Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health

Abstract

Turmeric, a spice that has long been recognized for its medicinal properties, has received interest from both the medical/scientific world and from culinary enthusiasts, as it is the major source of the polyphenol curcumin. It aids in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety, and hyperlipidemia. It may also help in the management of exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, thus enhancing recovery and performance in active people. In addition, a relatively low dose of the complex can provide health benefits for people that do not have diagnosed health conditions. Most of these benefits can be attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Ingesting curcumin by itself does not lead to the associated health benefits due to its poor bioavailability, which appears to be primarily due to poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination. There are several components that can increase bioavailability. For example, piperine is the major active component of black pepper and, when combined in a complex with curcumin, has been shown to increase bioavailability by 2000%. Curcumin combined with enhancing agents provides multiple health benefits. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of the plethora of research regarding the health benefits of curcumin.

Therapeutic effects of curcumin on sepsis and mechanisms of action: A systematic review of preclinical studies

“…As a final note, curcumin has been confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and safety profiles and good tolerability have been shown by clinical trials, even at doses between 4 and 8 g/day (Hewlings & Kalman, ). Despite curcumin has a good safety profile, some negative side effects have been reported including mainly gastrointestinal (nausea and diarrhea), headache, rash, and increase in lactate dehydrogenase contents and serum alkaline phosphatase (Asher & Spelman, ; Hewlings & Kalman, ).…”

Synergistic anticancer action of quercetin and curcumin against triple‐negative breast cancer cell lines

“…However, quercetin induces ROS generation in embryonic stem cells (S. Y. Kim et al, ). Curcumin also acts as an antioxidant (Hewlings & Kalman, ), but at the same time, curcumin induces ROS production and mediates cancer cell apoptosis (Khan, Gahlot, & Majumdar, ; Swatson, Katoh‐Kurasawa, Shaulsky & Alexander, ). In our studies, the combination of quercetin and curcumin significantly decreased cellular growth.…”

A curcumin derivative hydrazinobenzoylcurcumin suppresses stem‐like features of glioblastoma cells by targeting Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II

“…19,20 In particular, previous studies have demonstrated that curcumin may be an effective therapeutic agent for GBM. 19,20 In particular, previous studies have demonstrated that curcumin may be an effective therapeutic agent for GBM.…”