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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

#261
post #152

Small study, probably not preregistered (didn't find anything about it in the description). Likely Publication Bias or p-hacking. I'm starting to get interested when it's been independently replicated.

This is becoming an increasingly worrying trend - to bunk any analysis with a comment on 'small sample size, biases' that somehow moves to the top of the comment pile. Statistically, there is no such thing as a 'small sample size', in isolation. It is always related to the power and effect that the researchers want to work with. Moreover, even if a study is statistically insignificant, it DOES NOT mean that the oppos…

>In this case, for instance, turmeric has been used for medicinal properties in Asian cultures for centuries. Theories of evolution suggest that this wouldn't be the case (and it would've died a natural death), if there wasn't some merit.

Lots of things that are completely useless have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal purposes. The evolution argument only holds if there were some negative effects here. Anything that doesn't do harm to the body can easily integrate into the huge body of knowledge called superstition. Eating it is tasty and doesn't hurt, there's nothing more needed to explain that Asian cultures have it as a medicinal herb.

If it for example was good for you but caused somewhat unpleasant side-effects, your evolutionary argument might have more merit. Anything that works as well as homeopathy (it doesn't), but doesn't harm either (like homeopathy), won't be sorted out.

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

#262
post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Small study Almost entirely irrelevant, provided it's properly powered--and based on the effect size and p-values, it is. Furthermore, for an 18 month trial, 40 people is larger than most. > probably not preregistered I mean, true, and we should definitely promote pre-reg, but, 1. so few are preregistered that I'm not sure it's prudent to disregard a study based on this and 2. it's an academic study, neither a clin…

What prevents researchers from running studies like these on the order of thousands of individuals, as opposed to 40 or 100?

If they're marketing their own drug (as implied by other comments - I don't know), you might also ask what stops them from running the studio on a 100 groups of 40 patients, and picking the "best" for publication... (other than ethics, obviously)...

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

#263

>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…

I am a neurologist. this is actually the exact opposite of what you should care about, which is "does it work to treat ___" In this trial, and 99% of other trials, there is no mechanism provided by the study, only a measurement of causality (which is the same thing as effectiveness). The authors may think they know based on other, prior, basic science research (as they are postulating here), but it does not affect th…

Can you comment on the practical improvements reported in this study?

For example, How meaningful is the 20.3 point difference in Buschke SRT test? Is it noticeable in daily life, or just something detected in testing.

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

#264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a school of thought that the worst thing to consume in case of a cold is dairy.

I think that's an old wives' tale. There's probably a better article somewhere, but I found this one: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170421-should-you-avoid-ic...

Turmeric is an Indian old wives' tale apparently.

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

#265
post #199

I’m wary about where I source my turmeric from, because of Lead Chromate contamination: https://www.bu.edu/sph/2017/04/04/high-levels-of-lead-detect...

Have any suggestions on the best sources to avoid this type of contamination?

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

#266

>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…

Turmeric has helped me quite a bit with my inflamed joints after learning about it at a yoga ashram. Now I cook a lot with it. What i have noticed though is that supplements do nothing for me. I only feel a difference when it's fresh powder or even better ground from a root. I have done several experiments where I stopped taking it. Every time my joints got worse and then better after resuming cooking with Turmeric.…

It common among men with low testosterone to have aching joints. Have you checked your levels?

Also funny that some men on TRT take turmeric(with some black pepper) to lessen the amount of estrogen converted from testosterone.

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

#267
post #187

Turmeric has been used in India since ancient times. There are many references to it in Ayurveda - the Indian/Hindu medical sciences. Ayurveda believes in using food as medicine to non only prevent a large majority of human diseases, but also to cure several of them — all with almost zero side effects. Turmeric is just one such extremely powerful & healthy food item that Western science seems to be playing catch up o…

>There are many references to it in Ayurveda - the Indian/Hindu medical sciences. Ayurveda believes in using food as medicine to non only prevent a large majority of human diseases, but also to cure several of them — all with almost zero side effects. Homeopathy also has zero side effects (apart from having zero effects). There is no medical wisdom in any of the old texts (from any culture) that are relevant in 2018.…

Thank you for your bulls* antidote. I especially liked the part about western science vs global science.

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

#268
post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost guaranteed that some of your experience is the placebo effect, but it's impossible to know how much.

As I wrote before I have tried a few times back and forth with consistent results. Maybe it's placebo but it works reliably for me. As long as it works I am happy.

The thing with placebo is that it is an effect. As you say, if it actually helps (and does no harm, or replaces something that helps much more...) - then placebo can be useful and beneficial. It can be difficult to prescribe however...

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

#269
post #100

For every turmeric study claiming health benefits, I can also find a study finding none. It's one of the most controversial subject. Read several papers at least before deciding anything. It's even less clear when you try to evaluate curcumin vs turmeric.

>For every turmeric study claiming health benefits, I can also find a study finding none.

Which is why this should be filed under P for publication bias. If there are enough studies with 40 people, some of them will show positive results.

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

#270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren’t we? People are living longer than ever before. The issue is in determining effect size. I’m sure some amount of all those things you mentioned is “good” in some sense, but in what quantity and for how long?

People are "living longer" because child mortality has fallen dramatically.

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