Taking turmeric for memory might be a good idea, but your best choice for supplementation is a well designed multi ingredient product that includes an enteric coating. Single ingredients supplements are, in many cases, a waste of money.
When it comes to the spice turmeric, the active component is curcumin. Researchers have measured blood levels of curcumin after volunteers consumed as much as 10 grams of the spice and found the level to be very low. This means that the compound has low “bio availability”.
There are many other nutrients that have low bioavailability because of the size of the molecules or because they are changed by digestive acids. One of them is glutathione, which must be reduced, in order to pass through the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream. Others include SAM e, resveratrol and curcumin, which are changed by stomach acids into an unavailable form.
One of the “tricks” for increasing the bioavailability of curcumin, so that you can get the benefits of taking turmeric for memory, is to add piperine to the formula. Piperine has been shown to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by 2000 .
When you see single ingredient supplements on the market that contain 500 or 600mg and then you see another multi nutritional supplement that contains only 50mg, you may think that the higher dosage would be more beneficial. But this is not a case of more is better.
Large doses can cause indigestion and worsen gallbladder disease. High doses have been shown to cause liver problems in animals. We don’t know how this correlates to humans, as yet, but better safe than sorry.
When curcumin is protected as it passes through the stomach, it will not cause digestive problems. When it reaches the upper intestine and passes into the bloodstream, the liver is not involved. And, since piperine enhances the bioavailability of the nutrient by 2000 , a 50mg dose is plenty.
There are a couple of reasons to consider turmeric for memory. A 2004 study suggests that it inhibits the formation of plaques in the brain that lead to Alzheimer’s. An observational study indicates that people who eat curry frequently have better mental clarity. In addition, the compound has a positive effect on the neurons in the brain.
All of those things are good, but one of the other causes of memory loss and decreased mental clarity low oxygen levels and poor circulation in the brain. Gingko biloba improves the oxygen content and the circulation. Green tea extracts have been shown to increase alertness, as well.
If you want the best results, you should be taking ginkgo biloba, green tea, SAM e and turmeric for memory. You would likely spend hundreds of dollars per month to take all of them. A better value for your money is a multi nutritional supplement that contains them all, along with essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
If you are not well nourished, you will be fatigued and “fuzzy headed”. Taking turmeric for memory does not contribute to your nutritional intake. Improving that intake may solve many of your health problems.
Source: ZingArticles - Valerie Rosenbaum
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