Have you noticed some “senior moments” occurring here and there?  You forgot what you came into a room for or you draw blanks on someone’s name.  These are all pretty common memory glitches that don’t mean much.  But, I’d like to tell you about a simple way to boost your “working memory” for at least several hours.  And it doesn’t take any more time than taking a pill…

Ward off Senior Moments with This Common Spice

As you get older, your body’s metabolic processes don’t work as efficiently as they did when you were younger.  One of these processes is your body’s ability to use insulin correctly.  Insulin helps clear sugar from your blood and converts it to energy instead of storing it as fat.  But, with getting older, your insulin/sugar clearing function may have decreased.  As a result, you could have higher blood sugar levels.  You may even be “pre-diabetic”.  This can impact your memory.

Chronically higher blood sugar levels often lead to type 2 diabetes.  But, even slightly elevated blood sugar levels, or prediabetes, can affect your short term memory.  It may even lead to dementia in your later years.  So, keeping normal blood sugar levels not only prevents diabetes but protects your memory and overall brain health.  Here’s how a common spice can help…

Turmeric has been used for centuries to flavor foods in Indian and other Asian dishes. But, health researchers have also found many health benefits of turmeric in the last few years.  These include the following:

1.  Powerful antioxidant:  Turmeric is one of the most powerful disease fighters there is,  right up there with Vitamin C.  It boosts the immune system and fights free radical damage to your cell DNA.  Turmeric also brought about cell death in breast cancer cells, according to researchers.  Bowel cancer is also very low in India.  Researchers believe that turmeric in their diet is the reason why.

2.  Anti-Diabetic/Insulin Booster:  Studies out of Columbia University found that turmeric improved insulin sensitivity.  It helps clear blood sugar levels faster and more completely.  Normalizing blood sugar levels also helped to decrease body fat.

3.  Major Anti-inflammatory:  Turmeric was found to stop the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in studies.  People also report significant arthritis pain-relief with turmeric allowing them to stay more mobile.

3.  Wound repair.  Turmeric helped wounds heal in other studies.  This is important for people with impaired, or much slower, wound healing capability often seen in diabetes or vascular conditions.

4.  Relieves muscle cramps.  Turmeric powder is high in potassium so many people have found it to be very effective in relieving nighttime leg cramps.

Turmeric also reduced the beta-amyloid protein plaques seen with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in another study.  There are very low levels of Alzheimer’s disease in India. Researchers believe it’s due to the high turmeric intake in their diets.

Turmeric’s insulin boosting properties is what boosts your memory and prevents AD. A recent study found that insulin resistance may be a major cause in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.  Insulin resistance increases blood sugar levels throughout the body, including the brain.  Too high sugar levels degrades brain tissue function. Researchers are working on a blood test that predicts AD 10 years earlier in those with insulin resistance.

That’s why turmeric is so helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s and improves your “working memory” capacity.  This type of memory is used in decision making, solving problems and reasoning –critical skills you need everyday to function on your job or run your business. Turmeric works to decrease blood sugar levels and fight insulin resistance.

A recent study out of Monash University revealed that 1,000 mg of turmeric taken at breakfast boosts working memory for 6 full hours afterwards.  Imagine, taking two 500 mg capsules of turmeric with your breakfast and getting through your workday with less memory glitches and faster mental processing.  Sure would be a big help in giving a presentation, or just doing your job more effectively.

The researchers found that adding just this relatively small amount of turmeric to your diet everyday could help protect your brain/memory in 2 ways:

1.  Normalize blood sugar levels of older people to ward off type 2 diabetes. Over-50 people are at higher risk for developing diabetes.  Diabetics are at much higher risk of developing dementia later in life.

2.  Boost your memory and other mental skills to allow you to function better during the day.

Protect your future brain health, and improve your present working memory, by adding  turmeric to your diet.  If you already have type 2 diabetes, or pre-diabetes, turmeric can be of even greater help.  Turmeric can help lower your blood sugar levels, along with diet-control and losing weight, to prevent future memory loss.

Stay Well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

Spice Up Your Memory, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141118110009.htm

Chemopreventative Properties of Curcumin, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16556014

Turmeric Prevents Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061030071152.htm

Curcumin Inhibits Formation of Amyloid Beta Plaques, etc http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15590663

Common Spice Shows Promise in Combating Diabetes and Obesity, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/112273.php