Written by Marcia J. Egles, MD. Rats who were fed curcumin plus ALA (flax Oil) had the highest levels of brain DHA and the lowest levels of “anxious behavior” compared to the control group.
Those who are not in the habit of eating curry spice may wish to develop a taste for it. Recent research from a NIH (The United States’ National Institute of Health) study demonstrates that dietary curcumin, a component of the curry spice turmeric, may help boost levels of DHA in the brain (1).
The most common omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue is DHA, docosahexaenoic acid. DHA is important in brain development as well as in maintenance of brain health (1). Low-levels of DHA have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (2), depressive and anxiety disorders (3,4), schizophrenia (5), and impaired attention (6). Mammals such as rats and humans must obtain omega-3 fatty acids from the diet. The omega-3 fatty acid DHA can be directly obtained by eating seafood or other animal products which contain DHA, or indirectly by consuming plant omega-3 fatty acids that are converted into DHA. A new study performed in rats suggests that curcumin can enhance the DHA content of the brain by facilitating the conversion of the plant-based fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) into DHA in the liver and in the brain (1).
As emphasized by this study, the biological efficiency of the conversion of plant-based ALA into DHA is rather low. However, many people thrive on vegetarian diets without evidence of DHA deficiency. This raised the question to the researchers of whether the spices commonly used in a vegetarian diet might be enhancing the conversion of ALA into DHA.
The current study examined the effects of dietary supplementation of curcumin, on DHA levels in the brains of rats (1). Using rats fed curcumin supplements, the researchers determined that curcumin enhances the conversion of ALA into DHA, elevates the levels of enzymes in the liver and the brain which are involved in this conversion, and elevates the DHA levels in the brain.
In addition to identifying a mechanism by which curcumin could increase brain levels of DHA, the study’s data also suggests that the dietary intake of curcumin with ALA could reduce anxiety behaviors in the animals. Five groups of five to six rats were fed a control standard chow for one week. Then for 3.5 weeks one group was fed the same control diet, one group was fed a diet enhanced with ALA from flax oil, and two groups received the ALA rich diet plus curcumin using concentrations of 250 or 500 parts per million. A fifth group received the control diet plus 500 parts per million curcumin.
The two groups that received curcumin plus ALA had not only the highest levels of brain DHA, (p less than 0.05), but also displayed less “anxious” behavior, on a rat maze test. (The rats’ anxiety–like behaviors were quantitated by the amount of time and persistence of a rat navigating the less protected “open” arms of the maze rather than time spent ”anxiously” cowering in the covered arms.)
This study’s findings have important implications for human health. Vegetarians and vegans, and even omnivores, may face challenges obtaining adequate DHA essential for brain health. Its deficiency may be implicated in several neurocognitive disorders including anxiety disorders and Alzheimer’s disease (2,3,4,5,6). This study also demonstrates the complexities of diet, with a frontier of perhaps yet unappreciated food interactions which transcend simple nutritional contents.
Source: Wu, Aiguo, et al. “Curcumin boosts DHA in the brain: Implications for the prevention of anxiety disorders.” Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular Basis of Disease 1852.5 (2015): 951-961.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Posted June 30, 2015.
Marcia Egles, MD, graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1986. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at St. Louis University Hospital. Dr. Egles is certified in Internal Medicine and is a member of the American College of Physicians. She resides in Avon, IN with her husband and two sons.
References:
- Wu, Aiguo, et al., Curcumin boosts DHA in the brain: Implications for the prevention of anxiety disorders, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (2015) 1852:951-961.
- G. Astarita, K.M. Jung, N.C. Berchtold, V.Q. Nguyen, D.L. Gillen, E. Head, C.W. Cotman,D. Piomelli, Deficient liver biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid correlateswith cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, PLoS ONE 5 (2010) e12538.
- H.F. Chen, H.M. Su, Exposure to a maternal n-3 fatty acid-deficient diet during brain development provokes excessive hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis responses to stress and behavioral indices of depression and anxiety in male rat offspring later in life, J. Nutr. Biochem. 24 (2013) 70–80.
- J.J. Liu, H.C. Galfalvy, T.B. Cooper, M.A. Oquendo, M.F. Grunebaum, J.J. Mann, M.E. Sublette, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status in major depressive disorder with comorbid anxiety disorders, J. Clin. Psychiatry 74 (2013) 732–738.
- R.K. McNamara, R. Jandacek, T. Rider, P. Tso, Y. Dwivedi, G.N. Pandey, Adultmedication-free schizophrenic patients exhibit long-chain omega-3 fatty acid deficiency:implications for cardiovascular disease risk, Cardiovasc. Psychiatry Neurol. 2013 (2013) 796462.
- Y. Xiao, L. Wang, R.J. Xu, Z.Y. Chen, DHA depletion in rat brain is associated with impairment on spatial learning and memory, Biomed. Environ. Sci. 19 (2006) 474–480.
