Table 2: Summary of research evaluating turmeric in older adults with dementia or AD.

Authors	Purpose	Design/Sample/Instruments	Findings	Reported Other Med	Dosage & Duration	Curcumin Administration
1) Ng, Chiam, Lee, Chua, Lim, & Kua [20]	To identify whether or not curry is associated with improved cognitive functioning in older adults who do not have dementia	Survey design, self-report, correlational study Older adults, aged > 60 1,010 observations, Singapore population (n = 1,010) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	Individuals with high levels of curry consumption had significantly higher MMSE scores than those with low levels of curry consumption. Depression or agitation was not measured in these subjects.	N/A	Self-report consumption in food Duration: Eating Habit	Turmeric in Curry
2) Hishikawa, Takahashi, Amakusa, Tanno, Tuji, Niwa, Murakami, & Krishna [9]	To present three patients with dementia whose, behavioral symptoms improved as a result of taking turmeric	Case Study 3 older adults with dementia (83-year old female, 84-year old female, and 79-year old male) 1) Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory-brief questionnaire 2) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	1) In one case, the MMSE score was up 5-points, from 12/30 to 17/30. 2) In the other two cases, no statistically significant change was seen in the MMSE; However, substantive improvement was observed in the non-significant improvement cases. Participants were able to recognize their family within 1 year of treatment. Depression and agitation were improved in all 3-participants.	All except one person was taking Donepezil	764 mg/day of turmeric, which contained 100 mg of curcumin. Duration: 12 weeks.	Turmeric
3) Ringman, Frautschy, Teng, Begum, Bardens, Beigi, Gylys, Badmaev, Heath, Apostolova, Porter, Vanek, Marshall, Helleman, Sugar,	To generate data regarding curcumin tolerability and preliminary clinical and biomarker efficacy data in persons with AD	Randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 36 subjects diagnosed with mild-to-moderate AD 1) Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) 2) Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale: Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog); 3) Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI);	No statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups. Curcumin was well-tolerated in 33 of the 36 subjects. The study was unable to demonstrate clinical or biochemical efficacy evidence of Curcumin C3 Complex® in AD subjects.	Some were taking acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchE-I), but at a stable level.	2 and 4 mg per day Duration: 24 weeks Continued additional 24 weeks as observational study	Curcumin
Masterman, Montine, Cummings & Cole [21]		4) Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study: Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADCS-ADL); 5) Levels of Ab1 – 40 and Ab1 – 42 in plasma and levels of Ab1 – 42, t-tau, p-tau181 and F2-isoprostanes in cerebrospinal fluid; 6) Plasma levels of curcumin and its metabolites up to 4 hours after drug administration.	They were able to related Curcumin C3 Complex® was associated with lowered hematocrit and increased glucose levels that were clinically insignificant. There were no differences between treatment groups in clinical or biomarker efficacy measures, although preliminary data suggest limited bioavailability of this compound. Depression or agitation was not measured in these subjects.
4) Baum, Lam, Cheung, Kwok, Lui, Tsoh, Lam, Leung, Hui, Ng, Woo, Chiu, Goggins, Zee, Cheng, Fong, Wong, Mok, Chow, Ho, Ip, Ho, Yu, Lai, Chan, Szeto, Chan, & Mok [22]	To examine the safety and efficacy of curcumin on biochemical (such as side effects, drug absorption) and cognitive measures in AD	Experimental: randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study 34 subjects recruited from old age homes and dementia clinics, 50 years old or older, ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong with progressive decline in memory and cognitive function for six months with diagnosis of probable or possible AD 1) Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE); 2) Plasma levels of isoprostanes iPF2a-III and antioxidants; 3) serum levels Aß and liver and kidney functions; 4) plasma to assay curcumin and metabolites	No statistically significant differences were observed between zero and 6 months among dosage groups for MMSE scores or the plasma levels of isoprostanes iPF2a-III or serum levels Aß. A greater level of curcumin, but not tetrahydrocurcumin, ferulic acid or vanillic acid were noticed in plasma with capsules, but not with powder. Curcumin appeared to be safe. It did not appear to cause adverse side effects in subjects. Depression or agitation was not measured in these subjects.	Gingo bibola	1 g/day or 4 g/day	Curcumin