I just read a post on another forum (sleep apnea) that mentions turmeric as a preventative to AD.

Has anybody got any information about this?

Mark there has been a lot of info brought up recently about the low incidence of ALZ in India and the relationship to the fact that Turmeric is a main ingredient in the foods they consume. I'm not really good with inserting links etc, but if you google turmeric for AD there's a lot of info out there.

Mark, remember that we have a Medications forum? Down near the bottom. You could go there and use Search.

Hi, Mark. Turmeric is a spice derived from a plant by the same name, and curcumin is believed to be the active ingredient in the spice, so to speak.

You'll probably find more info searching under curcumin. Curcumin is known to have antioxidant, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), and cholesterol-lowering properties, all of which make it a reasonable candidate as a treatment for AD.

It has been shown to reduce Abeta levels and plaque levels in transgenic mice, and also stimulate neurogenesis. It's also, apparently, a gamma-secretase inhibitor.

http://www.alzforum.org/new/detail.asp?id=1128

http://www.alzforum.org/new/detail.asp?id=1789

However, clinical trials for treating AD or MCI have, to date, been disappointing. Some researchers think that may have to do with the formulation they are using, which is affecting bioavailability. I noticed that they're now running a trial on curcumin plus bioperine, presumably to improve bioavailability.

http://clinicaltrial.gov/ct2/show/NCT00595582

On the other hand, maybe it's another, minor component of turmeric that is effective, or some combination of constituents. See, e.g.,

http://www.alzforum.org/new/detail.asp?id=1630

Or ... maybe it is helpful at preventing AD, but not at treating it.

Greg Cole is spearheading research on curcumin at UCLA.

http://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/Curcumin.html

http://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/News.html

He seems like a level-headed guy, solid scientist, quite nice. You might want to try contacting him, get his take on where things stand.

Yeh,

It appears that the curcumin is a preventative of AD, not a treatment. But its other effects sound good, just what my physician recommended when my blood labs came back on Wed.

Anti-oxidant, NSAID and cholesterol help are all good.

On the medication and treatments thread, it is noted that it take 18 grams of tumeric to get one gram of curcumin.

Sounds like it is a lifestyle treatment. Eat it your whole life and you do better.