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me too -----Original Message----- From: Meg Duggan Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 2:44 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Curcumin Here are the beginnings of what I'm learning about curcumin... improved version will be in my newsletter next week, along with antioxidants and a bit more on proteins.... say "yup" if want me to add you to my list! Curcumin Curcumin is the active-inflammatory compound found in the Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family. A study published just last week in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that curcumin is proving to be effective at preventing protein clumping in Parkinson’s disease. (see sidebar.) Research published in the journal PLoS also showed that curcumin molecules target the amyloid fibrils associated with the unnatural progression of the protein-like plaque tangles that are characteristic in Alzheimer’s. Previous research into curcumin has shown that it has a positive effect on neurogenesis in the hippocampus and increases the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rats. Further research into a curcumin derivative found that it improves memory and was broadly neuroprotective, stimulating BDNF in vitro and in vivo ( within the glass and within the living.) So why aren’t all Parkinson patients sprinkling curry powder on everything and ingesting curcumin caplets? One reason is that curcumin is poorly bioavailable. Bioavailability is defined as the degree to which or rate at which a drug or other substance is absorbed or becomes available at the site of physiological activity after administration. Basically, curcumin is not well absorbed, is rapidly metabolized and is quickly eliminated. I found a pretty clear explanation of what happens to curcumin once we swallow it. The author posted anonymously on the American Cancer Society site. I paraphrase the post here, with thanks to the author! “The starting point to understanding the central issue of low bioavailability is to realize that curcumin in insolubale in water at pH of 7 and below. Therefore, in the stomach, where the curcumin first encounters body fluids, it remains insoluble because the stomach fluids are acidic. Once the stomach contents enter the small intestine they are changed to alkaline pH by the bile and other digestive fluids that are injected there. Curcumin thus dissolves in the small intestine. From the small intestine, the curcumin might be dissolved into the capillaries of the hepatic venous system that serves the stomach and large and small intestines. However, the curcumin in the small intestine exists as small crystals or clumps of crystals that cannot pass through the tiny pores in the capillary walls. The remedy is to be sure that the curcumin is in a solution that allows it to circulate to the rest of the body to organs that might use is beneficially. “ Curcumin dissolved or cooked in oil has increased bioavailbility, and oil based capsules are available on the internet in strengths from 450 to 100 milligrams. However, a search of the blogosphere turned up many instances of people who prefer to dissolve their own turmeric, mostly to avoid the very high numbers of capsules that must be ingested and to save money. Curcumin is more bioavailable when heated, though do not boil it. Here are a few “recipies” I found: Dissolve a teaspoon of curcumin powder in very warm milk and add omega 3-6-9 lemon flavor oil. Option – add coconut oil instead of the lemon oil. Rated “very palatable.” Dissolve curcumin in a teaspoon or two of organic flax seed oil. Then add about 1/3 cup of organic fruit yogurt and stir. Add ¼ to ½ cup of frozen raspberries or other frozen fruit and stir into a kind of frozen yogurt. Rated “doesn’t taste wonderful but is palatable due to the fruit flavor and the cold.” Melt chocolate with butter and milk, stir in one full teaspoon of curcumin. Rated “ very palatable.” One teaspoon of curcumin equals 4 grams. Clinical studies in humans have found that doses of curcumin from 2 – 12 grams are shown to have few side effects. Side effects are mostly mild nausea or diarrhea. However, a daily dose of 12 grams has only been studied over a three month period. Recently, curcumin has been found to alter iron metabolism by chelating iron and suppressing the protein hepcidin, potentially causing iron deficiency in susuceptible patients. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn