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# No cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but curcumin may help
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/curcumin_helps_alzheimer_s_disease_0928131022/
- Published: 2013-09-28T11:21:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:59:40.000Z
- Description: Pamela E. Potter writes in the Journal of Experimental Pharmacology that people eating curcumin-rich diets showed lower Alzheimer's risk in epidemiological studies and that animal work points to reduced beta-amyloid, though trials have not shown it treats the disease.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Herbs, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Saturday Sept 28, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A report released in Journal of Experimental Pharmacology suggests that taking curcumin, an ingredient found in turmeric may help prevent Alzheimer's disease even though evidence shows that this compound is not effective in treating the disease. Doctors say there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, which affect an estimated five million Americans.

Pamela E Potter from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, USA, author of the report, says that epidemiological studies have shown that people who ate a diet high in curcumin were at a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that taking curcumin supplements may help prevent the disease.

Indian studies have already suggested that a high dose of curcumin like 6 grams of curcumin per day can be used to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus in people living with prediabetes. Curcumin as an antioxidant has an antiinflammatory effect and may potentially help prevent a variety of cancer, the author says.

Laborotory and animal studies provided evidence to suggest that curcumin decreases brain inflammation and protects against β-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity, according to the report. In animal studies, curcumin was found to decrease "β-amyloid formation from amyloid precursor protein, and also inhibits aggregation of β-amyloid into pleated sheets." The neuroprotective effect of curcumin was evident in animals with overproduction of β-amyloid, which is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. These animals improved their cognitive function after exposure to curcumin.

Curcumin may not be an effective therapeutic as clinical trials show while they can be an effective preventative against Alzheimer's disease. The potential explanation is that the oral bioavailability of curcumin in humans is poor and large numbers of neurons are dead already in patients with Alzheimer's disease and these cells may not be revived by curcumin.

Still, the author says that "Curcumin may be beneficial in protecting against development or progression of AD (Alzheimer's disease) if taken over the long term and started before symptoms of AD become apparent." (DL)