The researchers recorded a baseline of the rats walking and re-examined the animals’ gait on a weekly basis. As early as three weeks, the rats eating the Western diet demonstrated measurable walking problems that worsened as the study progressed. Rats fed a diet enriched with DHA and curcumin walked significantly better than the first group even six weeks after the study’s start.
Next, the scientists examined the rats’ spinal cords to evaluate how diet affected their injury on a molecular level. The researchers measured levels of three markers respectively linked to cell-membrane damage, neural repair and cellular communication.
The rats that ate the Western diet showed higher levels of the marker linked to cell-membrane damage. In contrast, the DHA and curcumin appeared to offset the injury’s effect in the second group, which displayed equivalent marker levels to the control group.
Levels of the markers linked to neural repair and cellular communication were significantly lower in the rats raised on the Western diet. Again, levels in the animals fed the supplemented diet appeared similar to those of the control group.
Also, a research team from Oregon State University, United States, has released the result of a study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry that demonstrates how curcumin exerts a measurable increase in levels of a protein that is known to be important in the innate immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals.
Scientists found that curcumin activated the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP, a critical component of the immune system that identifies previously unknown bacteria, allowing for rapid identification and removal of the invader.
According to the researchers, any natural compound that can influence or raise CAMP levels is of significance to human health, as it helps boost immunity and provides a barrier against a host of chronic conditions and pathogenic invaders.
In recent years, vitamin D has been studied extensively and has been found to be a potent stimulator of CAMP activity. New research has found that curcumin and vitamin D work synergistically to fight infection and systemic inflammation as they both exhibit disease-fighting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Earlier study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research found that Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer, and this effect may be modified by a genetic variant in the COX-2 gene.
According to a pilot study using human saliva by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre, curcumin suppresses a cell-signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer.
Another study published in Clinical Cancer Research found that the curcumin binds to and prevents an enzyme known as IKK, an inhibitor of kappa ? kinase, from activating a transcription factor called nuclear factor kappa ? (NF??), which promotes cancer growth.
Principal investigator and associate professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Langston Holly, explained, “normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue. While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”
Coauthor and professor of neurosurgery, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said, “the brain and spinal cord work together and years of research demonstrate that supplements like DHA and curcumin can positively influence the brain. We suspected that what works in the brain may also work in the spinal cord. When we were unable to find good data to support our hypothesis, we decided to study it ourselves.
“DHA and curcumin appear to invoke several molecular mechanisms that preserved neurological function in the rats. This is an exciting first step toward understanding the role that diet plays in protecting the body from degenerative disease.”
Holly said, “our findings suggest that diet can help minimise disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord. We next want to look at other mechanisms involved in the cascade of events leading up to chronic spinal-cord injury. Our goal is to identify which stages will respond best to medical intervention and identify effective steps for slowing the disease process.”