Posted on 04/20/2004 5:18:13 PM PDT by blam
Curry could help defeat Alzheimer's
Hot curries can guard against the deterioration of the brain and help keep Alzheimer's at bay.
The news comes after a study into the health benefits of curcumin, found it has power to protect against the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Curcumin is found in everything from the mildest korma to the hottest vindaloo and scientists in Italy and the US say the oil is a chemical trigger that enhances enzyme activity.
They add it protects the brain against the progression of neurodegenerative disease, reports The Times.
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 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 Alzheimer'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.
Are they the same?
Mmmmmmmmmmm...... Thai curry! I just decided what to do for dinner tonight: Keo's! Thai hot please!
Are they the same?
Yes.
Hank
Well, I've had vindaloos so hot that... uh... what...?
Tumeric? Does it cause tumers?
Yeah, another senseless claim from boneheaded research.
The claim is currently to HELP prevent the affliction. But once it has you, you're toast. Nothing and no one has ever claimed the ability to stop it or even a breakthrough discovery to lead to reversal of it.
Nicotene, caffeine, vitamin-c, everything under the sun has been branded with a claim to HELP prevent it.
Ain't a dam thing out there today that's worth buying into. I'm a caregiver. Been there. Done that.
Enjoy your curry.
"Tumeric" or "Turmeric"? The latter is the form I recall.) Nonetheless, Indian restaurants are to me rather more pleasant than popping pills.
Ugh -- choose between Persian and Indian...? The offerings of the local (Redmond WA) Persian restaurant are most exquisite, very well done; though the Indian restaurants' offerings are more varied in "heat"...
It is the latter. Bad spelling happens to good people sometimes.
I am waiting for an order of Thai foodstuffs from an outfit in Issaquah. Plenty of curry there!
You lucky dog we only have a Indian restaurant where I live. When I go on my spice run out of town I always at a Persian restaurant. Most delicious!
Scroll down the article they are talking about Tumeric a ingredient included in the curry powders.
Here is what I know on curry. I hope I got it right. The curry plant was originally used to make Indian curry. The British in charge of India at the time wanted to bring the curries of India home to Britain but the leaves didn't travel well. So the came up with a powder mixture to mimic the taste of curry. I don't think restaurants use curry powder in their curries. I don't use any in mine normally. I have a few Indian cook books and they all seem to have turmeric, coriander and cumin in them. Those ingredients are in most powders along with some other ingredients. Curry leaves are still used in India today. I am not sure what ingredients are used or not used in India.
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