Want a golden memory? Eat golden spice

One of my fondest memories is a trip my husband and I took to Ireland. We rented a car and for two weeks drove all over the country, taking our time and enjoying seeing new places and meeting new people. We also fell in love with the food. But, strangely enough my favorite thing we ate during our entire trip wasn’t Irish at all. It was a curry pie we found at a little Indian store on the roadside. Yep, that’s right… My favorite food from our trip to Ireland was Indian food. I know… I’m weird! But, the curry in the pie was so flavorful that after we ate it, we went back and bought two more for the road. And, guess what… That golden spice that gave the curry such amazing flavor and me a memory to last a lifetime may also have helped me preserve my memory too (and even feel better… happier). That’s because a new study has discovered that the active ingredient in the spice, turmeric called curcumin can actually boost both your memory and your mood. Bring on the Indian food! Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant The study, conducted by UCLA researchers examined the memory performance in people with mild, age-related memory loss when taking a curcumin supplement versus placebo. You see, curcumin has previously been shown to be both anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant in lab studies. And, scientists believe it could also be the reason that senior citizens in India, where curcumin is a dietary staple, have a lower prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and better cognitive performance. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or 90 milligrams of curcumin twice daily for 18 months. All subjects received standardized cognitive assessments at the start of the study and at six-month intervals. Here’s […]

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