Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Fish oil and curcumin — dynamite for Alzheimer’s?

Fish oil is a supplement made from the fatty acids of cold-water fish. Its main components are two omega-3 fatty acids called ‘docosahexaenoic acid’ and ‘eicosapentaenoic acid’. These substances are examples of PUFAs — ‘polyunsaturated fatty acids’ — which have been much in the news lately because of their demonstrated benefits in preventing cardiovascular disease.

It is becoming evident, however, that these two PUFAs also show promise for fighting Alzheimer’s Disease, and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s. The mechanisms for these effects may involve subtle alterations in the fluidity of nerve cell membranes, the activity of enzymes needed for preserving the connections between nerve cells, and/or processes that normally keep the brain free of protein plaques.

Another completely separate line of research is turning up evidence that curcumin — the colored component of turmeric spice — is also an effective anti-Alzheimer’s agent. This concept is a few years old, but is now being borne out by experiments at the University of California in Los Angeles. Curcumin not only showed an ability to prevent amyloid plaques from forming, it also removed plaques in mice with advanced amyloid protein plaques in their brains (a model for Alzheimer’s Disease).

These two approaches to preventing or treating Alzheimer’s Disease may well be complementary to each other. It makes little sense not to try both of them, especially when there is a family history of Alzheimer’s. The same may be true of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s.

Pronunciation: docosahexaenoic [DOH-KOH'-SAH HEK-SAH EE-NOH'-IK]; eicosapentaenoic [AEE-KOH'-SAH PEN'-TAH EE-NOH'-IK]

Links to news reports:

Fish oil holds promise in Alzheimer's fight

Spicy Curcumin Might Help You Avoid Alzheimer's

Links to research reports:

Chronic Administration of Docosahexaenoic Acid Ameliorates the Impairment of Spatial Cognition Learning Ability in Amyloid {beta}-Infused Rats.

Essential fatty acids and the brain: possible health implications.

Docosahexaenoic acid protects from dendritic pathology in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo.

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LifeLink carries fish oil as DHA-Complex in 500 mg softgels, and curcumin as PriMeric™ in 333 mg capsules.