ABSTRACT
Why many chronic illnesses are more common among individuals from certain countries is not fully understood. Extensive observational and experimental research carried out within the last halfcentury has indicated that lifestyle plays a major role in chronic disease [1]. Interaction of lifestyle factors with genetic factors leads to the disease process. Food is perhaps one of the most important lifestyle components that could modulate the course of various diseases. Hippocrates proclaimed almost 25 centuries ago, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine by thy food.” This is no different from the common saying, “You are what you eat,” or recommendations from the National Institutes of Health to increase intake of fruits and vegetables for their preventive properties. The components in fruits and vegetables that prevent disease and the mechanisms by which it is done are increasingly becoming evident. One food substance consumed primarily on the Indian subcontinent is a variety of spices. These spices are used in Indian cooking as preservatives and for taste and appearance,
20.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 281 20.2 Protection from Neurotoxicity ........................................................................................... 282 20.3 Multiple Sclerosis ...............................................................................................................290 20.4 Alzheimer’s Disease ...........................................................................................................290 20.5 Spongiform Encephalopathies ........................................................................................... 293 20.6 Parkinson’s Disease ............................................................................................................ 293 20.7 Age-Associated Neurodegeneration ...................................................................................294 20.8 Schizophrenia .....................................................................................................................294 20.9 Epilepsy .............................................................................................................................. 295 20.10 Neuropathic Pain ................................................................................................................296 20.11 Cerebral Ischemia ...............................................................................................................296 20.12 Depression ..........................................................................................................................297 20.13 Brain Tumors ......................................................................................................................299 20.14 Meningitis...........................................................................................................................302 20.15 Summary ............................................................................................................................302 Acknowledgment ...........................................................................................................................302 References .....................................................................................................................................302
