Curcumin, from the curry spice turmeric, has been shown to possess potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties and to reduce beta-amyloid and plaque burden in experimental studies, but epidemiologic evidence is lacking. The authors investigated the association between usual curry consumption level and cognitive function in elderly Asians. In a population-based cohort (n = 1,010) of nondemented elderly Asian subjects aged 60-93 years in 2003, the authors compared Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores for three categories of regular curry consumption, taking into account known sociodemographic, health, and behavioral correlates of MMSE performance. Those who consumed curry "occasionally" and "often or very often" had significantly better MMSE scores than did subjects who "never or rarely" consumed curry. The authors reported tentative evidence of better cognitive performance from curry consumption in nondemented elderly Asians, which should be confirmed in future studies.
Findings from previous studies reporting the levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been conflicting. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to examine the aggregate levels of serum BDNF in patients with AD and individuals with MCI, in comparison with healthy controls. Fifteen studies were included for the comparison between AD and healthy control (HC) (n = 2067). Serum BDNF levels were significantly lower in patients with AD (SMD: −0.282; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.535 to −0.028; significant heterogeneity: I2 = 83.962). Meta-regression identified age (p < 0.001) and MMSE scores (p < 0.001) to be the significant moderators that could explain the heterogeneity in findings in these studies. Additionally, there were no significant differences in serum BDNF levels between patients with AD and MCI (eight studies, n = 906) and between MCI and HC (nine studies, n = 5090). In all, patients with AD, but not MCI, have significantly lower serum BDNF levels compared to healthy controls. This meta-analysis confirmed the direction of change in serum BDNF levels in dementia. This finding suggests that a significant change in peripheral BDNF levels can only be detected at the late stage of the dementia spectrum. Molecular mechanisms, implications on interventional trials, and future directions for studies examining BDNF in dementia were discussed.
Increased leisure activity, especially productive activities more than physical or social activities, was associated with a lowered risk of cognitive decline. APOE-epsilon 4 genotype individuals appeared to be more vulnerable to the effects of low and high levels of leisure activities.
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