeric for more than 1 year, the re-exacerbation of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were not seen. "
This study illustrates just how powerful a simple natural intervention using a culinary herb proven over time can be. Taking into account that turmeric has been used medicinally and as a culinary ingredient for over 5,000 years in Indian culture, it even reaches the status of a "golden goddess", we should not be surprised by this result. In fact, epidemiological studies of indigenous populations reveal that they have a very low prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in relation to Western nations, and this is true for both the "westernized" rural and urban areas of India.
Could turmeric be one of the main reasons for this reality?
Properties of turmeric against Alzheimer's
In some studies curcumin (turmeric component) has been found to be able to increase the clearance of pathological beta-amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and that in combination with vitamin D3 the neuroscience process is even greater. The additional preclinical investigation indicates that curcumin (and its analogs) has inhibitory and protective effects against the disease by associating β-amyloid proteins of Alzheimer's.
Other mechanisms to combat Alzheimer's include:
Anti-inflammatory: It has been found that curcumin plays a protective role against the protein associated with β-amyloid inflammation.
Anti-oxidant: Curcumin can reduce damage through antioxidant properties.
Anti-cytotoxic: Curcumin appears to protect against the effects of β-amyloid proteins that damage cells.
Anti-amyloidogenic: Turmeric contains a variety of compounds (curcumin, tetrahydro curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdemetoxycurcurin) that can attack the pathological root that causes Alzheimer's disease by preventing the formation of β-amyloid protein.
Neurorestauradoras:Curcuminoids seems to rescue long-term potentiation (an indication of functional memory) impaired by the amyloid peptide, and can reverse physiological damage by restoring distorted neurites and disrupting existing plaques.
Metal chelating properties: Curcumin has a higher binding affinity for iron and copper instead of zinc, which may contribute to its protective effect in Alzheimer's disease, since iron-mediated damage may play a pathological role.
Turmeric is one of the main foods against Alzheimer's
Turmeric coconut oil
Others include:
Coconut Oil: The coconut oil contains about 66% of medium chain triglycerides in weight, and is able to improve the symptoms of cognitive impairment in those suffering from dementia by increasing brain ketone bodies, and perhaps most notably, Within a single dose, and within just two hours.
Cocoa: A 2009 study found that cocoa procyanidins can protect against lipid peroxidation associated with neuronal cell death in a manner relevant to Alzheimer's disease.
Salvia : A 2003 study found that sage extract has therapeutic value in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
HeFolic Acid : While most positive vitamin B investigations have been performed in the semi-synthetic version, this may have undesirable adverse health effects; the ideal source for vitamin B is foliage, ie, vegetables Of green leaves , since only foods provide folate. In addition, the entire B group of vitamins, especially including B6 and B12, may have maximum value in preventing Alzheimer's disease and treatment.
Resveratrol: This compound is mainly found inWestern diet grapes , wine , peanut and chocolate.
Other potent natural therapies include:
Gingko biloba: It is one of the few herbs that has been shown to be at least as effective as the Aricept pharmaceutical in treating and ameliorating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Melissa offinalis: This herb, also known as lemon balm, has been found to have a therapeutic effect in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
Saffron : This herb compares favorably with donepezil, a drug used in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
As always, what is important is to remember that it is our diet and environmental exposures that largely determine the risk of our brain to accelerated aging and associated dementia. Prevention is an infinitely better strategy, especially considering that many of the therapeutic elements mentioned above can be used in foods as spices . Try to incorporate small doses of high-quality culinary spices like turmeric into your diet pattern, remembering that 'adding it to taste in a way that is truly enjoyable may be the ultimate standard for determining what a healthy' dose 'is for you.
An investigation and writing of Lucid Life