Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Abstract

PurposeTo determine whether supplementation with turmeric or curcumin extract effects pain and physical function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Second, we investigated the therapeutic response (pain and function) of turmeric compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).MethodsA search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Review. Inclusion criteria included randomised controlled trials reporting pain and physical function in humans with knee OA comparing turmeric therapy with NSAIDs or no therapy. Two reviewers screened 5273 abstracts. Risk of bias and quality were assessed via Cochrane Collaboration tool and CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) 2010, respectively.ResultsTen studies were included in the final analysis. Eight had high methodological quality and two were categorised as good with a mean CONSORT quality score of 21.1. Nine studies had adequate sequence generation and six had adequate allocation concealment. Participants and outcome assessors were blinded in eight studies. Three of the studies compared turmeric therapy to NSAIDs. All 10 studies showed improvement in pain and function from baseline with turmeric therapy (p≤0.05). In three studies comparing turmeric to NSAIDs, there were no differences in outcome scores (p>0.05). In all studies there were no significant adverse events in the turmeric therapy group.ConclusionCompared with placebo, there appears to be a benefit of turmeric on knee OA pain and function. Based on a small number of studies the effects are similar to that of NSAIDs. Variables such as optimal dosing, frequency and formulation remain unclear at this time.

Superior Bioavailability of a Novel Curcumin Formulation in Healthy Humans Under Fasting Conditions

“…Curcumin has been extensively studied under experimental conditions as well as human clinical studies including treatment of osteoarthritis [23,[28][29][30][31], and bioavailability of curcuminoids plays an important role in the bioactivity such as exhibiting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties [32]. A recent study that used cell-based experimental models of osteoarthritis demonstrated that curcumin suppresses inflammation by blocking the NF-jB-Sox9 signaling pathway that plays a critical role in initiation of pathogenesis of osteoarthritis [29].…”

Reconnoitering the Therapeutic Role of Curcumin in Disease Prevention and Treatment: Lessons Learnt and Future Directions

“…Clinical studies of oral curcumin showed promising results in alleviating OA symptoms [ 72 ]. Several studies have shown benefits on the pain and functional scores of OA after administering oral curcumin alone or as an adjunct [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ].…”

Ingredients of a Natural Oral Nutritional Supplement and Their Role in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

“…More recently, turmeric has been investigated for its anti-inflammatory properties due to its active ingredient, curcumin. Curcumin makes up 3% to 10% of the turmeric powder that can be extracted, 21 and the extract itself has been shown to have similar effect to NSAIDs through affecting the signaling of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukins, phospholipase A2, 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by affecting nuclear factor kappa light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activity. 22 In a study by Plummer et al 22 in 1999, it was shown, using NF-κB transfection assays, that curcumin decreases NF-κB transactivation.…”