A new eye test can detect Alzheimer’s 20 years early with the help of a chemical found in curry, research shows
Curcumin is the main chemical in turmeric and naturally lights ups amyloid plaques that show in people with the disease
A SIMPLE eye test that uses a chemical found in curry could spot Alzheimer’s disease 20 years before symptoms develop, researchers say.
Curcumin pills would be used to light up deposits of brain proteins in the retina.
The hope comes after a study found those with Alzheimer’s had twice as many amyloid plaques in their eyes as healthy people.
Scientists believe it gathers decades before symptoms develop , offering a window for earlier and better treatment.
Curcumin is the main chemical in the spice turmeric and naturally fluorescent, lighting up amyloid deposits in imaging scans.
Tests on mice showed they could be detected up to 20 years before the disease takes hold.
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The news paves the way for a cheap, non-invasive screening programme that would flag up those most at risk.
The study was carried out by LA neurosurgeon Prof Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.
She said it could “define at-risk populations for further evaluation with gold-standard brain imaging”.