Curcumin...

Curcumin and DHA Display Powerful Neuroprotective Properties Posted on July 4, 2012 by Sean Wells The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (or DHA) has previously been shown to repair damage to cell membranes. Curcumin is a strong antioxidant that previous studies have linked to tissue repair. Both are known to reduce inflammation, but recently UCLA researchers discovered in an animal trial that they make for a powerful combination, displaying the capability for offsetting neurodegeneration and preserving walking ability in animals with spinal-cord injury. The UCLA team studied two groups of rats with a condition that mimicked cervical myelopathy—a progressive degenerative disorder that can appear in people with spine-weakening conditions such as osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis. It can eventually lead to difficulty walking, neck and arm pain, numbness in the hands and weakness of the limbs, and is considered the most common cause of spine-related walking problems in people over the age of 55. The first group of animals was fed a diet replicating the typical Western diet: high in saturated fats and sugar. The second group consumed a standard diet supplemented with DHA and curcumin. The researchers first recorded a baseline of the rats walking pace and gait, conducting reevaluations on a weekly basis thereafter. Approximately three weeks into the study, the rats eating the Western diet began to display measurable walking problems that worsened as the study progressed. In contrast, the rats fed the DHA/curcumin-enriched diet walked significantly better than the first group, and continued to perform better for approximately double the timeframe during the study. This establishes that the dietary supplementation was highly effective in offsetting the effects of the spinal injury, and appeared to aid in the healing of nerve cells. “DHA and curcumin appear to invoke several molecular mechanisms that preserved neurological function in the rats,” said coauthor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, professor of neurosurgery at UCLA. “This is an exciting first step toward understanding the role that diet plays in protecting the body from degenerative disease.” This entry was posted in Anti-Aging, Research & Studies and tagged anti-aging, anti-aging supplements, curcumin, inflammation, omega 3 fatty acids, research. Bookmark the permalink.