 The top killers in the United States are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Number 5, accidents. Number 9, kidney disease. Number 13, high blood pressure, Parkinson's disease. Over the last 50 years, they've all stayed relatively stable, except this one. Starting out of nowhere, just a few decades ago and now, is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. What is it? Alzheimer's disease. Last year was the seventh leading cause of death. This year, the sixth keeps creeping up. Over the last decade or so, we've been making some progress on some of the other top killers, but not Alzheimer's. Enter the saffron crocus. Saffron in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. It was a double-blind randomized trial measuring cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's patients, comparing saffron to placebo. Saffron is the female reproductive organs of the saffron flower, which we can buy as a spice. So, what did they find? You give Alzheimer's patients placebo capsules, and as you can see their cognitive dysfunction gets worse over time. That's what happens in Alzheimer's. You get worse and worse until you die. Unless it appears you spice up your life with a little saffron. Conclusion. This double-blind placebo-controlled study suggests that at least in the short term, 16 weeks, saffron is both safe and effective in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Larger confirmatory randomized controlled trials are called for, urgently, given the devastation wrought by this disease. But even if this study was a total fluke, what's the downside of adding a little saffron to our diet, a spice that's been cooked with for 3,500 years? I don't know about you, but God forbid if anyone in my family were ever diagnosed with this disease horror, I'd be cooking them some paella.