Curcumin, the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow colour, could slow mental decline in elderly people by 49 per cent, suggests a study of non-demented Asian people.
Cognitive performance declines naturally with age, but the results of the new study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol. 164, pp. 898-906) suggests that eating curries “often or very often” had significantly better cognitive performance than those who “never or rarely” ate the dish.
The study adds to previous laboratory-based studies that showed that curcumin could boost the body’s ability to clear the build up of plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimers disease.