Could curry spice boost brain cell repair?

ConclusionThis laboratory and animal research has found that an extract from turmeric (aromatic turmerone) seems to increase the growth and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). However, this research is in the very early stages. So far, the extract has only been added to brain stem cells in the laboratory, or directly injected into the brains of only three rats. Though NSCs have some ability to regenerate brain cells after damage, this is usually not enough to have an effect in degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The hope is that by boosting the number of NSCs, they could be more effective at repairing damage in these conditions. This study has not investigated whether the observed effects would make any meaningful functional differences in rats with degenerative brain diseases, never mind humans with these conditions. As the researchers further caution, there are various issues to be considered when contemplating the possibility of any trials in humans. For example, it is recognised that causing the increased rate of growth and differentiation of NSCs carries some risk of cancerous change. Also, the route of administration used here in the rats – direct injection into the brain – would be likely to carry far too much risk and may not be possible in humans. We certainly don’t know whether taking turmeric extracts by mouth – or just by eating a spicy diet as the Express headline suggests – would have any effect on the brain’s powers of rege...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Neurology Source Type: news