The proposed study will assess the ability of curcumin, the active ingredient in the Indian spice tumeric, to improve the function of arteries with age. Overall, the proposed research project has the long-term potential to influence clinical practice guidelines by establishing a novel, easy to deliver, cost-effective therapy for treating age-associated arterial dysfunction and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease with age.

Inclusion Criteria:

• women must be postmenopausal
• body mass index (BMI) <40 kg/m2
• weight stable in the prior 3 months
• absence of clinical disease as determined by medical history, physical examination, blood and urine chemistries, ankle-brachial index, and a graded exercise stress test with monitoring of blood pressure and 12-lead ECG