A combination of curry spice and omega-3 fatty acid has shown promise in restoring walking abilities among spinal cord injury patients, in an animal research conducted by UCLA experts. Reported in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, the findings showed that dietary supplements containing compounds derived from the aforesaid substances could resurrect damaged nerve cells.
This may help maintain optimal neurological function in individuals who have encountered degenerative impairment in their necks. A research was undertaken with rats experiencing a condition like cervical myelopathy, which is often seen in patients suffering from osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis. This condition is one of the common issues affecting people aged above 55 and causes walking difficulties.
“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,” cited principal investigator Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The main reasons why both omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin found in curry spice showed promise was because of their beneficial ingredients. The former is known to treat harmed cell membranes, while the latter is cited to be a powerful antioxidant. Both were found to work in tandem to reduce inflammation that is the main culprit in this case.
The positive effect was seen in the rats, as those which received the combined supplements seemingly walked better than the controls. The analysis essentially put forth that diet could reverse impaired nerves among spinal-cord injury patients and make them walk without difficulty.