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Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

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Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#11

>Because curcumin's anti-inflammatory properties may protect the brain from neurodegeneration My very first question was: Please provide a possible physiological pathway for this. I'm so glad it was answered in the very first sentence. So many of these "Superfood does X" studies are just trials with 10 people over a month, with no explanation as to __how__ it could possibly happen. It significantly increases the skep…

This is how science works. You start with an anomalous discovery. Publish it, write a grant to do more research.

Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#14
The wikipedia for curcumin suggests that it is not bioavailable. The results of this study are attributed to the supplement Theracurmin, which is a bioavailable form of curcumin. So maybe don't bother increasing your turmeric intake based on this study.

Lots of people won't realize that though, and by the time this research gets through the news cycle people will be buying turmeric in bulk. Good time to buy stocks in turmeric producers?

Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#15
Glanced at the study. The supplement appeared to be 90mg of curcumin, taken twice daily.

A quick google search says there are about 15 mg per tablespoon. That would mean you'd need to eat about 6 tbsp of turmeric to get a comparable amount. Probably even more so, since I don't think turmeric is pure curcumin. For reference, the average curry or other dish using turmeric in my household takes about 1 tbsp, so at a glance I would consider it impractical to get that much naturally through your food.

My next curiosity would be whether a smaller amount can show similar benefit, or whether it needs to be at a level only available in a supplement.

Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#17

Glanced at the study. The supplement appeared to be 90mg of curcumin, taken twice daily. A quick google search says there are about 15 mg per tablespoon. That would mean you'd need to eat about 6 tbsp of turmeric to get a comparable amount. Probably even more so, since I don't think turmeric is pure curcumin. For reference, the average curry or other dish using turmeric in my household takes about 1 tbsp, so at a gla…

Does it build up in your body if you eat it often enough.

Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#18
post #12

I also heard turmeric is an antibiotic. Here is at least one study I found on it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4374920/ So I wonder if helps because it alters the bacterial flora in the body.

Taking general-purpose antibiotics is usually not a great thing for your gut, since it doesn't discriminate.

Now, if it more selectively nuked some nastier things, I could buy that.

Re: Curry spice turmeric boosts memory by nearly 30%, eases depression, study finds

#20

Glanced at the study. The supplement appeared to be 90mg of curcumin, taken twice daily. A quick google search says there are about 15 mg per tablespoon. That would mean you'd need to eat about 6 tbsp of turmeric to get a comparable amount. Probably even more so, since I don't think turmeric is pure curcumin. For reference, the average curry or other dish using turmeric in my household takes about 1 tbsp, so at a gla…

1 tbsp per person? I think I average 1 tsp for a 2-person dish, I should ask my mom if I should increase how much turmeric I use.
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