Brain Seasoning: A common spice could deter Alzheimer’s
Past research has suggested that a common spice in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine may improve mental performance in elderly people. Now, scientists have discovered a mechanism by which this spice, called turmeric, could help the body clear plaque deposits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/6953.jpg?resize=80%2C150&ssl=1)
Those deposits consist of a protein called amyloid-beta. Healthy people’s bodies make the protein, but immune system cells called macrophages regularly identify, engulf, and remove it. In the new study, a team led by Milan Fiala of the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center found that macrophages in blood samples from people with Alzheimer’s couldn’t destroy amyloid-beta.