By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

October 14, 2015

• A taste of India
• The super spice that fights Alzheimer’s, cancer and more
• An ounce of prevention goes a long way

I love the Mediterranean way of eating.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy foods from other cultures, too. In fact, one of my favorite dishes is Indian curry.

These spicy foods are delicious. They certainly fire-up my taste buds. But that’s not the only reason I eat them. I also like the hefty punch they offer when it comes to staving off age-related diseases.

You see, the key compound in curry is turmeric.

It’s loaded with a powerful antioxidant called curcumin. And it can help you put the brakes on all sorts of health problems associated with aging. The healing properties of turmeric are so potent that it’s often referred to as “the spice for life.”

For example, did you know that India has one of the world’s lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease? (The U.S. has one of the highest.)

It’s not a coincidence.

It turns out the turmeric these folks eat in their curries could have some pretty wholesome effects on the brain.

It works by helping clear out the amyloid plaques that are common in Alzheimer’s disease. It also reduces oxidation, inflammation and clears out heavy metals like cadmium and lead – all of which contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Turmeric also shows great promise in the fight against cancer. It works in three ways to slash your risk of many different forms of cancer… breast, prostate, bowel, stomach and more.

First, it can prevent precancerous cells from turning into full-blown cancer. Second, turmeric appears to actually kill cancer cells. And third, it can stop more cancer cells from growing.

The curcumin found in turmeric can even fight off depression. In fact, supplementing with curcumin for only six weeks is just as effective as taking Prozac.

And I’ll be honest with you. I’d much rather prescribe a diet high in turmeric than place any one of my patients on Prozac or any other antidepressant.

These are just three reasons to get more turmeric in your diet. But the clout behind turmeric doesn’t stop there.

Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities make it a powerful weapon against diabetes, allergies, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. It even improves symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and can help cut your chances of developing gallstones.

Like the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And turmeric carries a boatload of prevention.

If you like curry, dig in and enjoy your meals. Just leave out the rice and make sure they’re chock full of vegetables.

If you don’t like it? No worries.

You can get the same benefits by taking a curcumin supplement standardized to contain 90 to 95 percent total curcuminoids. These can be taken in the amount of 250 to 500 mg. three times per day.

To boost your benefit, look for one that also includes piperine. This is a substance found in black pepper. And it increases curcumin absorption incredibly.

Sources:

Shrikant Mishra and Kalpana Palanivelu. The effect of curcumin (turmeric) on Alzheimer’s disease: An overview. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2008 Jan-Mar; 11(1): 13–19.

Aggarwal BB, et al. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):363-98.

Sanmukhani J, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Phytother Res. 2014 Apr;28(4):579-85.

Aggarwal BB, et al. Curcumin: the Indian solid gold. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:1-75.

Ledda A, et al. Meriva®, a lecithinized curcumin delivery system, in the control of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a pilot, product evaluation registry study. Panminerva Med. 2012 Dec;54(1 Suppl 4):17-22.

Rasyid A, et al. Effect of different curcumin dosages on human gall bladder. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2002;11(4):314-8.