Curcumin Consumption Through Dietary Sources Improves Cognitive Functioning Including Executive Function and Attention in Older Adults

by | Apr 19, 2022 | 2022, Botanicals, Brain Health, Cognitive Health, Curcumin

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Findings of this observational cohort study suggest that more frequent consumption of foods containing curcumin, such as curry, resulted in overall enhanced cognition, with improvements noted for short-term working memory, language, attention, and executive function.

curcumin - botanicalsDementia is a group of conditions related to the loss or interference of cognitive, behavioral, and functional abilities 1. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affects more than 55 million people worldwide and that number will rise to 78 million by 2030 2. AD is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptide deposits and tau protein aggregates in the brain that lead to neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction 3. It greatly affects the quality of life of affected individuals and leads to cognitive decline, with loss of reasoning skills, language, and attention 4.

Although further research needs to be completed in order to comprehend ways to combat or treat this neurological disorder, medicinal plant compounds have been studied for their potential ability to offset the neuroinflammation that occurs in dementia. One such plant compound is curcumin, a polyphenol found in the rhizome of the turmeric plant 5. Turmeric has been used traditionally in Eastern Asia as a culinary spice and its active component curcumin has been used as a therapeutic compound due to its powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties 6. Several mice studies have identified curcumin as successfully decreasing oxidative stress and repairing amyloid pathology 7. Furthermore, curcumin has clinically validated research proving its ability to interfere with Aβ biogenesis and aiding in clearing plaque deposits in the brain, further minimizing the manifestation of AD 8.

In this observational cohort study, Ng. et al examined data surrounding the potential neuroprotective effects of curcumin consumption in two combined studies in the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study (SLAS-1 and SLAS-2). Participants (mean age of 65.9 years, 63.6% were women) with baseline neurocognitive data (final sample of n=2751) were asked at the beginning of the study and at follow-up interviews of every 3-5 years how frequently they consumed curry in their meals (never or rarely, occasionally, often or very often). Neurocognitive assessment included the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), along with a variety of tests such as the Rey Auditory Verbal Leaning Test-Delayed Recall (RAVLT-DR) for verbal learning and memory, the Digit Span Forward (DS-F) and Backward (DS-B) for attention and working memory, Block Design for executive function, and Verbal Fluency-Animals (VF-A) for language. Effect size was measured using Cohen’s d statistic. Results of the study are as follows:

  • Higher levels of curry consumption resulted in significantly higher crude estimates of mean neurocognitive performance scores at baseline and follow-up for MMSE, Digit Span-Backward and Verbal Fluency-Animals.
  • Pair-wise comparisons show that compared to subjects in the “never or rarely” category of curry consumption, those who answered “often” and “very often” were associated with significantly higher scores of Digit Span-Backward.
  • Furthermore, “very often” subjects were associated with significantly higher scores on Verbal Fluency-Animals and “often” and “very often” subjects were associated with significantly higher performance on Block Design.
  • The estimated Cohen’s d for significant changes in neurocognitive functions ranged from 0.130 (DS-B) to 0.186 (Block Design).

In conclusion, subjects with higher average levels of curry consumption were associated with higher scores on the neurocognitive assessments. Consumption of curry overtime was associated with maintaining higher functioning on attention, working memory, and executive function in older adults. Findings of the study support the use of curcumin as a therapeutic approach for neuroprotective benefits. Limitations include the shorter duration of the population-based study and the lack of analyzing the risk of neurocognitive disorders was not addressed in this study.

Source: Ng, Tze Pin, Ma Shwe Zin Nyunt, Qi Gao, Xinyi Gwee, Denise Qian Ling Chua, and Keng Bee Yap. “Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption and Neurocognitive Function from 4.5-Year Follow-Up of Community-Dwelling Older Adults (Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study).” Nutrients 14, no. 6 (2022): 1189.

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

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Posted April 19,2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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