Study: Turmeric's active ingredient could boost memory and mood

[Guest Nicole]

Dive Brief:

• An 18-month study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 21 adults aged 50-90 taking a twice-daily 90-mg curcumin supplement saw their memory function improve by an average of 28% over that period, according to Forbes. 
• Depression scores also improved, while those of a control group stayed the same. The study was published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and was the first long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a bioavailable form of curcumin in non-demented adults.
• The researchers concluded that taking a bioavailable curcumin supplement daily may lead to improved memory and attention in non-demented adults. The specifics of how curcumin works are not yet known, "but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and major depression," Gary Small, M.D., who led the research team, said in a statement.

Read more: https://www.fooddive.com/news/study-turmerics-active-ingredient-could-boost-memory-and-mood/515528/