A SPICE extract commonly found in curries has been associated with remarkable improvements in levels of fatigue and memory in a study by Swinburne University of Technology. Professor Andrew Scholey and PhD student Katherine Cox tested curcumin, which is found in turmeric, to build on research suggesting cultures with a curry-rich diet have better cognitive function and a lower prevalence of dementia. Animal studies have suggested curcumin might be the ingredient underlying the positive effect, however it was not well absorbed when given orally in a pure form. To address that, the researchers used a lipid soluble compound, Longvida, which is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and is 65 times more bio-available than pure curcumin. In a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, they found that one hour after taking curcumin, participants demonstrated significant improvements on two measures of attention (concentration). After four weeks of treatment there was the same beneficial effect, but on only one attention measure. What really surprised us was that the chronic effect of curcumin was associated with significantly lower levels of fatigue compared with the placebo groups, Ms Cox said. Fatigue in the elderly is quite important for health and psychological reasons, and interventions such as curcumin that can decrease levels of fatigue may have the potential to reduce vulnerability to depression and anxiety disorders. She said the research highlighted the need to further investigate the potential psychological benefits of curcumin in older people.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 23:34:39 +0000
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