Curcumin Found very beneficial (again)

[Ronhutton]

Still more "discoveries" that curcumin is very useful in PD.
Ron

http://www.naturalnews.com/024866.html

Researchers know inflammation and damage caused by oxidative stress are implicated in the death of brain cells associated with PD. And curcumin, derived from the curry spice turmeric, has long been known to be a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. So researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine put these facts together and came up with a laboratory model of Parkinson's disease in order to see what effect curcumin has on PD. The result? The spice provided brain cells with strong protection from injury and death.

The research team tested curcumin on nerve-like cells that make a mutant form of the protein alpha-synuclein, called A53T, which binds together inside of cells, causing harmful changes that eventually lead to cell death. A53T alpha-synuclein caused half of untreated cells to die. But when A53T cells were treated with curcumin, only 19% of the cells died. What's more, additional research showed that curcumin also reduced oxidative damage to the cells.

"These results suggest that curcumin is a potential candidate for inhibiting the oxidative damage that leads to Parkinson's disease," said Wanli Smith, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Hopkins, in a statement to the media. "This common curry spice could be a weapon to protect the brain."

[rd42]

Which curcumin supplement to you take?

[mrsD]

just recently.

Most of what I found was the curcumin is not well absorbed.
That a pepper extract may improve that...called piperine (Bioperine). Doctor's best supplements have that added to them.

Also the fat/oil improves absorption, and that is why curcumin in food is recommended.

example:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....214221243&at=0

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...urcumin_01.htm

This forum has had more experience with curcumin than I have, so I will be watching this thread for other opinions.

[reverett123]

There is some evidence that turmeric/curcumin is subject to what is called "bi-phasic" dosing - a fancy way of saying that a small dose has a different effect than a larger. I've got a file here somewhere that I'll post once it is found.

Originally Posted by mrsD

just recently.

Most of what I found was the curcumin is not well absorbed.
That a pepper extract may improve that...called piperine (Bioperine). Doctor's best supplements have that added to them.

Also the fat/oil improves absorption, and that is why curcumin in food is recommended.

example:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....214221243&at=0

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...urcumin_01.htm

This forum has had more experience with curcumin than I have, so I will be watching this thread for other opinions.

[reverett123]

While this indicates that there is a biphasic situation and that piperine might or might not be a good idea, remember that our test rat (aka Ron) has had good results with his own long running experiment. Ron, correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that you take somewhere around 500 mg per day sans piperine - is that right? Anyway...

1: J Biol Chem. 2008 May 23;283(21):14497-505. Epub 2008 Mar 24.

Curcumin stimulates proliferation of embryonic neural progenitor cells and
neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.

Kim SJ, Son TG, Park HR, Park M, Kim MS, Kim HS, Chung HY, Mattson MP, Lee J.

Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug
Development, Longevity Life Science and Technology Institutes, Pusan National
University, Geumjeong-Gu, Busan, Korea.

Curcumin is a natural phenolic component of yellow curry spice, which is used in
some cultures for the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress and
inflammation. Curcumin has been reported to be capable of preventing the death of
neurons in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, but its possible effects
on developmental and adult neuroplasticity are unknown. In the present study, we
investigated the effects of curcumin on mouse multi-potent neural progenitor
cells (NPC) and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Curcumin exerted biphasic effects
on cultured NPC; low concentrations stimulated cell proliferation, whereas high
concentrations were cytotoxic. Curcumin activated extracellular signal-regulated
kinases (ERKs) and p38 kinases, cellular signal transduction pathways known to be
involved in the regulation of neuronal plasticity and stress responses.
Inhibitors of ERKs and p38 kinases effectively blocked the mitogenic effect of
curcumin in NPC. Administration of curcumin to adult mice resulted in a
significant increase in the number of newly generated cells in the dentate gyrus
of hippocampus, indicating that curcumin enhances adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
Our findings suggest that curcumin can stimulate developmental and adult
hippocampal neurogenesis, and a biological activity that may enhance neural
plasticity and repair.

[Ronhutton]

Hi Rick,
Yes, I have taken curcumin 500mg per day for many years now, but I do take it with bioperine (a patented form of piperidine, found in black pepper.) The bioperine is a booster for the curcumin, giving it much better bioavailability and enhanced performance. RD42, I buy it from iHerb.
The information on curcumin is overwhelming now, showing it is a multifunctional supplement, in that it is a powerful antioxidant, anti inflammatory, and heavy metal chelator, to mention but a few.
It is consumed in quantity in curries in India, where PD incidence figures are low. Rick, this tends to argue against your excellent work showing
an excess is detrimental?
Ron

[reverett123]

I couldn't remember on the bioperine. It's good to have you as a baseline. Curcumin is probably the #1 alternative thing we have going in terms of supportive research with green tea a close second. I wonder if bioperine boosts its absorption as well.

Originally Posted by Ronhutton

Hi Rick,
Yes, I have taken curcumin 500mg per day for many years now, but I do take it with bioperine (a patented form of piperidine, found in black pepper.) The bioperine is a booster for the curcumin, giving it much better bioavailability and enhanced performance. RD42, I buy it from iHerb.
The information on curcumin is overwhelming now, showing it is a multifunctional supplement, in that it is a powerful antioxidant, anti inflammatory, and heavy metal chelator, to mention but a few.
It is consumed in quantity in curries in India, where PD incidence figures are low. Rick, this tends to argue against your excellent work showing
an excess is detrimental?
Ron

[mrsD]

that Bioperine will also boost RX drug absorption.
If this is true, be careful with it if you take drugs of any kind.

[Shake 'Em Up]

RON-
THANKS MUCHO FOR THE SPECIFICS.
I'VE ORDERED THE COMBO YOU RECOMENDED AND WILL GIVE IT A TRY.
CYBDY


Most of what I found was the curcumin is not well absorbed.
That a pepper extract may improve that...called piperine (Bioperine). Doctor's best supplements have that added to them.

Also the fat/oil improves absorption, and that is why curcumin in food is recommended.

example:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....214221243&at=0

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...urcumin_01.htm

This forum has had more experience with curcumin than I have, so I will be watching this thread for other opinions.[/quote]