Brain Health- Potential for Improvement with Vit D and Curcumin
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A combination of vitamin D3 and curcumin, from tumeric, may boost the immune system, and help it clear the protein plaques linked to Alzheimer’s, says a new study.
The new data, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, may lead to new approaches in preventing Alzheimer’s by using vitamin D3 alone or in combination with natural or synthetic curcumin to boost the immune system in protecting the brain against beta-amyloid.
This small study examined monocyte cells, which transform into macrophages and in turn boost the immune system, isolated from the blood samples of nine Alzheimer’s patients, one patient with mild cognitive impairment and three healthy control subjects. The curcuminoids were found to enhance binding of beta-amyloid to macrophages, and that vitamin D could strongly stimulate the uptake and absorption of beta-amyloid in macrophages in most of the patients. Provking the thought that this may represent a therapeutic option, albeit this is a very small and early study, the risk to benefit falls in favour of the nutrients.
Masoumi A, Goldenson B, Ghirmai S, Avagyan H, Zaghi J, Abel K, Zheng X, Espinosa-Jeffrey A, Mahanian M, Liu PT, Hewison M, Mizwicki M, Cashman J, Fiala M. 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<formula>_{3}</formula> Interacts with Curcuminoids to Stimulate Amyloid-beta Clearance by Macrophages of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients.J Alzheimers Dis. 2009 May 11. View Abstract
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Keywords:anti-aging, brain, herbs, immunity, inflammation, nutrition
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The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
