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Article: Curry: spice of life.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Medical Update
- Article date:
- March 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A pinch of this pungent, yellow spice can transform meats, grains, vegetables, and legumes into something quite delicious. Now researchers are looking into whether a component in curry powder, curcumin, might help protect millions from the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.
Curcumin is an extract of turmeric, a plant related to ginger, whose roots, ground into powder, are a main component of curry spice.
In studies with mice, UCLA researchers found that curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and inhibit the abnormal formation of protein fragments like those found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. In India, where turmeric is a dietary staple, the ...