Curry and Cognitive Function in the Elderly Oxford MS

Cognitive function is the term used to describe a person's state of consciousness (alertness and orientation), memory, and attention span. A mental status examination (MSE) is a standard test used by healthcare professionals to measure a patient's overall mental health. Evaluating a patient's cognitive function includes, first of all, measuring their level of alertness and orientation.

It is important to know that there is a difference between the normal aging process, and dementia (loss of functions such as those described above). In normal aging, the loss of memory is slow and involves things like forgetting where objects are located, or forgetting a person's name or phone number. In dementia causing illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, the process continually worsens until the patient is unable to perform normal activities of daily living.

Recently published, a study investigated curry consumption and cognitive function in elderly Asians. Curcumin (from the curry spice tumeric) has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in experimental studies. The researchers recruited 1010 non-demented Asians, aged 60 to 93 years of age. This study began in 2003. Using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), researchers compared the individuals' results to their intake of curry. Those who consumed curry "occasionally" and "often or very often" scored higher on the MMSE. Those who consumed "rarely" or "never" scored lower. The authors concluded that this preliminary study showed better cognition with curry intake in elderly Asian, but must be confirmed in future studies.¹