Does turmeric help with brain health or is it just another hyped up superfood?

Answer 1

Turmeric and curcumin are very hard for your body to absorb. Turmeric supplements, however, are much more easily absorbed by the body as they are standardized to the active ingredient. We'll get to this in a moment, but read on to learn about some studies on curcumin and the brain.

Studies on Turmeric Supplements for Cognitive Health

When researchers studied it, curcumin was shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. Here is a summary of some of the studies:

• **Neuroprotection:** A few clinical trials have evaluated taking turmeric supplements and cognition in older adults and Alzheimer's disease patients. The groups treated with curcumin showed reduced mental fatigue, higher levels of calmness and contentment, and improved attention and working memory. These effects may be because curcumin increases blood flow within brain areas involved with memory function. Curcumin also seems to have some anti-amyloid properties, which could potentially prevent Alzheimer's disease development by preventing plaque formation on neurons. This may explain why some studies show improvements in attention span following treatment with curcumin. In patients with Alzheimer's, researchers believe that curcumin can help clear out the beta-amyloid plaques characteristic of this disease.

• **Mood:** A recent review of the medical literature found that turmeric supplements were able to alleviate symptoms of depression after four weeks, suggesting longer therapy with curcumin is needed.