Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: An Asian Population-Based Study

TL;DR

Eating curcumin-rich curry regularly is linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older Asian adults.

Contribution

This study demonstrates a dose-dependent protective effect of curcumin-rich curry consumption on cognitive health in an Asian aging population.

Findings

Higher curry consumption frequency was linearly associated with lower cognitive decline risk (p = 0.037).

Daily curry consumption was linked to a 79% lower risk of MCI-dementia compared to rare consumption (OR = 0.21).

Cumulative incidence of MCI-dementia dropped from 13.1% to 3.6% with increased curry consumption.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: We studied the possible protective effect of dietary curcumin in curry meals against cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in a population-based Singapore Longitudinal Ageing cohort study. Methods: Baseline curry consumption frequency was categorized as five categories ranging from ‘never or rarely’ to ‘daily’. Among 2920 participants (mean age 65.5 ± SD 7.1 years) free of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or traumatic brain injury at baseline, cognitive decline (MMSE drop ≥2) was assessed at 3–5 years (mean 4.5) follow-up. Occurrence of incident MCI-dementia was assessed at follow-up among 2446 participants without neurocognitive disorder at baseline. Results: A decreasing linear trend was observed between higher levels of curry consumption and cognitive decline (p = 0.037). The cumulative incidence of MCI-dementia decreased from 13.1% in those who never or rarely consumed curry to 3.6% in those who consumed curry daily (linear p < 0.001). The adjusted OR across levels of curry consumption exhibited a linear trend (p = 0.021) from OR = 0.61 (p < 0.05) for occasional consumption to OR = 0.21 (p < 0.001) for daily consumption. Conclusions: The intake of dietary curcumin through curry shows a dose-dependent reduction in incidence of cognitive decline and MCI-dementia in this Asian population of community-based elders.

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