Curry may counter cognitive decline.A chemical found in turmeric turmeric: see ginger. turmeric Perennial herbaceous plant (Curcuma longa; family Zingiberaceae), native to southern India and Indonesia. Its tuberous rhizomes have been used from antiquity as a condiment, as a textile dye, and medically as an , an ingredient in curry, may prevent cognitive impairment, a study of Singaporeans suggests. The chemical, called curcumin, has anti-inflammatory and anticancer anticancer, n a medicine or substance used to treat cancer. properties, past research in animals had suggested (SN: 12/8/01, p. 362). To explore its potential effects in people, medical researchers in Singapore analyzed a database of some 1,000 elderly, mentally sound adults living in that ethnically diverse city-state in Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. . The database, originally collected for diet and health studies, provided a measure of cognitive function cognitive function Neurology Any mental process that involves symbolic operations–eg, perception, memory, creation of imagery, and thinking; CFs encompasses awareness and capacity for judgment for each volunteer and information on, among other things, ethnicity and curry consumption. Compared with people who reported rare or no curry consumption, those who said they ate curry often or occasionally had slightly higher scores on the cognitive-function tests. Researchers led by Tze-Pin Ng of the National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS) is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered. report the finding in the Nov. 1 American Journal of Epidemiology. Once the researchers took education and other factors into account, the results were strongest in people of Indian ethnicity. Indian curry recipes rely heavily on turmeric.--B.H. |
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