A Tasty Addition in Your Diet Could Decrease Your Risk for Alzheimer’s

Recent research out of the UK reports there are things we can do that may influence our risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Although Alzheimer’s Research UK states there’s no sure-fire way to prevent dementia yet, because some of the things that shapes our risk like our age and our genes, can’t be changed. “But others, like our diet and the things we do to challenge our brains, can be.” They go on to say the latest evidence suggests up to 40% of all cases of dementia are linked to factors we may be able to influence.

A tasty way to perhaps decrease our risk is to enhance our diet with the addition of several spices to our daily meals. The first of these spices is turmeric, which has lots of research behind it for offering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric contains an active, natural compound (polyphenol) called curcumin and is part of what gives turmeric its yellow hue. Mary-Eve Brown, an oncology clinical dietitian/nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, says some research shows a decrease in pain for patients with osteoarthritis when eating turmeric in recipes. Doctors suggest getting turmeric naturally in your diet rather than in supplements is healthier.

The world’s most expensive spice, saffron, is also associated with health benefits including reducing depression symptoms and improving cognitive function; and gives food seasoned with it a golden hue color. The commonly used pepper is another spice on the list of beneficial foods as it may improve brain function and lower depression symptoms. Its value increases when used with turmeric as it “improves the bioavailability of nutrients in other foods, meaning your body absorbs more of the good stuff from what you eat.” Studies find another common spice, sage, may improve memory in low amounts.

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Source:
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/these-spices-could-lower-your-risk-of-developing-dementia_uk_661d1ca4e4b0f8e522db5d3d?ncid=APPLENEWS00001

hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/turmeric-benefits#:~:text=“It's%20better%20to%20get%20curcumin,or%20gummies%2C”%20she%20says.