> : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1079911,00.html
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Sorry about that, here is the article...
Curry keeps Alzheimer's at bay
By Sam Lister
THEY may be a challenge to the consumer's constitution, but hot
curries do not just test the taste buds and the stomach, they also guard
against the deterioration of the brain.
A study into the health benefits of curcumin, found in
everything from the mildest korma to the hottest vindaloo, has revealed its
power to protect against the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists have identified curcumin oil as a chemical trigger
that enhances enzyme activity, protecting the brain against the progression
of neurodegenerative disease.
A chemical compound extracted from tumeric, curcumin has been
found to work wonders on many illnesses - be it as an antiseptic, a guard
against liver damage or a medication to assist the treatment of cancer and
Aids.
Now research by scientists from Italy and America has confirmed
its role in helping to encourage a lucid old-age. Studies on rats found that
curcumin induces an enzyme, hemeoxygenase (HO-1), which operates as a
defence mechanism against "free radicals", rogue molecules that cause cells
to function abnormally and die.
The damage done by free radicals to intracellular targets such
as DNA or proteins has been shown to be a major cause of diseases such as
Alzheimer's and are thought to be a major factor in the way people age. The
work by researchers from the University of Catania, Italy, and New York
Medical College, presented to the American Physiological Society, showed
that rat neurons exposed to higher concentrations of curcumin were less
affected by cell damage due to increased levels of HO-1.
The team described the findings as "an important first step" in
determining curry's role as a preventive agent against neurodegenerative
conditions such as Azheimer's, and its possible benefits for slowing the
progression of the disease.
Tumeric is used in powder form in curries, and is prepared by
boiling the root for several hours, then drying it for a long-period before
crushing.
India, which produces and consumes most of the world's tumeric,
has much lower rates of Alzheimer's among the elderly than Western
countries, dropping to as little as one per cent of over-65s in some areas.

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Darryl - 19 Apr 2004 21:32 GMT
Unfortunately, the doses of curcumin required to exert pharmacological
activity are not feasible in humans (i.e., don't run out and start
eating tumeric). Although, in the presence of piperine (from black
pepper), the so-called curcuminoids are efficiently absored. I don't
know if a sprinkling of pepper would do the trick but I like curry and
pepper, so it can't hurt! ;-)
Darryl.
(enjoying an unexpectedly warm 24C near Toronto today)
> Curry keeps Alzheimer's at bay
> By Sam Lister
> THEY may be a challenge to the consumer's constitution, but hot
>curries do not just test the taste buds and the stomach, they also guard
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>has much lower rates of Alzheimer's among the elderly than Western
>countries, dropping to as little as one per cent of over-65s in some areas.