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Effects of Supplementation with Curcuminoids on Dyslipidemia in Obese Patients: A Randomized Crossover Trial
Abstract
Dyslipidemia is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is also a common feature of obesity. Curcumin is a bioactive phytochemical with well-known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties. The present study investigated the hypolipidemic activity of curcumin in obese individuals. Participants (n = 30) were treated with curcuminoids (1 g/day), or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, together with anthropometric parameters and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured before and after each treatment period. Anthropometric parameters including weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, arm circumference, and body fat remained statistically unchanged by the end of trial (p > 0.05). As for the lipid profile parameters, serum triglycerides were significantly reduced following curcumin supplementation (p = 0.009). However, curcuminoids were not found to affect serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p > 0.05). In summary, the findings of the present study indicated that curcuminoid supplementation (1 g/day for 30 days) leads to a significant reduction in serum triglycerides concentrations but do not have a significant influence on other lipid profile parameters as well as body mass index and body fat. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
... These RCTs were conducted in Iran. 86,91,93,94,98,102,103,105,106,108,110,112,113,115,[117][118][119]121,124,125,129,130,[132][133][134][135][136][139][140][141][142][143]147,148 Japan. 87,89,99,116,123 India. ...
... Except for three studies that had cross-over design. 91,101,120 the majority of studies took advantage of a parallel design. Regarding the types of curcumin supplements used in the intervention, 38 studies used curcumin/curcuminoids. ...
... 85,[87][88][89]96,111,146 overweight and obese individuals. 91,114,128,129,131,137,148 patients on hemodialysis. 93,125,126,134 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). ...
Introduction:
Numerous approaches have been assigned to treat dyslipidemia (DLP). Turmeric/curcumin have been widely investigated with this regard. In the current study, we explored the effect of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on lipid profile.
Methods:
Online databases were searched up to October 2022. The outcomes included triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), and apolipoprotein A (Apo-A). We used the Cochrane quality assessment tool to evaluate the risk of bias. The effect sizes were estimated as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results:
Out of 4182 articles retrieved from the initial search, 64 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included in the study. Between-study heterogeneity was significant. Meta-analysis showed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation exerts statistically significant improvements on blood levels of TC (WMD = -3.99mg/dL; 95% CI = -5.33, -2.65), TG (WMD = -6.69mg/dL; 95% CI = -7.93, -5.45), LDL-c (WMD = -4.89mg/dL; 95% CI = -5.92, -3.87), and HDL-c (WMD = 1.80mg/dL; 95% CI = 1.43, 2.17). However, turmeric/curcumin supplementation was not associated with improvements in blood levels of Apo-A or Apo-B. The studies did not thoroughly address the issues of potency, purity, or consumption with other foods.
Conclusion:
Turmeric/curcumin supplementation seems to be effective in improving blood levels of TC, TG, LDL-c, and HDL-c; but may not be capable of improving their pertinent apolipoproteins. Since the evidence was assessed to be low and very low concerning the outcomes, these findings should be dealt with caution.
... Table 1 presents the characteristics of the 66 RCTs included in the current systematic review and meta-analysis. These RCTs were conducted in Iran [86,[89][90][91][92][93][94]96,98,100,104,[109][110][111][113][114][115][116]120,[122][123][124]127,128,131,133,[135][136][137][138][139][140][141][142]144,145,147,150], the United States [87,88,103,105,117], India [95,101,119,121,148,151], Japan [97,118,126,149], Germany [99], Iraq [102,143], China [107], Indonesia [106,108], Armenia [112], Australia [125,134], Brazil [129,132,146], and Turkey [130], and were published between years 2011 and 2021. Eight studies were exclusively performed on female subjects [88,124,130,133,135,140,145,147], six studies on male subjects [92,98,103,110,117,128], and others on both genders. ...
... The dosage of curcumin supplementation varied between 80 mg/day (nano-curcumin) and 3000 mg/day (turmeric powder), and the duration of intervention ranged from 4 to 24 weeks across selected RCTs. Except for five studies that had cross-over designs[88][89][90]99,132], the majority of studies took advantage of a parallel design. Regarding the types of curcumin supplements used in the intervention, 41 studies used curcumin/curcuminoids[89,90,92-94,96-98,100-108,112,113,116-121,123-125,132- -134,136,138,139,141,143,145-148,151], 11 studies administered turmeric ...
Turmeric and its prominent bioactive compound, curcumin, have been the subject of many investigations with regard to their impact on inflammatory and oxidative balance in the body. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarized the existing literature on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which examined this hypothesis. Major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar) were searched from inception up to October 2022. Relevant studies meeting our eligibility criteria were obtained. Main outcomes included inflammatory markers (i.e. C-reactive protein(CRP), tumour necrosis factorα(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6), and interleukin 1 beta(IL-1β)) and markers of oxidative stress (i.e. total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde(MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity). Weighted mean differences (WMDs) were reported. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Sixty-six RCTs were included in the final analysis. We observed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly reduces levels of inflammatory markers, including CRP (WMD: -0.58 mg/l, 95 % CI: -0.74, -0.41), TNF-α (WMD: -3.48 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -4.38, -2.58), and IL-6 (WMD: -1.31 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -1.58, -0.67); except for IL-1β (WMD: -0.46 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -1.18, 0.27) for which no significant change was found. Also, turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly improved anti-oxidant activity through enhancing TAC (WMD = 0.21 mmol/l; 95 % CI: 0.08, 0.33), reducing MDA levels (WMD = -0.33 µmol /l; 95 % CI: -0.53, -0.12), and SOD activity (WMD = 20.51 u/l; 95 % CI: 7.35, 33.67). It seems that turmeric/curcumin supplementation might be used as a viable intervention for improving inflammatory/oxidative status of individuals.
... In addition, Pierro et al. found that administration of curcumin tablets complexed with phosphatidylserine for 30 days in overweight people with metabolic syndrome resulted in a significant decrease in BMI, body weight, waist circumference and body fat percentage [57]. However, several other clinical trials have yielded mixed results and found no significant effect of curcumin on anthropometric parameters [48,49]. Differences between studies may be related to the forms of curcumin, the dose used and the duration of intervention. ...
... Similarly, Karandish et al. reported that curcumin supplementation (500 mg/d) for 90 days in 21 obese subjects (5 men and 16 women) with prediabetes significantly reduced FBG, 2 h postprandial glucose (2hpp), HbA1c and HOMA-IR levels and significantly increased insulin sensitivity [56]. In addition, two randomized controlled trials found that compared with placebo, administration of curcumin C3 complex capsules (1000 mg/d) for 30 days in obese individuals or phytosomal curcumin tablets (800 mg qd) for 8 weeks in overweight subjects resulted in a significant reduction in TG levels but no significant influence on other lipid parameters, including TC, LDL-C and HDL-C [47,48]. ...
Metabolic diseases have become a serious threat to human health worldwide. It is crucial to look for effective drugs from natural products to treat metabolic diseases. Curcumin, a natural polyphenolic compound, is mainly obtained from the rhizomes of the genus Curcuma. In recent years, clinical trials using curcumin for the treatment of metabolic diseases have been increasing. In this review, we provide a timely and comprehensive summary of the clinical progress of curcumin in the treatment of three metabolic diseases, namely type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of curcumin on these three diseases are presented categorically. Accumulating clinical evidence demonstrates that curcumin has good therapeutic potential and a low number of side effects for the three metabolic diseases. It can lower blood glucose and lipid levels, improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Overall, curcumin may be an effective drug for the treatment of T2DM, obesity and NAFLD. However, more high-quality clinical trials are still required in the future to verify its efficacy and determine its molecular mechanisms and targets.
... CUR was also found to be beneficial in the clinical trials performed on patients suffering from obesity [149][150][151], metabolic syndrome [152][153][154] or acute coronary disease [11]. When obese individuals consumed capsules of CUR (500 mg C3 Complex (curcuminoids formula + 5 mg bioperine)) for 30 days, serum TG were decreased, as well as LDL, TC/LDL ratio, and PAB in serum [14,149,150], together with increased Zn/Cu and a reduction in Cu/Zn ratio in serum [151]. ...
... CUR was also found to be beneficial in the clinical trials performed on patients suffering from obesity [149][150][151], metabolic syndrome [152][153][154] or acute coronary disease [11]. When obese individuals consumed capsules of CUR (500 mg C3 Complex (curcuminoids formula + 5 mg bioperine)) for 30 days, serum TG were decreased, as well as LDL, TC/LDL ratio, and PAB in serum [14,149,150], together with increased Zn/Cu and a reduction in Cu/Zn ratio in serum [151]. Improved lipid status was also recorded in patients suffering from metabolic syndrome, where intake of CUR extract capsules (12 weeks) or C3 Complex (8 weeks) resulted with elevated HDL concentrations and reduced LDL, TG, TC/HDL ratio, non-HDL, TC, TG, and Lp(A) [152,153]. ...
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) compromises a group of heart and blood vessels disorders with high impact on human health and wellbeing. Curcumin (CUR) have demonstrated beneficial effects on these group of diseases that represent a global burden with a prevalence that continues increasing progressively. Pre- and clinical studies have demonstrated the CUR effects in CVD through its anti-hypercholesterolemic and anti-atherosclerotic effects and its protective properties against cardiac ischemia and reperfusion. However, the CUR therapeutic limitation is its bioavailability. New CUR nanomedicine formulations are developed to solve this problem. The present article aims to discuss different studies and approaches looking into the promising role of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems to deliver CUR and its derivatives in CVD treatment, with an emphasis on their formulation properties, experimental evidence, bioactivity, as well as challenges and opportunities in developing these systems.
... Bunlara ek olarak, obezite ile ilişkili yüksek leptin düzeyinin kurkumin takviyesi ile azaltılabileceği bildirilmiştir (Alappat & Awad, 2010). Mohammadi ve arkadaşları (Mohammadi, 2013) tarafından yapılan başka bir çalışmada obez bireylere 30 gün boyunca kurkumin (1 g/gün) veya plasebo olacak şekilde takviye verilmiştir. Kurkumin takviyesinin serum trigliserit ve toplam kolesterol düzeylerinde önemli bir azalmaya karşın beden kütle indeksi (BKİ), ağırlık, bel çevresi, kol çevresi ve vücut yağında önemli bir değişiklik görülmemiştir (Mohammadi, 2013). ...
... Mohammadi ve arkadaşları (Mohammadi, 2013) tarafından yapılan başka bir çalışmada obez bireylere 30 gün boyunca kurkumin (1 g/gün) veya plasebo olacak şekilde takviye verilmiştir. Kurkumin takviyesinin serum trigliserit ve toplam kolesterol düzeylerinde önemli bir azalmaya karşın beden kütle indeksi (BKİ), ağırlık, bel çevresi, kol çevresi ve vücut yağında önemli bir değişiklik görülmemiştir (Mohammadi, 2013). Çalışmalardan yola çıkılarak kurkuminin antropometrik ölçüm ve vücut kompozisyonunda önemli etkileri bulunmadığı fakat obezite üzerine olumlu etkileri olabileceği gösterilmiştir. ...
Obez ve fazla vücut ağırlığına sahip olma durumu, dünyada yaklaşık olarak her üç kişiden birinde var olan metabolik bozukluklardan biri haline gelmiştir. Obezite tedavisi için en etkili çözüm, dengeli bir beslenme planı ile birlikte yaşam tarzı değişikliğinin oluşturulmasıdır. Ancak uzun vadede sürdürülmesi gereken bu yaşam tarzı değişikliği, obez bireylerin çoğu için uyum zorluğu nedeniyle başarısız sonuçlanmaktadır. Ağırlık kaybını sağlamadaki zorluklar bu kişileri, popülerliği artan besin desteklerine yöneltmektedir. Birçok bitkiden elde edilen ürünler, dünya nüfusunun çoğunluğu tarafından sağlığın iyileştirilmesi ve geliştirilmesi için kullanılmaktadır. Buna paralel olarak, obez ve fazla vücut ağırlığına sahip kişiler tarafından ağırlık kaybını destekleyeceği düşünülerek, besin desteklerinin kullanımı artış göstermiştir. Tüketilen besin desteklerinin içeriğindeki biyoaktif bileşikler; sindirim sisteminde görev alan enzimleri inhibe etme, lipit metabolizmasını arttırma, iştahı baskılama gibi çeşitli metabolik yollarla ağırlık regülasyonuna etki edebildiği varsayılarak fazla vücut ağırlığına sahip bireyler tarafından kullanılmaktadır. Bazı besin bileşenlerinin farklı metabolik yolaklarla ağırlık kontrolünü sağladığı bildirilmekle beraber, bunun aksi yönde insan sağlığını tehdit eden yan etkilerinin de olabileceği unutulmamalıdır. Bu nedenle, mevcut bilimsel veriler ve güvenli kullanım tavsiyelerinin dikkatlice araştırılması önem arz etmektedir. Bu derlemede, bazı besin desteklerinin ve ilaçların obeziteyi önlemedeki etki mekanizması araştırılmış, obeziteyi önleme ve tedavi etme stratejilerine bakış açısı sunmak amaçlanmıştır.
... C. longa research suggests curcuminoids are safe in both animal studies (up to 15 mg/ml) and human clinical trials (up to 2500 mg per day). However, few clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the influence of C. longa and curcuminoids supplementation on BMI, inflammation, glucose and lipids; and results have been inconclusive [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. This is most probably due to scarcity of clinical studies, complexity in the setup of clinical studies and inter-individual differences. ...
... Few clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the influence of C. longa and curcuminoids supplementation on obesity and its related disorders; however, the results were contradictory. For example, BMI has been shown to be not influenced in few studies [24][25][26][27][28] while reduced in others [29][30][31]. Although the preclinical anti-inflammatory effect of curcuminoids has been well established [46,47], the clinical evidence on the influence of curcuminoids supplementation on inflammatory parameters associated with obesity and its related diseases is scarce and inconclusive. ...
Introduction
Obesity is associated with chronic activation of low-grade inflammation produced mainly from adipose tissue, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Consequently, there is a need to screen for new anti-obesity medicines. Clinical evidence regarding the anti-obesity properties of Curcuma longa L. (C. longa) is inconclusive. Therefore, we aim to investigate for the first time the influence of curcuminoids and hexane extract derived from C. longa 1) On the release of pro-inflammatory adipokines from human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) and induced-mononuclear cells (iMC) and 2) On the activities of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase enzymes.
Methods
ASAT explants and lipopolysaccharide-iMC were treated with either curcuminoids or hexane extract of C. longa. Protein concentration, anti-lipase, anti-amylase and anti-glucosidase activities were evaluated employing colorimetric methods.
Results
Treatment of ASAT with curcuminoids or hexane extract inhibited the secretion of leptin, CCL5 and Il-1β. Treatment of iMC cells with curcuminoids or hexane extract inhibited the secretion of TNF-α, CCL5 and Il-1β and leptin was not detected. Curcuminoids possessed a significant inhibitory activity against lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusion
We demonstrate for the first time that curcuminoids and C. longa exert anti-inflammatory properties on human ASAT and iMC and inhibit the activities of lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. This suggests that C. longa and curcuminoids not only may ameliorate obesity-associated comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome but may be used as a preventive approach against obesity. However, this needs in vivo validation in the future.
... Curcumin administration has been reported to be effective in improving various metabolic disturbances in PCOS patients. 13 Therefore, turmeric or Curcuma longa has been considered as an essential therapeutic agent in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine and has been investigated as a potential adjuvant therapy for improving any metabolic parameters. This meta-analysis (Figure 1). ...
Objective: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecologic and endocrine disorder with metabolic disturbances and infertility as the most common long-term consequences. Curcumin comes up as one of the alternative herbal remedies in PCOS treatment options. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of curcumin on metabolic disturbance parameters in PCOS patients and PCOS-modeled rats. Method: A systematic search of eligible studies was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO-Host, and ProQuest according to the PRISMA 2009 guideline. We further assessed for risk of bias using SYRCLE’s risk of bias tool for preclinical studies and The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool for the clinical studies. We used Review Manager (version 5.4) with random effect model to obtain a pooled mean difference with 95% CIs. Results: Five preclinical studies and three clinical studies were selected and pooled. The significant decrease in the level of Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG), Fasting Insulin (FI), lipid profile, and Homeostatic Model of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) value, and a significant increase in Quantitative Insulin-Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) value found in preclinical studies. The result for clinical studies showed a significantly decreased HOMA-IR values (SMD=-0.36, p=0.001), FPG level (SMD=-3.32, p=0.0001), Serum Insulin level (SMD=-1.47, p=0.002), and increased QUICKI value (SMD=0.01, p=0.006). Conclusion: Curcumin offers a substantial effect on metabolic disturbance parameters in PCOS patients and could be an alternative promising treatment for PCOS patients in the future.
... However, the intake of CUR in a randomized crossover trial did not change the body weight of obese adults [41]. In addition, another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial revealed the significant effect of this product on the body weight of patients with metabolic syndrome [42]. ...
Objective(s): One of the most important neurotrophins is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that is closely associated with insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). This study was done under the objective of investigating the effects of curcumin (CUR) and nano-curcumin (nCUR) on serum levels of BDNF, fasting blood sugar (FBS), water and food intake, and body weight in T2DM rats. Materials and Methods: Our work required the division of 48 male Wistar rats into the 6 groups of Control, diabetic, diabetic treated with two doses of CUR and nCUR (100 and 200 mg/kg), T2DM induced rats by intraperitoneal injection of Streptozotocin, and nicotinamide in the fasting state. Once the rats received nCUR and CUR doses through gavage for 28 days, their Serum level of BDNF was measured at the end of intervention period, while their body weight, FBS, and food and water intake were also examined at both onset and ending of this period. Results: Considering the effect of curcumin and nano-curcumin administration on the induced significant increase in serum BDNF and decrease in FBS, food, and water intake in T2DM rats (P<0.05), we can confirm the superior effectiveness of nano-curcumin 100 in serum BDNF elevation than curcumin (P<0.05). It is also notable that the body weight of intervention groups did not face any significant reduction when compared to that of diabetic control group. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence for the beneficial effects of CUR and nCUR as an antidiabetic agent, which can be potentially considered as an adjunct for the available diabetes therapies.
... Several clinical trials have investigated the potential of curcumin to treat obesity. In one study, obese subjects were treated with curcumin (1 g/day) for 30 days, along with a bioavailability enhancer (piperine) (Mohammadi et al. 2013). Compared with controls, weight, BMI, and body fat were not affected by curcumin treatment, but serum triglyceride levels were significantly reduced, suggesting improved insulin activity. ...
The gradual ageing of the world population has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity and metabolic diseases, especially type 2 diabetes. The adipose tissue dysfunction associated with ageing and obesity shares many common physiological features, including increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity may help elucidate the processes that contribute to the metabolic disturbances that occur with ageing. This, in turn, may help identify therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity and age-related metabolic disorders. Because oxidative stress plays a critical role in these pathological processes, antioxidant dietary interventions could be of therapeutic value for the prevention and/or treatment of age-related diseases and obesity and their complications. In this chapter, we review the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which obesity predisposes individuals to accelerated ageing. Additionally, we critically review the potential of antioxidant dietary interventions to counteract obesity and ageing.KeywordsAgeingObesityMetabolic syndromeOxidative stressInflammationNutraceuticalsDietary interventions
... 38 Researches have shown that when curcumin is incorporated into collagen, it acts as a supportive matrix for slow release, increases wound reduction, and enhances cellular proliferation. 39 Mechanism of action: [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties and is used in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases such as cancer, inflammatory conditions, osteoarthritis, neurologic conditions, and diabetes. ...
Periodontal care comprises care of the surrounding tissue of teeth along with proper care of teeth. Periodontal maintenance is a preventive measure that helps to prevent infections in oral cavity. For this, besides, scaling and root planning, various medications in the form of oral tablets, mouthwashes, gargle solutions, gels etc. are used these days. The number of conventional available such as anti-inflammatory synthetic drugs have certain limitations and researchers are constantly in search of herbs and medicinal plants. Turmeric possesses a wide range of medicinal values used ardently by our seers for the treatment of the diseased and to maintain the health of the healthy people as well. Researches have thrown light upon the fact that Curcuma longa possesses anti-inflammatory features and has a wide range of therapeutic utilities. The various properties of Curcuma longa has been even experimented to offer a readily available alternative in certain cases as well. The scattered information pertaining to the antioxidant potential of Curcuma longa in Ayurveda and contemporary science is reported. Present review embraces the general introduction, morphology, phytochemical and pharmacological attributes and an in-depth information of reported antioxidant properties of Curcuma longa in terms of available experimental and clinical studies
... They were also given a bioavailability enhancer, piperine (5 mg/day). There were no significant changes in body weight or body composition, however, there was a significant drop in serum triglycerides [98,103]. Similarly, in another randomized, doubleblind, crossover trial, a 30-day supplementation schedule of C3 Complex (500 mg/day) along with piperine (5 mg/day) significantly reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-4 in subjects with obesity, indicating the potential anti-inflammatory role of curcumin in obesity treatment [104]. ...
Obesity is a growing health concern in today’s society. Current estimates indicate that obesity occurs in both adults and young people. Recent research also found that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is 1.9 times more likely to be overweight as compared to their non-Hispanic population. Obesity is a multifactorial disease that has a variety of causes. All current treatment options incorporate dietary changes aimed at establishing a negative energy balance. According to current scientific research, multiple factors are involved with the development of obesity, including genetic, biochemical, psychological, environmental, behavioral, and socio-demographic factors. The people who suffer from obesity are far more likely to suffer serious health problems, such as stroke, diabetes, lung disease, bone and joint disease, cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and poor mental health. Studies indicate that multiple cellular changes are implicated in the progression of obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated microRNAs, inflammatory changes, hormonal deregulation, and others. This article highlights the role that oxidative stress plays in obesity and current obesity-prevention techniques with an emphasis on the impact of catechins to prevent and treat obesity.
... In a group of obese patients, curcumin showed to have lowering effects on triglyceride levels as a sign of improved insulin sensitivity. In another studied group, after a 30-day treatment, lower levels of IL-1 beta and IL-4 were recorded among obese subjects, and in a randomized control trial involving patients with metabolic syndrome, treatment with curcumin led to a reduction in weight and abdominal fat tissue [120]. Another review focused on the use of curcumin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at safe doses up to 12 g per day in adults. ...
Advances in cystic fibrosis (CF) care have significantly improved the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. Nutritional therapy based on a high-calorie, high-fat diet, antibiotics, as well as new therapies focused on CFTR modulators change the natural course of the disease. They do so by improving pulmonary function and growing BMI. However, the increased weight of such patients can lead to unwanted long-term cardiovascular effects. People with CF (pwCF) experience several cardiovascular risk factors. Such factors include a high-fat diet and increased dietary intake, altered lipid metabolism, a decrease in the level of fat-soluble antioxidants, heightened systemic inflammation, therapeutic interventions, and diabetes mellitus. PwCF must pay special attention to food and eating habits in order to maintain a nutritional status that is as close as possible to the proper physiological one. They also have to benefit from appropriate nutritional counseling, which is essential in the evolution and prognosis of the disease. Growing evidence collected in the last years shows that many bioactive food components, such as phytochemicals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants have favorable effects in the management of CF. An important positive effect is cardiovascular prevention. The possibility of preventing/reducing cardiovascular risk in CF patients enhances both quality of life and life expectancy in the long run.
... As the primary curcuminoid of the spice turmeric, curcumin is frequently consumed in India and other Asian countries and are known to exhibit anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties (Meydani & Hasan, 2010;Strimpakos & Sharma, 2008). Curcumin has been shown to improve lipid and glycaemic profiles (Rahmani et al., 2016), reduce serum triglycerides concentrations (Mohammadi et al., 2013), modulate leptin and adiponectin levels , increase interleukin-13 concentration (Campbell et al., 2017), and improve gut microbiota dysbiosis (Chashmniam et al., 2019) in clinical trials. Substantial heterogeneity among studies was found in curcuminoids in this meta-analysis, suggesting that their effects on obesity-related anthropometric measures need further investigation. ...
Dietary polyphenols have been postulated to be effective in preventing obesity through various multitargeted mechanisms of weight loss. A meta-analysis of recent clinical trials was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of polyphenols in obesity management in adults through assessing obesity-related anthropometric measures. Forty-four articles with 40 randomised clinical trials published between 2010-2021 met the eligibility trial criteria. Pooled results showed that polyphenols had a statistically significant reduction in body weight, body mass index and waist circumference. No significant lowering effect on body fat percentage was reported. Subgroup analysis suggested that polyphenol intake significantly changed anthropometric parameters in subjects aged < 50 years, in Asian populations, in patients with obesity-related health issues, for periods of ≥ 3 months, and at dosages of < 220 mg d⁻¹. Overall, dietary polyphenols show promise in the prevention and management of obesity for certain adults.
... The lipid-lowering effect of curcumin was also evaluated in a crossover study with 30 obese subjects who consumed 1g/day of the supplement or a placebo for one month, with a reduction in TG (p = 0.009) being found in the SG (32). ...
Objective
To evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on the body compositions and biochemical parameters of Brazilian women with high waist circumferences.
Materials and methods
This is a blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in 2016 with 35 Brazilian women with high waist circumference (WC). In total, 80 participants were randomized [38 in the placebo group (PG) and 42 in the supplemented group (SG)], but at the end of the protocol, 20 individuals in the PG and 15 in the SG were evaluated. The sample consumed one capsule of curcumin (500 mg/day) (Curcumin C3 Complex®) or a placebo for 90 days. Body weight, height, body mass index, WC, body fat, fat free mass, fasting glucose (FG), lipid profile [triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-c and LDL-c], physical activity level and food intake (energy, carbohydrate, total fat and protein) data were evaluated before and after the intervention.
Results
Curcumin supplementation reduced body mass (p < 0.040) but did not alter other anthropometric parameters or body composition (p ≥ 0.050). In relation to the biochemical profile, the SG saw reductions in FG (p < 0.001), TGs (p < 0.001) and TC (p = 0.001) compared with the PG. At the baseline and during the intervention, the practice of physical activity and food intake did not differ between the SG and PG (p ≥ 0.050).
Conclusion
Curcumin supplementation improved the blood glucose and lipid profile of Brazilian women with high WC, without altering body composition. New studies with larger sample sizes and longer durations are important for identifying more robust data regarding the proposal of this work.
Keywords:
Curcumin; women; blood glucose; cholesterol; triglycerides
... In 2013, Mohammadi et al. conducted randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial to explore anti-obesity effect of curcumin (1 g/day) on 30 obese individuals. The beneficial outcome was observed only in reducing serum triglycerides without significant reduction in waist, hip, arm circumference and body fat [122]. Another randomized double blind crossover trial of curcumin (Table 3) highlighted its therapeutic effect in obese individuals by reducing inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL1β) after 30 days of treatment [123]. ...
... It also had a good effect on BMI in diabetic patients (Rahimi et al., 2016). Similarly, 1-month oral administration of nano-curcumin (1 g/day) reduced triglyceride concentrations in obese subjects (Mohammadi et al., 2013) ...
Owing to its prevalent nature, diabetes mellitus has become one of the most serious endocrine illnesses affecting a patient's quality of life due to the manifestation of side effects such as cardiovascular diseases, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Curcumin ((1E, 6E) 21, 7‐bis (4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl)‐1,6‐heptadiene‐3,5‐dione), a major compound of turmeric, has been used in conventional medicine because of its safe nature and cost‐effectiveness to meliorate diabetes and its comorbidities. These effects have also been observed in rodent models of diabetes resulting in a reduction of glycemia and blood lipids. Both the preventive and therapeutic activities of this compound are due to its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory characteristics. Furthermore, preclinical outcomes and clinical investigation demonstrate that the use of curcumin neutralizes insulin resistance, obesity, and hyperglycemia. Despite the many benefits of curcumin, its two limiting factors, solubility and bioavailability, remain a challenge for researchers; therefore, several methods such as drug formulation, nano‐drug delivery, and the use of curcumin analogs have been developed to deliver curcumin and increase its bioavailability.
Practical applications
The rise of people with type 2 diabetes has become a major concern at the global healthcare level. The best diabetes treatments today are anti‐diabetic drug administration, lifestyle‐related interventions (such as healthy eating and daily physical activity), arterial pressure detection, and fat control. The polyphenol curcumin, found in turmeric, can promote health by acting on a variety of cellular signaling pathways. This review article discusses curcumin and its role in the treatment of diabetes.
... Instead, in the study conducted by Boccellino et al. [105], that analyzed nine studies, including randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials and randomized clinical trials having as their main topic the effects of three types of polyphenols (curcumin, quercin, and resveratrol) on some cardiometabolic biomarkers, the main findings were as follows: as far as curcumin is concerned, the daily dose of curcumin recommended by WHO and FAO is 1 mg per kg of body weight. Out of 5 studies involving this polyphenol, 1 study (Mohammadi et al. [106]) saw 30 obese subjects treated with 1 g/day of curcumin for 30 days developing a lowering of the level of TG. A second RCT (Ganjali and Sahekbar [107]) noted that a 30-day treatment with curcumin 1 g/day resulted in a reduction in blood levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta), and Interleukin 4 (IL-4), in 30 obese people. ...
The importance of functional food and nutraceutical products to deal with cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) has gained attention in the past few years. The aim of this narrative review is to highlight the potential and effectiveness of nutraceutical in the improvement of CMDs and MetS biomarkers, alongside their burden of disease and economic health expenditure. A science database search was conducted between May and June 2021. A total of 35 studies were included in this paper. We included male and female subjects, children, and adults, in good health or with cardiovascular or metabolic disease. CMDs and MetS have gradually become worldwide health problems, becoming two of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in western countries. The results indicate a positive link between daily consumption of nutraceutical products and an improvement in cardiometabolic and anthropometric biomarkers. In this paper we included a wide range of nutraceutical products. Most of them showed promising data, indicating that nutraceuticals could provide a new therapeutic treatment to reduce prevalence and pharmaceutical expenditures attributed to CMDs and MetS. Unfortunately, there is a huge vacuum of data on nutraceutical usage, savings, and burden reduction. Therefore, further clinical and pharmaco-economic research in the field is highly required.
... Curcuminoids modulate gene expression and the activity of enzymes involved in lipoprotein metabolism, with a decrease in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol [46], as well as an increase in HDL-C [47]. Moreover, a number of studies demonstrated the induction of cellular apoptosis by curcumin, as well as its antiangiogenic action, with applications in cancer treatment [48][49][50][51]. ...
Scaling and root planing represent the gold standard in the treatment of periodontal disease, but these therapeutic methods cannot eliminate the remaining periodontopathogenic bacteria in cement, tubules, and periodontal soft tissue. Thus, a number of additional therapeutic means have been adopted, including local and systemic antibiotic therapy, as well as the use of photodynamic therapy techniques. Recently, special attention has been paid to potential phytotherapeutic means in the treatment of periodontal disease. In this review, we aim to present the effects generated by the extract of Curcuma longa, the various forms of application of turmeric as an additional therapeutic means, as well as the aspects related to its biotolerance.
... However, its in-vivo abilities are still lacking much research, mostly due to its poor bioavailability resulting from protracted absorption kinetics, rapid metabolism and ultra-fast clearance 7 . Proposed benefits include improving systematic markers of inflammatory stress 8 , anti-arthritic effects 9 and improving metabolic syndrome 10 . ...
Background
Curcumin is derived from Turmeric which is a spice with an old history in the oriental world. For this reason, it was a subject for continuous research over years and some studies reported preliminary positive results in arthritis and metabolic syndrome. When COVID-19 declared as a global pandemic, debates exploded again regarding its effects in mitigating deleterious effects of the viral infection. However, being a traditional remedy flooded readers with thousands of publications, some of these was scientifically rigid and others were fraudulent. We aim to use VOSviewer software to visualize scientific landscape in this topic, to highlight the trends and identify main supporting bodies.
Methods
We searched Web of Science (WOS) core collection database for publications between December 2019 and April 2022. Data collected include: year of publication, keywords, type of the document, author names, affiliations, abstracts and number of citations. VOSviewer 1.6.18 was used to analyze co-citation, co-occurrence, and publication trends. Analysis considered one weight attribute which is “total link strength attributes”.
Results
A total of 205 publications (N=205) were included in the analysis. Most studies were original research articles (50.7%). Mean citation count of the top 10 cited articles was 37.9 (range 22 and 111). Country of corresponding author of these 10 studies was India in 5 (50%), Iran in 3 (30%). Organizational analysis revealed 5 Iranian universities as being the main research bodies with total link strengths (TLS) of 100. Co-occurrence of keywords identified “viral inhibition, oxidative stress, molecular docking, NF-kB pathway” as the most frequent mentioned keywords. Trend analysis showed negative trend with less publications covering this topic, chronologically.
Conclusion
Curcumin resided within the oriental tradition for years, it is no surprise that main supporting bodies were oriental. VOSviewer provides an easy, user-friendly options to handle bibliographic data.
... Curcumin improves NAFLD through several mechanisms, such as removing fat from the liver and reducing the synthesis of triglycerides (TG) by inhibiting β-Hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-COA) reductase, reducing the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine, and increasing the cholesterol-7alpha-hydroxylase (7α-hydroxylase) activation; thereby, improving lipid profiles [5,8,9]. Previous studies revealed the beneficial effects of curcumin consumption on liver enzymes, glycemic index, lipid profile, and anthropometric parameters [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The present review has been evaluated the efficacy of curcumin supplementation on liver enzymes, blood lipid profiles, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and body mass index (BMI) in patients with NAFLD. ...
Background and Aims
Curcumin is one of the most commonly used indigenous molecules endowed with various shielding functionalities that protect the liver. In the present research, we aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin on metabolic factors and body mass index (BMI) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), using a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.
Methods:
Online databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Science Direct were searched until April 2021 to identify eligible articles. Fourteen trials were included. Results: The results showed that curcumin consumption could significantly reduce AST (-0.35, (-0.57 to -0.14)), total cholesterol (-0.81, (-1.34 to -0.27)), TG (-0.49, (-0.71 to -0.27)), and FBS (-0.28, (-0.46 to -0.09)) in patients with NAFLD. However, the improvements in ALT (-0.29, (-0.58 to 0.00)), LDL (-0.48, (-0.97 to 0.01)), HDL (0.03, (-0.38 to 0.44)), and BMI (-0.13, (-0.29 to 0.02)) were not statistically significant. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the optimal dose and duration of curcumin consumption for patients with NAFLD is <500 mg/d for less than 10 weeks.
Conclusions
The present study suggests that consuming curcumin can improve liver enzymes, lipid profile, FBS, and BMI in patients with NAFLD. Moreover, curcumin supplementation may provide beneficial effects on metabolic biomarkers and body weight if used at the appropriate dose and duration. Further RCTs are required to confirm our findings.
... In one clinical study, obese subjects were treated with a commercial formulation of curcumin supplemented with a bioavailability enhancer, piperine, for one month. Although there were no changes in weight, BMI or body fat, serum triglyceride levels were significantly decreased after curcumin treatment, indicating the improvement of insulin's action [100]. ...
Obesity is an increasingly severe public health problem, which brings huge social and economic burdens. Increased body adiposity in obesity is not only tightly associated with type 2 diabetes, but also significantly increases the risks of other chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver diseases and cancers. Adipogenesis describes the process of the differentiation and maturation of adipocytes, which accumulate in distributed adipose tissue at various sites in the body. The major functions of white adipocytes are to store energy as fat during periods when energy intake exceeds expenditure and to mobilize this stored fuel when energy expenditure exceeds intake. Brown/beige adipocytes contribute to non-shivering thermogenesis upon cold exposure and adrenergic stimulation, and thereby promote energy consumption. The imbalance of energy intake and expenditure causes obesity. Recent interest in epigenetics and signaling pathways has utilized small molecule tools aimed at modifying obesity-specific gene expression. In this review, we discuss compounds with adipogenesis-related signaling pathways and epigenetic modulating properties that have been identified as potential therapeutic agents which cast some light on the future treatment of obesity.
... Curcumin was administered at a daily dose of 1 g (500 mg b.i.d.), a dose that was found to be effective and safe in previous trials. [22][23][24] Since curcumin is a fat-soluble component, and also displays higher bioavailability in acidic pH, participants were asked to take capsules after meals (lunch and dinner). The shape and size of the supplements and placebo capsules were identical, with all tablets manufactured by KAREN Company (Yazd, Iran). ...
Background: Migraine is a prevalent health condition associated with significant pain and disability. Neurogenic inflammation has a key role in migraine pathophysiology. Curcumin is a well-known herb compound with anti-inflammatory function. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin supplementation on clinical features, as well as on serum levels of calcitonine gene-related peptide (CGRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Methods: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out on 44 women with migraine, receiving either 500 mg curcumin twice a day or placebo supplements for 8 weeks. Serum CGRP and IL-6 concentration, and clinical symptoms including headache severity, duration and frequency were measured at the baseline and end of study.
Results: After 8-week intervention, compared with placebo, curcumin supplementation led to significand reduction in CGRP (P < 0.001), IL-6 (P = 0.041), severity (P = 0.001), and duration of headache (P = 0.007). Headache frequency showed marginal improvement in curcumin group, compared to controls (P = 0.052). Within-analysis indicated significant decrease in CGRP and severity (P < 0.001), frequency (P = 0.014) and duration (P = 0.003) and no significant decrease in IL-6 (P = 0.454), compared to baseline in curcumin group. There were no significant changes in body mass index (BMI), weight, percent body fat (PBF), and percent body muscle (PBM) between the two groups.
Conclusions: Curcumin supplementation improved the pro-inflammatory markers and clinical features of migraine headaches and that could be contributed to could be to its anti-inflammatory properties.
... Curcumin was administered at a daily dose of 1 g (500 mg b.i.d.), a dose that was found to be effective and safe in previous trials. [22][23][24] Since curcumin is a fat-soluble component, and also displays higher bioavailability in acidic pH, participants were asked to take capsules after meals (lunch and dinner). The shape and size of the supplements and placebo capsules were identical, with all tablets manufactured by KAREN Company (Yazd, Iran). ...
ackground: Migraine is a prevalent health condition associated with significant pain and disability. Neurogenic inflammation has a key role in migraine pathophysiology. Curcumin is a well-known herb compound with anti-inflammatory function. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin supplementation on clinical features, as well as on serum levels of calcitonine gene-related peptide (CGRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Methods: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out on 44 women with migraine, receiving either 500 mg curcumin twice a day or placebo supplements for 8 weeks. Serum CGRP and IL-6 concentration, and clinical symptoms including headache severity, duration and frequency were measured at the baseline and end of study.
Results: After 8-week intervention, compared with placebo, curcumin supplementation led to significand reduction in CGRP (P < 0.001), IL-6 (P = 0.041), severity (P = 0.001), and duration of headache (P = 0.007). Headache frequency showed marginal improvement in curcumin group, compared to controls (P = 0.052). Within-analysis indicated significant decrease in CGRP and severity (P < 0.001), frequency (P = 0.014) and duration (P = 0.003) and no significant decrease in IL-6 (P = 0.454), compared to baseline in curcumin group. There were no significant changes in body mass index (BMI), weight, percent body fat (PBF), and percent body muscle (PBM) between the two groups.
Conclusions: Curcumin supplementation improved the pro-inflammatory markers and clinical features of migraine headaches and that could be contributed to could be to its anti-inflammatory properties.
... A small randomized controlled trial on 44 overweight subjects with metabolic syndrome showed that curcumin administration is associated with reduced body fat and BMI [132]. A crossover trial with 30 obese subjects revealed a reduction in triglycerides and total HDL-and LDL-cholesterol, whereas body fat and BMI were not changed [133]. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 65 subjects with metabolic syndrome showed a decrease in triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol, and an increase in HDL-cholesterol, but no weight loss or changes in the glucose homeostasis [134]. ...
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) contribute to a large part of worldwide mortality. Similarly, two of the major risk factors for these diseases, aging and obesity, are also global problems. Aging, the gradual decline of body functions, is non-modifiable. Obesity, a modifiable risk factor for CVDs, also predisposes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Moreover, it affects not only the vasculature and the heart but also specific fat depots, which themselves have a major impact on the development and progression of CVDs. Common denominators of aging, obesity, and T2DM include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic abnormalities such as altered lipid profiles and glucose metabolism, and inflammation. Several plant substances such as curcumin, the major active compound in turmeric root, have been used for a long time in traditional medicine and for the treatment of CVDs. Newer mechanistic, animal, and human studies provide evidence that curcumin has pleiotropic effects and attenuates numerous parameters which contribute to an increased risk for CVDs in aging as well as in obesity. Thus, curcumin as a nutraceutical could hold promise in the prevention of CVDs, but more standardized clinical trials are required to fully unravel its potential.
... Curcumin is a bioactive compound of turmeric. Besides curcumin's various health benefits, widespread molecular targets have been shown to interact with curcumin (Esatbeyoglu et al. 2012; Mohammadi et al. 2013). The anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin are well-recognized attributable to its effects on the activity of COX-2, lipoxygenase, and inducible nitric oxide synthase iNOS enzymes and inhibition of inflammatory cytokines (Goel et al. 2008). ...
Obesity is abnormal fat accumulation in the body which acts as a risk factor for various cardiometabolic states. Adipose tissue in excess can release inflammatory factors, including TNF-α and IL-6, and suppress adiponectin production. TNF-α increases the levels of IL-6 and acute phase reactants such as C-reactive protein. Inflammation has a crucial role in developing and progressing various cardiometabolic diseases and a wide range of obesity-related complications. It has been shown that TNF-α has a significant role in the development of insulin resistance. Recently, a growing body of evidence has focused on herbal medicine, phytochemicals and natural bioactive compounds as inexpensive, relatively easy accessible agents with low adverse effects to reduce inflammatory markers such as TNF-α and simultaneously decrease insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidemia in obesity. The main focus of the current review is to summarize the results of the studies, which assessed the effects of phytochemicals and herbal bio-active compounds on serum TNF-α in subjects with overweight or obesity. This review suggests that herbal medicine have favorable effects on the reduction of TNF-α concentration; however, the results were not uniform for different products. Among the reviewed plants, ginger, ginseng, resveratrol, and flaxseed had more promising effects.
... In addition, this compound can affect adiposity and lipid metabolism through several mechanisms, including the modulation of energy metabolism and inflammation [55]. In clinical practice, there is evidence about the effectiveness of curcumin supplementation in reducing the levels of plasma triglycerides and cholesterol [36,56,57], which suggests its hypocholesterolemic effect [17]. ...
Exhaustive and acute unusual physical exercise leads to muscle damage. Curcumin has been widely studied due to the variety of its biological activities, attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it has shown positive effects on physical exercise practitioners. However, there is no literature consensus on the beneficial effects of curcumin in acute physical activities performed by sedentary individuals. Therefore, we systematically reviewed evidence from clinical trials on the main effects of curcumin supplementation on inflammatory markers, sports performance, and muscle damage during acute physical exercises in these individuals. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases, and only original studies were analyzed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The included studies were limited to supplementation of curcumin during acute exercise. A total of 5 studies were selected. Methodological quality assessments were examined using the SYRCLE's risk-of-bias tool. Most studies have shown positive effects of curcumin supplementation in sedentary individuals undergoing acute physical exercise. Overall, participants supplemented with curcumin showed less muscle damage, reduced inflammation, and better muscle performance. The studies showed heterogeneous data and exhibited methodological limitations; therefore, further research is necessary to ensure curcumin supplementation benefits during acute and high-intensity physical exercises. Additionally, mechanistic and highly controlled studies are required to improve the quality of the evidence and to elucidate other possible mechanisms. This study is registered with Prospero number CRD42021262718.
Objective:
The obesity prevalence is growing worldwide. There is strong evidence indicating that a disturbance of zinc, copper and magnesium concentrations is associated with the development of obesity and its related diseases. Our aim was to determine the effect of curcumin supplementation on serum zinc, magnesium and copper in obese individuals.
Materials and methods:
In this randomized crossover trial study, thirty obese patients with an age range of 18 to 65 years were randomized to treatment with curcumin 1 g/day or placebo for 30 days. There was then a two-week wash-out period, after which, subjects crossed to the alternate regimen. Serum levels of zinc, copper and magnesium were determined at baseline and at the end of the study.
Results:
The study groups were similar to each other in base line characteristics. We did not observe significant impacts (p>0.05) of curcumin on Cu, Zn, Mg serum concentrations.
Conclusion:
Curcumin administration at a dose of 1 g/day for 30 days did not affect serum Cu, Zn, Mg levels in obese subjects.
Dyslipidemia is common in patients with chronic kidney disease. Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol from Curcuma longa, can improve lipid profile. This study aims to analyze the effects of Curcuma Longa extract supplementation on lipid profile and lipoprotein subfractions in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This is a longitudinal, double-blind, washout-period randomized clinical trial. The patients were randomized into two groups: the curcumin group (n = 10) (orange and carrot juice with 2.5 g of Curcuma Longa extract) and the control group (n = 11) (juice without curcumin) 3x/w during HD sessions for 3 months. After the washout period, patients continued the supplementation as a crossover for the same period. The lipid profile was measured using enzymatic assays. The high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein subfractions analyses were performed using LipoprintTM. In the curcumin group, the triglyceride values tended to decrease with a different triglyceride variation between the pre and post-intervention for the control and curcumin groups of 38.5 (19.8) mg/dL (p = 0.06). There was no statistical difference in the others parameters. In conclusion, Curcuma longa extract may be a good nutritional strategy to reduce triglyceride plasma levels in hemodialysis patients, but it seems ineffective for the other parameter.
Background
Overweight and obesity are considered as one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). At present, many studies have proved that multiple nutritional supplements play an active role in metabolic diseases. However, the comparative efficacy of different nutritional supplements in improving indicators of cardiometabolic risk in obese and overweight patients is uncertain.
Methods
Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for the period from January 1990 to March 2022. A random-effect model was built in the Bayesian network meta-analysis. The surface under the cumulative ranking analysis (SUCRA) and clustering rank analysis was performed for ranking the effects.
Results
The study included 65 RCTs with 4,241 patients. In terms of glucose control, probiotic was more conductive to improve FBG (MD: −0.90; 95%CrI: −1.41 to −0.38), FINS (MD: −2.05; 95%CrI: −4.27 to −0.02), HOMA-IR (MD: −2.59; 95%CI −3.42 to −1.76). Probiotic (MD: −11.15, 95%CrI −22.16 to −1.26), omega-3 (MD: −9.45; 95%CrI: −20.69 to −0.93), VD (MD: −17.86; 95%CrI: −35.53 to −0.27), and probiotic +omega-3 (MD: 5.24; 95%CrI: 0.78 to 9.63) were beneficial to the improvement of TGs, TC and HDL-C, respectively. The SUCRA revealed that probiotic might be the best intervention to reduce FBG, FINS, HOMA-IR; Simultaneously, α-lipoic acid, VD, and probiotic + omega-3 might be the best intervention to improve TGs, TC, and HDL-C, respectively. Cluster-rank results revealed probiotic had the best comprehensive improvement effect on glucose metabolism, and probiotic + omega-3 may have a better comprehensive improvement effect on lipid metabolism (cluster-rank value for FBG and FINS: 3290.50 and for TGs and HDL-C: 2117.61).
Conclusion
Nutritional supplementation is effective on CVD risk factors in overweight and obese patients. Probiotic supplementation might be the best intervention for blood glucose control; VD, probiotic + omega-3 have a better impact on improving lipid metabolism. Further studies are required to verify the current findings.
Curcumin has been credited with a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties for the prevention and treatment of several chronic diseases such as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hemoglobinopathies, hypertension, infectious diseases, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, neurological diseases, obesity, and skin diseases. However, due to its weak solubility and bioavailability, it has limited potential as an oral medication. Numerous factors including low water solubility, poor intestinal permeability, instability at alkaline pH, and fast metabolism contribute to curcumin's limited oral bioavailability. In order to improve its oral bioavailability, different formulation techniques such as coadministration with piperine, incorporation into micelles, micro/nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, liposomes, solid dispersions, spray drying, and noncovalent complex formation with galactomannosides have been investigated with in vitro cell culture models, in vivo animal models, and humans. In the current study, we extensively reviewed clinical trials on various generations of curcumin formulations and their safety and efficacy in the treatment of many diseases. We also summarized the dose, duration, and mechanism of action of these formulations. We have also critically reviewed the advantages and limitations of each of these formulations compared to various placebo and/or available standard care therapies for these ailments. The highlighted integrative concept embodied in the development of next-generation formulations helps to minimize bioavailability and safety issues with least or no adverse side effects and the provisional new dimensions presented in this direction may add value in the prevention and cure of complex chronic diseases.
Background:
Curcumin supplementation may promote weight loss and ameliorate obesity-related complications through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties.
Objective:
An umbrella review and updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on anthropometric indices.
Methods:
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) of RCTs were identified from electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar) up to 31st March 2022 without language restriction. SRMAs were included if they assessed curcumin supplementation on any of body mass index (BMI), body weight (BW), or waist circumference (WC). Subgroup analyses were performed, stratifying by patient types, severity of obesity and curcumin formula. The study protocol was a priori registered (PROSPERO; CRD42022321112) RESULTS: From an umbrella review, fourteen SRMAs with 39 individual RCTs were included with a high degree of overlap. Additionally, searching was updated from the last search of included SRMAs in April, 2021 up to 31st March 2022, and we found 11 additional RCTs, bringing the total up to 50 RCTs included in the updated MA. Of these, 21 RCTs were classified as high risk of bias. Curcumin supplementation significantly reduced BMI, BW, and WC with mean differences (MD) of -0.24 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.32, -0.16), -0.59 kg (95% CI: -0.81, -0.36) and -1.32 cm (95% CI: -1.95, -0.69), respectively. The bioavailability-enhanced form reduced BMI, BW and WC more with MD of -0.26 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.38, -0.13), -0.80 kg (95% CI: -1.38, -0.23) and -1.41cm (95% CI: -2.24, -0.58), respectively. Significant effects were also seen in subgroups of patients, especially in adults with obesity and diabetes.
Conclusions:
Curcumin supplementation significantly reduces anthropometric indices and bioavailability-enhanced formulas are preferred. Augmenting curcumin supplement with lifestyle modification should be an option for weight reduction.
In the present study, we explored the effect of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on anthropometric indices of obesity, leptin, and adiponectin. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar up to August 2022. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of curcumin/turmeric on obesity indices and adipokines were included. We applied the Cochrane quality assessment tool to evaluate the risk of bias. The registration number is CRD42022350946. Sixty eligible RCTs, with a total sample size of 3691 individuals were included for quantitative analysis. We found that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly reduced body weight (WMD: −0.82 kg, 95% CI: −1.30, −0.35; p = 0.001), body mass index (WMD: −0.30 kg/m2, 95% CI: −0.53, −0.06, p = 0.013), waist circumference (WMD: −1.31 cm, 95% CI: −1.94, −0.69, p < 0.001), body fat percentage (WMD: −0.88%, 95% CI: −1.51, −0.25, p = 0.007), leptin (WMD = −4.46 ng/mL; 95% CI: −6.70, −2.21, p < 0.001), and increased adiponectin (WMD = 2.48 μg/mL; 95% CI: 1.34, 3.62, p < 0.001). Overall, our study shows that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly improves anthropometric indices of obesity and adiposity‐related adipokines (leptin and adiponectin). However, due to high between‐studies heterogeneity, we should interpret the results with caution.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been used for thousands of years for the prevention and treatment of various chronic diseases. Curcumin is just one of >200 ingredients in turmeric. Almost 7000 scientific papers on turmeric and almost 20,000 on curcumin have been published in PubMed. Scientific reports based on cell culture or animal studies are often not reproducible in humans. Therefore, human clinical trials are the best indicators for the prevention and treatment of a disease using a given agent/drug. Herein, we conducted an extensive literature survey on PubMed and Scopus following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The keywords "turmeric and clinical trials" and "curcumin and clinical trials" were considered for data mining. A total of 148 references were found to be relevant for the key term "turmeric and clinical trials", of which 70 were common in both PubMed and Scopus, 44 were unique to PubMed, and 34 were unique to Scopus. Similarly, for the search term "curcumin and clinical trials", 440 references were found to be relevant, of which 70 were unique to PubMed, 110 were unique to Scopus, and 260 were common to both databases. These studies show that the golden spice has enormous health and medicinal benefits for humans. This Review will extract and summarize the lessons learned about turmeric and curcumin in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases based on clinical trials.
Medicinal properties of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), a plant used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory, are attributed to its polyphenolic curcuminoids, where curcumin predominates. Although “curcumin” supplements are a top-selling botanical with promising pre-clinical effects, questions remain regarding biological activity in humans. To address this, a scoping review was conducted to assess human clinical trials reporting oral curcumin effects on disease outcomes. Eight databases were searched using established guidelines, yielding 389 citations (from 9528 initial) that met inclusion criteria. Half focused on obesity-associated metabolic disorders (29%) or musculoskeletal disorders (17%), where inflammation is a key driver, and beneficial effects on clinical outcomes and/or biomarkers were reported for most citations (75%) in studies that were primarily double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trials (77%, D-RCT). Citations for the next most studied disease categories (neurocognitive [11%] or gastrointestinal disorders [10%], or cancer [9%]), were far fewer in number and yielded mixed results depending on study quality and condition studied. Although additional research is needed, including systematic evaluation of diverse curcumin formulations and doses in larger D-RCT studies, the preponderance of current evidence for several highly studied diseases (e.g., metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis), which are also clinically common, are suggestive of clinical benefits.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by multiple metabolic disorders. Several studies indicated that curcumin plus piperine could affect lipids profiles in various diseases. The present meta‐analysis aims to assess the effect of curcumin plus piperine on lipid profiles in patients with MetS and associated disorders using a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Trials were searched by several electronic databases up to May 2022. The Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis (CMA) version3 software carried out this systematic review and meta‐analysis. Random‐effects model and the inverse variance method were used to conduct the meta‐analysis. We evaluated the publication bias and heterogeneity of all eligible studies. In addition, subgroup analyses and sensitivity assessments were performed to assess potential sources of heterogeneity. The combined results by the random‐effects model demonstrated that curcumin plus piperine significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL‐C in patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. In comparison, the results of the overall effect size did not show any significant change in triglyceride concentrations. Our results were robust in sensitivity analysis and were not dependent on the dose of curcumin, the dose of piperine, and the duration of treatment. Our results showed that co‐administration of piperine and curcumin supplementation improves the lipid profile in metabolic syndrome. However, further long‐term RCTs are required to ascertain their clinical benefit.
In the past decade, the effect of curcumin or turmeric supplementation on many aspects of health status in different populations has been evaluated. In the present study, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the effect of curcumin administration on inflammatory markers in hemodialysis (HD) patients. A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Clarivate Analytics Web of Science databases from 1997 until June2022 for terms related to curcumin/turmeric and hemodialysis (HD). Randomized, double-blind/single-blind studies examining the effects of curcumin/turmeric on the inflammation of HD participants older than 18 years were considered eligible for inclusion. Data were pooled using the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI as the summary statistic, considering a random-effects analysis model. The data that were pooled from nine studies with 472 patients indicated that curcumin-containing supplement had significant effect on serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (WMD = −3.3 mg/L; 95% CI: −5.4 to −1.3; p < 0.001, I2 = 76.7%, 8 studies, 467 participants), and interlukine-6 (IL-6) levels (SMD: −0.4; 95% CI: −0.8 to −0.07; p = 0.02, I2 = 31.6%, 3 studies, 153 participants) compared control group. Although curcumin intervention could not change tumor neurosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentration (SMD = −0.3; 95% CI: −0.7 to 0.04; p = 0.08, I2 = 25.3%, 3 studies, 153 participants), when compared with the placebo group. Our study's main limitations were small number of studies, overall high risk of bias in the included trials, and high heterogeneity in some results. The present meta-analysis suggested that intervention with curcumin-containing supplements was associated with a significant reduction in serum hs-CRP and IL-6 concentrations in HD patients. The curcumin intervention in the reduction of hs-CRP levels was greater than the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for CRP (0.5 mg/L), which can be helpful in physicians' clinical decisions.
Aims
Several meta-analyses exist supporting the beneficial effects of curcumin supplementation on lipid profile parameters; however, some studies' findings are inconsistent. Therefore, the current umbrella of meta-analysis of clinical trials was performed to evaluate the findings of multiple meta-analyses on the efficacy of curcumin on lipid profiles in adults.
Data synthesis
A comprehensive systematic search of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and Google Scholar were carried out up to May 2022 (in English only). Random-effects model was employed to conduct meta-analysis. The quality assessment of the selected meta-analyses was measured using a measurement tool to assess multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR). From 101 articles returned in the literature search, 19 articles were met the qualified for inclusion in the umbrella meta-analysis. The results revealed that the curcumin supplementation was effective on reduction of total cholesterol (TC) (ES= -0.81 mg/dl; 95% CI: -1.39, -0.24, p= 0.006; I²= 68.8%, p<0.001), triglycerides (TG) (ES: -0.84 mg/dl, 95% CI: -1.42, -0.27, p= 0.004; I²=84.2 %, p<0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (ES: -0.49 mg/dl, 95%CI: -0.85, -0.13, p=0.007; I² = 51.9%, p= 0.004). Beyond that, Curcumin intake significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (ES: 1.34 mg/dl, 95% CI: 0.37, 2.31, p= 0.007; I²= 97.8%, p< 0.001).
Conclusion
Curcumin have ameliorating effects on TC, TG, LDL-c, and HDL-c levels. Overall, Curcumin could be recommended as an adjuvant anti-hyperlipidemic agent.
Registration number
PROSPERO, CRD42021289500.
Obesity is associated with an accelerated aging process, which prevents healthy aging. Both obesity and aging were manifested in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator α (PGC-1α) level. These studies fulfill the scientific gap in assembled pharmacological activity assay of Caulerpa racemosa done in a previous preclinical trial. Six major compounds from sea grape (C. racemosa) extract were evaluated using an in silico approach against human pancreatic lipase, a-glucosidase, and a-amylase to predict prospective anti-obesity candidates. The lipase inhibitory activity of the extract reached 90.30 ± 0.40%, 1.75% lower than orlistat. The a-amylase inhibitory assay of the extract was 84.07 ± 5.28%, while the inhibitory activity against a-glucosidase was 81.67 ± 1.54%; both were lower than acarbose. We observe the effect of C. racemosa extract as anti-obesity with anti-aging by evaluating the obesity parameters in the human body for a 4-week period. There was a significant decrease in blood glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and body weight (p < 0.05); PGC-1α and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased significantly (p = 0.000), in Group B when compared with Group A. Our study revealed that sea grape extract is a potent anti-obesity with an anti-aging reagent that does not produce any significant adverse effects.
Curcumin is a polyphenol which is derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa. From the last few decades, it is utilized as a condiment, a flavouring and colouring agent in different food preparations. Owing to its potential , it also possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic and neuroprotective actions and has shown preventive actions against various disorders such as cardiovascular, diabetes, brain and many more. In spite of numerous health benefits, the use of curcumin in humans for treatment of several diseases is limited owing to its poor aqueous solubility, wide-ranging first pass metabolism, rapid excretion, and subsequent low bio-availability. Various preclinical and clinical studies of curcumin have pointed out that curcumin plays a role in treatment of different disorders. However, many of the curcumin formulations do not comply much for their safety, stability and efficiency assessment. Henceforth, there is a need to search for an alternate method for successful commercialization of curcumin in a suitable dosage form. In this review we aim to summarize the mechanism of curcumin for treating different disorders and various clinical and preclinical studies conducted on curcumin polyphenol. Further, numerous studies have done in the past to improve its solubility which ultimately enhanced its bioavailability and therapeutic effectiveness have also been summarized.
Turmeric, or Curcuma longa as it is formally named, is a multifunctional plant with numerous names. It was dubbed “the golden spice” and “Indian saffron” not only for its magnificent yellow color, but also for its culinary use. Turmeric has been utilized in traditional medicine since the dawn of mankind. Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, which are all curcuminoids, make up turmeric. Although there have been significant advancements in cancer treatment, cancer death and incidence rates remain high. As a result, there is an increasing interest in discovering more effective and less hazardous cancer treatments. Curcumin is being researched for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-metabolic syndrome, neuroprotective, and antibacterial properties. Turmeric has long been used as a home remedy for coughs, sore throats, and other respiratory problems. As a result, turmeric and its compounds have the potential to be used in modern medicine to cure a variety of diseases. In this current review, we highlighted therapeutic potential of curcumin and its multiple health benefits on various diseases.
Graphical abstract
COVID-19, which is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has quickly spread over the world, posing a global health concern. The ongoing epidemic has necessitated the development of novel drugs and potential therapies for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Advances in vaccination and medication development, no preventative vaccinations, or viable therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 infection have been developed to date. As a result, additional research is needed in order to find a long-term solution to this devastating condition. Clinical studies are being conducted to determine the efficacy of bioactive compounds retrieved or synthesized from marine species starting material. The present study focuses on the anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential of marine-derived phytochemicals, which has been investigated utilizing in in silico, in vitro, and in vivo models to determine their effectiveness. Marine-derived biologically active substances, such as flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, peptides, lectins, polysaccharides, and lipids, can affect SARS-CoV-2 during the viral particle’s penetration and entry into the cell, replication of the viral nucleic acid, and virion release from the cell; they can also act on the host’s cellular targets. COVID-19 has been proven to be resistant to several contaminants produced from marine resources. This paper gives an overview and summary of the various marine resources as marine drugs and their potential for treating SARS-CoV-2. We discussed at numerous natural compounds as marine drugs generated from natural sources for treating COVID-19 and controlling the current pandemic scenario.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to cartilage damage with mostly accompanied by metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on metabolic parameters (lipid profile and glycemic indices), inflammatory factors, visfatin levels, and obesity values in women with RA. This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial was conducted on 48 women with RA. The patients were treated with curcumin (500 mg once a day) or placebo for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples, anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes, and physical activity levels of subjects were collected at baseline and the end of the study. Curcumin supplementation significantly decreased homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum levels of high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein and triglycerides, weight, body mass index, and waist circumference of patients compared with the placebo at the end of the study (p < .05 for all). HOMA‐IR and triglyceride levels significantly increased within the placebo group. Changes in fasting blood sugar, insulin, other lipids profile, and visfatin levels were not significant in any of the groups (p > .05). These results support the consumption of curcumin, as a part of an integrated approach to modulate metabolic factors, inflammation, and adiposity in women with RA.
Background and aims
Metabolic diseases are globally popular, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of turmeric and curcuminoids on glucose metabolism among people with metabolic diseases was performed.
Design
We comprehensively searched Web of Science, PubMed, Ovid (including EMBASE and MEDLINE), Scopus, the Cochrane Library and two Chinese databases, Wanfang and CNKI for RCTs that focused on the effects of turmeric and curcuminoids on fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), fasting serum insulin (FSI) and HOMA-IR among patients with metabolic diseases. The FBG and HbA1c were the main outcomes to be analyzed. With random-effects models, separate meta-analyses were conducted by inverse-variance and reported as WMD with 95% CIs.
Results
Evidence from 17 RCTs including 22 trials showed that turmeric and curcuminoids lowered FBG by -7.86 mg/dL (95% CI: -12.04, -3.67 mg/dL; P = 0.0002), HbA1c by -0.38% (95% CI: -0.52%, -0.23%; P < 0.00001) and HOMA-IR by -1.01 (95% CI: -1.6, -0.42; P = 0.0008). Moreover, they decreased fasting serum insulin by -1.69 mU/L (95% CI: -3.22, -0.16 mU/L; P = 0.03) after more than 8 weeks of intervention in a subgroup analysis.
Conclusions
Turmeric and curcuminiods decrease FBG, HbA1c and HOMA-IR significantly among subjects with metabolic disease. Additionally, they may have an effect on FSI concentrations if the intervention period is more than 8 weeks. However, attention should be paid to these outcomes due to the significant heterogeneity.
Postnatal overfeeding could increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adulthood. This study investigated the effects of curcumin (CUR) on hepatic steatosis in postnatal overfed rats and elucidated potential mechanisms in mitochondrial functions. Male rats were adjusted to ten (normal litter, NL) or three (small litter, SL) at postnatal day 3. After weaning, NL rats were fed with normal diet (NL) or a high-fat diet (NH) for 10 weeks. SL rats were fed with normal diet (SL), a high-fat diet (SH), a normal diet supplemented with 2% CUR (SL-CUR) or a high-fat diet supplemented with 2% CUR (SH-CUR). At week 13, compared with NL rats, SL and NH rats showed increased body weight, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and hepatic lipid accumulation, and these changes were more obvious in SH rats. The opposite trends were observed in SL-CUR and SH-CUR rats. Moreover, CUR could preserve mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant response in postnatal overfed rats, and upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of SIRT3. In vitro, L02 cells were exposed to free fatty acids and/or CUR. CUR decreased the levels of cellular lipids and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, and increased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and superoxide dismutase activity in fatty L02 cells. However, these effects were blocked after SIRT3 silencing. It was concluded that postnatal overfeeding damaged mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant response, and increased hepatic lipids and the severity of high-fat-induced NAFLD, while CUR alleviated hepatic steatosis, at least partially, by enhancing mitochondrial function through SIRT3.
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the impact of curcumin supplementation body mass index and glycemic indices in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic search of the literature was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and ISI web of science to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from the earliest record up to February 2021. The authors used a random-effects model to estimate pooled effect sizes.
Findings
A total of four potentially related clinical trials met the inclusion criteria which included a total of 198 participants. Random-effects meta-analysis showed significant effects of curcumin on fasting blood sugar (FBS) (−3.62 mg/dl, 95% CI [−5.65, −1.58], p -value < 0.001, I ² = 0.0%), insulin level (−1.67 µU/mL, 95% CI [−3.06, −0.28], p -value = 0.018, I ² = 0.0%) and homeostasis model of assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (−0.42, 95% CI [−0.76, −0.09], p -value < 0.01, I ² = 0.0%). No evidence of publication bias was discovered in the meta-analyses.
Originality/value
Present systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs showed beneficial effects of curcumin consumption on FBS, insulin level and HOMA-IR in patients with PCOS. However, further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these results.
Obesity remains a pervasive health concern worldwide with concomitant comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, inflammation, and other metabolic disorders. A wealth of data validates dietary and lifestyle modifications such as restricting caloric intake and increasing physical activity to slow the obesity development. Recently, the advent of phytochemicals such as curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has attracted considerable research interest in tracking down their possible effects in protection against obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. According to the existing literature, curcumin may regulate lipid metabolism and suppress chronic inflammation interacting with white adipose tissue, which plays a central role in the complications associated with obesity. Curcumin also inhibits the differentiation of adipocyte and improves antioxidant properties. In the present review, we sought to deliberate the possible effects of curcumin in downregulating obesity and curtailing the adverse health effects of obesity.
Prolonged inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and unbalanced nutrition predispose to weight gain and obesity, also termed as metabesity (metabolic obesity). Deficient metabolic sugar processing, impaired brain energy generation, dysfunctional important pathways are risk factors in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Other degenerative diseases, including neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases can make metabesity more complex. These may become aggravated over time owing to several epigenetic factors, including fatty diet, lack of exercise, lack of adequate sleep, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol, and drug use. Metabesity is underlined by vascular- and neuro-inflammation, and encompasses a wide physiological and clinical manifestation. It is imperative to note that the existing interventions are only for the management of diabetes, they are not curative. Secondary complications still occur in many cases of diabetes. While continuous, concerted efforts go on to mitigate this phenomenon, dietary manipulations and modulation remain a promising therapeutic and lifestyle approach. The interrelationship between the central nervous system (mainly the hypothalamus and the brain stem) and diabetes has been elucidated. The hypothalamic neuronal and glial populations have been found to systemically regulate blood glucose levels in such a manner that the hypothalamic astrocytes capacity for glucose sensing affect the overall glucose homeostasis. Inflammatory responses rising from diabetes and obesity affects the astrocytes and the regulation of metabolic hormones. Cancers are notorious for being voracious, and aggressively depicting angiogenesis in order to amass available cell nutrients to themselves by all means and at any cost. As a member of the inflammatory metabesity concept, especially when metastatic, cancer angiogenesis is always to the detriment of normal apparently healthy cell populations within the systems of an organism. Should there be one, or a comorbidity of any two or more of the illnesses consisting metabesity, how may nutrition, nutrigenomics, nutraceuticals and/or functional foods be deployed to regulate, manage, mitigate, treat and cure them. In this chapter, we attempt to answer this question.
The spices fenugreek, garlic, ginger, onion, red pepper, and turmeric are effective as hypocholesterolemics under conditions of experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, fenugreek is effective in human diabetics, whereas garlic and onion are effective in humans with induced lipemia. Capsaicin and curcumin, the active principles of red pepper and turmeric, respectively, are also documented to be efficacious even at doses comparable to calculated human intake. Capsaicin, curcumin, fenugreek, ginger, and onion are understood to cause an enhanced biliary secretion of bile acids also. Considerable human experimentation has been done with garlic and onion, but similar evaluation of the four other spices needs to be done. Limited information is also available on the hypolipidemic influence of spice combinations. Among these six spices, beneficial effects on lipid metabolism would probably be in the order: garlic > onion > red pepper/capsaicin > turmeric/curcumin > fenugreek > ginger. The mechanisms underlying the hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic influence of these spices have also been fairly well understood.
A metabolic abnormality such as obesity is a major obstacle in the maintenance of the human health system and causes various chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, as well as various cancers. This study was designed to summarize the recent scientific knowledge regarding the anti-obesity role of curcumin (diferuloylmethane), which is isolated from the herb curcuma longa, known to possess anti-inflammatory activities. However, little is known about its exact underlying molecular mechanisms in the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, cell cultures, animal models of obesity, and few human clinical and epidemiological studies have added the promise for future therapeutic interventions of this dietary compound.
An electronic search was performed using Science finder, Medline, Scopus, Google scholar and collected English language articles from 2000 to 2010, relating to the role of curcumin in obesity and metabolic diseases.
Obesity has been classified as a growing epidemic and its associated metabolic disorders are considered a major risk to the health system. Curcumin interacts with specific proteins in adipocytes, pancreatic cells, hepatic stellate cells, macrophages, and muscle cells, where it suppresses several cellular proteins such as transcription factor NF-kB, STAT-3, Wnt/β-catenin and activates PPAR-γ, Nrf2 cell signaling pathway. In addition, curcumin downregulates the inflammatory cytokines, resistin and leptin, and upregulates adiponectin as well as other associated proteins. The interactions of curcumin with several signal transduction pathways reverse insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity and metabolic diseases.
The modulation of several cellular transduction pathways by curcumin has recently been extended to elucidate the molecular basis for obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases. These findings might enable novel phytochemical treatment strategies as well as curcumin translation to the clinical practice for the treatment and prevention of obesity-related chronic diseases. Furthermore, the relatively low cost of curcumin, safety and proven efficacy make it advisable to include curcumin as part of healthy diet.
There are few data regarding the prevalence of obesity and its socioeconomic determinants among elderly individuals, particularly in Iran. We wished to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in free-living elderly people and the relationship to nutritional and socioeconomic factors in the Razavi-Khorasan province of Iran. Free-living elderly persons (917 males/1045 females), aged > or =60 years, were recruited using cluster sampling. Overweight and obesity were evaluated using body mass index (BMI) and subjects were categorized as thin (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (> or =30 kg/m2). The association between the prevalence of overweight or obesity with socioeconomic and demographic factors, including gender, place of residence, literacy, type of living, source of income, use of supplements during the past 3 months, and employment status, was examined using regression analysis. The distribution of BMI values indicated that 13, 46.5, 28.9, and 11.7% of the total population were thin, normal, overweight, and obese, respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was higher among Iranian women than men (63.1 vs. 18.6%, respectively). Regression analysis results indicated that gender (p < 0.001), place of residence (p < 0.001), literacy (p = 0.01), and source of income (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with the incidence of overweight or obesity. This study showed that 40.6% of elderly subjects were overweight or obese. Results reinforce the need to plan strategies for primary prevention of this fast-growing public health problem.
The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are increasing globally. The present study was conducted in an attempt to define optimal cutoff values for several anthropometric variables in an Iranian population, as these may vary with ethnicity. Iranian subjects (2483 men and 2445 women), aged 15-65 years, were recruited using a cluster-stratified sampling method from rural and urban areas within the Khorasan province. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to define optimal anthropometric cutoff values. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome were 28, 5.5, 67, and 39.9%, respectively. The gender-specific cutoff values for waist:height ratio to predict hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome among men were 0.52 (sensitivity = 66%; specificity = 66%), 0.54 (sensitivity = 65%; specificity = 65%), 0.50 (sensitivity = 58%; specificity = 57%), and 0.53 (sensitivity = 73%; specificity = 70%), and for women were 0.59 (sensitivity = 61%; specificity = 61%), 0.61 (sensitivity = 64%; specificity = 64%), 0.57 (sensitivity = 61%; specificity = 61%), and 0.59 (sensitivity = 77%; specificity = 77%) (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between waist:height ratio and hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, particularly in women. Waist circumference cutoffs were higher for women than men for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia.
Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were maintained on 0.5% curcumin containing diet for 8 weeks. Blood cholesterol was lowered significantly by dietary curcumin in these diabetic animals. Cholesterol decrease was exclusively from LDL-VLDL fraction. Significant decrease in blood triglyceride and phospholipids was also brought about by dietary curcumin in diabetic rats. In a parallel study, wherein diabetic animals were maintained on a high cholesterol diet, the extents of hypercholesterolemia and phospholipidemia were still higher compared to those maintained on control diet. Curcumin exhibited lowering of cholesterol and phospholipid in these animals also. Liver cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid contents were elevated under diabetic conditions. Dietary curcumin showed a distinct tendency to counter these changes in lipid fractions of liver. This effect of curcumin was also seen in diabetic animals maintained on high cholesterol diet. Dietary curcumin also showed significant countering of renal cholesterol and triglycerides elevated in diabetic rats.
In order to understand the mechanism of hypocholesterolemic action of dietary curcumin, activities of hepatic cholesterol-7a-hydroxylase and HMG CoA reductase were measured. Hepatic cholesterol-7a-hydroxylase activity was markedly higher in curcumin fed diabetic animals suggesting a higher rate of cholesterol catabolism. (Mol Cell Biochem 166: 169-175, 1997)
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a yellow substance from the root of the plant Curcuma longa Linn., has been demonstrated to inhibit carcinogenesis of murine skin, stomach, intestine and liver. However, the toxicology, pharmacokinetics and biologically effective dose of curcumin in humans have not been reported. This prospective phase-I study evaluated these issues of curcumin in patients with one of the following five high-risk conditions: 1) recently resected urinary bladder cancer; 2) arsenic Bowen's disease of the skin; 3) uterine cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN); 4) oral leucoplakia; and 5) intestinal metaplasia of the stomach. Curcumin was taken orally for 3 months. Biopsy of the lesion sites was done immediately before and 3 months after starting curcumin treament. The starting dose was 500 mg/day. If no toxicity > or = grade II was noted in at least 3 successive patients, the dose was then escalated to another level in the order of 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, and 12,000 mg/day. The concentration of curcumin in serum and urine was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). A total of 25 patients were enrolled in this study. There was no treatment-related toxicity up to 8,000 mg/day. Beyond 8,000 mg/day, the bulky volume of the drug was unacceptable to the patients. The serum concentration of curcumin usually peaked at 1 to 2 hours after oral intake of crucumin and gradually declined within 12 hours. The average peak serum concentrations after taking 4,000 mg, 6,000 mg and 8,000 mg of curcumin were 0.51 +/- 0.11 microM, 0.63 +/- 0.06 microM and 1.77 +/- 1.87 microM, respectively. Urinary excretion of curcumin was undetectable. One of 4 patients with CIN and 1 of 7 patients with oral leucoplakia proceeded to develop frank malignancies in spite of curcumin treatment. In contrast, histologic improvement of precancerous lesions was seen in 1 out of 2 patients with recently resected bladder cancer, 2 out of 7 patients of oral leucoplakia, 1 out of 6 patients of intestinal metaplasia of the stomach, I out of 4 patients with CIN and 2 out of 6 patients with Bowen's disease. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that curcumin is not toxic to humans up to 8,000 mg/day when taken by mouth for 3 months. Our results also suggest a biologic effect of curcumin in the chemoprevention of cancer.
Obesity is closely associated with insulin resistance and establishes the leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet the molecular mechanisms of this association are poorly understood. The c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) can interfere with insulin action in cultured cells and are activated by inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids, molecules that have been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. Here we show that JNK activity is abnormally elevated in obesity. Furthermore, an absence of JNK1 results in decreased adiposity, significantly improved insulin sensitivity and enhanced insulin receptor signalling capacity in two different models of mouse obesity. Thus, JNK is a crucial mediator of obesity and insulin resistance and a potential target for therapeutics.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In obese individuals, adipose tissue releases increased amounts of non-esterified fatty acids, glycerol, hormones, pro-inflammatory cytokines and other factors that are involved in the development of insulin resistance. When insulin resistance is accompanied by dysfunction of pancreatic islet beta-cells - the cells that release insulin - failure to control blood glucose levels results. Abnormalities in beta-cell function are therefore critical in defining the risk and development of type 2 diabetes. This knowledge is fostering exploration of the molecular and genetic basis of the disease and new approaches to its treatment and prevention.
Health beneficial hypolipidemic and antioxidant influences of dietary spice principles--curcumin, capsaicin alone and in combination included in the diet for 8 weeks were evaluated in induced hypercholesterolemic rats, in order to verify if there is any additive or synergistic effect of these two bioactive compounds. Dietary curcumin (0.2%), capsaicin (0.015%) or their combination significantly countered the hypercholesterolemia brought about by high cholesterol feeding. Hepatic cholesterol was lowered by dietary spice principles only in normal rats. Liver triglyceride levels were lowered in both normal and hypercholesterolemic rats by capsaicin. Curcumin and capsaicin lowered hepatic and blood lipid peroxides in hypercholesterolemic rats, while the effect in blood was additive with their combination. Hepatic ascorbic acid was enhanced by dietary spice principles in normal rats; glutathione was enhanced by their combination only in hypercholesterolemic rats. Activities of serum glutathione reductase, glutathione transferase and catalase and hepatic glutathione reductase in normal rats and serum glutathione peroxidase in hypercholesterolemic rats were enhanced by dietary spice principles. While dietary curcumin and capsaicin normalized the changes in the levels of antioxidant molecules and activities of antioxidant enzymes to a significant extent, this effect was not generally additive when given in combination, and was higher than the individual effects only in a few instances.
This third edition of what has now become a well-established textbook in cardiovascular medicine is again edited by Dr Eugene Braunwald with the assistance of 65 other authors who read like a Who's Who of American Cardiology. Since the second edition, 12 new chapters have been added or substituted and others have been significantly revised.The first volume includes Part I on "Examination of the Patient" and Part II on "Normal and Abnormal Circulatory Function." The second volume deals with specific diseases. Part III, "Diseases of the Heart, Pericardium and Vascular System," includes new sections on "Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease," "The Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis," and "Interventional Catheterization Techniques." Part IV, "Broader Perspectives on Heart Disease and Cardiologic Practice," includes new chapters on "Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease," "Aging in Cardiac Disease," and "Cost Effective Strategies in Cardiology." The last 200 pages of the book (Part V) are devoted to
LR: 20061115; JID: 7501160; 0 (Antilipemic Agents); 0 (Cholesterol, HDL); 0 (Cholesterol, LDL); 57-88-5 (Cholesterol); CIN: JAMA. 2001 Nov 21;286(19):2401; author reply 2401-2. PMID: 11712930; CIN: JAMA. 2001 Nov 21;286(19):2400-1; author reply 2401-2. PMID: 11712929; CIN: JAMA. 2001 Nov 21;286(19):2400; author reply 2401-2. PMID: 11712928; CIN: JAMA. 2001 Nov 21;286(19):2400; author reply 2401-2. PMID: 11712927; CIN: JAMA. 2001 May 16;285(19):2508-9. PMID: 11368705; CIN: JAMA. 2003 Apr 16;289(15):1928; author reply 1929. PMID: 12697793; CIN: JAMA. 2001 Aug 1;286(5):533-5. PMID: 11476650; CIN: JAMA. 2001 Nov 21;286(19):2401-2. PMID: 11712931; ppublish
Curcumin has been reported to lower plasma lipids and glucose in diabetic rats, and to decrease body weight in obese rats, which may partly be due to increased fatty acid oxidation and utilization in skeletal muscle.
Diabetic rats induced by high-fat diet plus streptozotocin (STZ, 30 mg/kg BW) were fed a diet containing 50, 150, or 250 mg/kg BW curcumin for 7 wk. Curcumin dose-dependently decreased plasma lipids and glucose and the dose 150 mg/kg BW appeared to be adequate to produce a significant effect. Curcumin supplementation reduced glucose and insulin tolerance measured as areas under the curve. L6 myotubes were treated with palmitate (0.25 mmol/L) in the presence of different levels of curcumin for 24 h in our in vitro experiment. Curcumin at 10 μmol/L was adequate to cause a significant increase in 2-deoxy-[(3)H]d-glucose uptake by L6 myotubes. Curcumin up-regulated expression of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), CD36, and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1, but down-regulated expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase 4 and phosphorylated glycogen synthase (GS) in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Moreover, curcumin increased phosphorylated acetyl COA carboxylase in L6 myotubes. The effects of curcumin on these enzymes except for GS were suppressed by AMPK inhibitor, Compound C. LKB1, an upstream kinase of AMPK, was activated by curcumin and inhibited by radicicol, an LKB1 destabilizer.
Curcumin improves muscular insulin resistance by increasing oxidation of fatty acid and glucose, which is, at least in part, mediated through LKB1-AMPK pathway.
To investigate the attenuating effect of curcumin, an anti-inflammatory compound derived from dietary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) on the pro-inflammatory insulin-resistant state in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
Glucose uptake rate was determined with the [3H] 2-deoxyglucose uptake method. Expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by quantitative RT-PCR analysis and ELISA. Nuclear transcription factor kappaB p65 (NF-kappa p65) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) were detected by Western blot assay.
The basal glucose uptake was not altered, and curcumin increased the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 cells. Curcumin suppressed the transcription and secretion of TNF-alpha and IL-6 induced by palmitate in a concentration-dependent manner. Palmitate induced nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. The activities of Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38MAPK decreased in the presence of curcumin. Moreover, pretreatment with SP600125 (inhibitor of JNK) instead of PD98059 or SB203580 (inhibitor of ERK1/2 or p38MAPK, respectively) decreased the up-regulation of TNF-alpha induced by palmitate.
Curcumin reverses palmitate-induced insulin resistance state in 3T3-L1 adipocytes through the NF-kappaB and JNK pathway.
This study investigated the effect of curcumin (0.05-g/100-g diet) supplementation on a high-fat diet (10% coconut oil, 0.2% cholesterol, wt/wt) fed to hamsters, one of the rodent species that are most closely related to humans in lipid metabolism. Curcumin significantly lowered the levels of free fatty acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and leptin and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index, whereas it elevated the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and paraoxonase activity in plasma, compared with the control group. The levels of hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride were also lower in the curcumin group than in the control group. In the liver, fatty acid beta-oxidation activity was significantly higher in the curcumin group than in the control group, whereas fatty acid synthase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, and acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase activities were significantly lower. Curcumin significantly lowered the lipid peroxide levels in the erythrocyte and liver compared with the control group. These results indicate that curcumin exhibits an obvious hypolipidemic effect by increasing plasma paraoxonase activity, ratios of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to total cholesterol and of apo A-I to apo B, and hepatic fatty acid oxidation activity with simultaneous inhibition of hepatic fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis in high-fat-fed hamsters.
The effect of curcumin administration in reducing the serum levels of cholesterol and lipid peroxides was studied in ten healthy human volunteers, receiving 500 mg of curcumin per day for 7 days. A significant decrease in the level of serum lipid peroxides (33%), increase in HDL Cholesterol (29%), and a decrease in total serum cholesterol (11.63%) were noted. As curcumin reduced serum lipid peroxides and serum cholesterol, the study of curcumin as a chemopreventive substance against arterial diseases is suggested.
Effect of oral administration of curcumin (diferuloyl methane) on lipid peroxidation in various organs of mice like liver, lung, kidney and brain was studied in control animals as well as those given carbon tetrachloride, paraquat and cyclophosphamide. Oral administration of curcumin significantly lowered the increased peroxidation of lipids in these tissues produced by these chemicals. Administration of curcumin was also found to lower significantly the serum and tissue cholesterol levels in these animals, indicating that the use of curcumin helps in conditions associated with peroxide induced injury such as liver damage and arterial diseases.
In rats fed cholesterol and curcumin, the coloring principle in tur meric, levels of serum and liver cholesterol fell to one-half or one-third of those in rats fed cholesterol and no curcumin. Deposition of cholesterol was found most in liver sections from rats fed cholesterol and least in specimens from animals con currently fed curcumin. Curcumin increased fecal excretion of bile acids and cho lesterol, both in normal and hypercholesteremic rats. This biliary drainage is a plaus ible explanation for the reduction of tissue cholesterol on curcumin feeding. Alpha- and ß-lipoproteinsin blood plasma showed meaningful response to addition of curcumin. The imbalance in these two lipoproteins brought about by cholesterol feeding was nearly corrected by simultaneous feeding of curcumin. The above beneficial effects of curcumin were about the same with 0.1% or 0.5% of curcumin in the diet, sug gesting that the effective level of curcumin may be even lower than 0.1%. Curcumin maintained body and liver weights, correcting the ill effects in this respect caused by ingested cholesterol. The effect of curcumin in keeping down cholesterol in con ditions which otherwise induced hypercholesteremia was not through alterations in cecal microflora which are known to dismute and utilize bile acids in the gut.
Obesity (defined as a body mass index > 30 kg/m2) is common in middle-aged Europeans. The prevalence is notably high in women from Mediterranean and Eastern European countries. In most European countries the prevalence of obesity has been shown to be increasing. When the impact of obesity on health status is assessed this should be done at many levels. Not only should be looked at mortality or diseases and disorders associated with obesity. Physical functioning and quality of life are also of great importance although they may not be bound to any specific diagnosis. Mobility disability has been shown to be more strongly related to obesity than the association between obesity and mortality. Estimation of direct health care costs attributable to obesity vary between 1-5% of the total health care expenditure depending on the definition of obesity and the methods for calculating these costs. This ranks obesity among the major determinants of health care costs.
Obesity is an increasingly prevalent metabolic disorder affecting not only the US population but also that of the developing world. It is estimated from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (1988-1991) that 33% of the US population is obese, compared with 25% in NHANES II (1976-1980).1 Fatness is associated with a number of comorbidities, including several forms of heart disease. Although heredity explains 30% to 70% of cases of obesity, environmental contributions to the increasing prevalence of obesity must be sought since the gene pool has remained stable over the same interval. Diets high in fat (and calories)2 and a reduced expenditure of energy in the form of physical activity3 are the most likely explanations. However, in the United States, despite the reduction in consumption of fat from approximately 40% of calories in 1965 to 34% of calories in 1991,4 a decrease in incidence of obesity has not occurred. This is likely attributable to both maintenance of fat intake with an increase in total caloric intake and reduced physical activity. Interestingly, in developing countries some comorbidities are seen at a lesser degree of excess weight, suggesting that relative weight may be as important as absolute adiposity.
The definition of obesity, or being overweight,5 remains controversial. In the United States, mortality data provided by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company historically have been used to define obesity.6 Yet these data relate to mortality only, and the definition depends on a person’s frame (size), which is arbitrary and not independently related to obesity-related mortality or comorbidities. Body mass index (BMI) has recently gained favor as a better measure of adiposity.7 8 BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2). A threshold level of BMI to …
In response to the emerging body of scientific, medical, and behavioral data about the link between excess adiposity and coronary heart disease, the American Heart Association (AHA) has reclassified obesity as a major, modifiable risk factor for coronary heart disease.
In doing so, the AHA focuses more of its attention and resources on the role of obesity in cardiovascular disease and issues a “call to action” to the medical and research community, as well as the public. The actions that we request are listed below and begin with the need for more funding for research on obesity, particularly the interrelated roles of the biochemical and behavioral factors that underlie weight regulation. Only through such research can we better understand this disorder and develop more effective preventive strategies and treatments for obesity.
Obesity research today is in its infancy, at a stage comparable to lipid research 20 years ago. From epidemiology studies, we have learned that obesity is a serious risk factor for coronary heart disease, on a par with cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, and high blood cholesterol. Because the research on this “new” risk factor for heart disease is in its infancy, the solutions are less clear. Few drugs exist to prevent and treat obesity, and certainly there are no drugs comparable to the “statins” to reduce high blood cholesterol. The long-term effects of the few treatments available remain unknown. There are few tools …
Curcumin, a dietary pigment in curry, suppresses tumor initiation and tumor promotion. Curcumin is also a potent inhibitor for AP-1 and NF-kappaB activation. In this report, we show that curcumin inhibits JNK activation by various agonists including PMA plus ionomycin, anisomycin, UV-C, gamma radiation, TNF-alpha, and sodium orthovanadate. Although both JNK and ERK activation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin were suppressed by curcumin, the JNK pathway was more sensitive. The IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) of curcumin was between 5-10 microM for JNK activation and was 20 microM for ERK activation. In transfection assays, curcumin moderately suppressed MEKK1-induced JNK activation; however, it effectively blocked JNK activation caused by co-transfection of TAK1, GCK, or HPK1. Curcumin did not directly inhibit JNK, SEK1, MEKK1 or HPK1 activity. Although curcumin suppressed TAK1 and GCK activities at high concentrations, this inhibition cannot fully account for the JNK inhibition by curcumin in vivo. Our data suggest that curcumin may affect the JNK pathway by interfering with the signaling molecule(s) at the same level or proximally upstream of the MAPKKK level. Taken together, the inhibition of the MEKK1-JNK pathway reveals a possible mechanism of suppression of AP-1 and NF-kappaB signaling by curcumin, and may explain the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects of this chemical.
As pointed out by Pilgeram (1993), 'no disease in the history of mankind exacts a greater toll in morbidity than heart or blood vessel disease.' However, the physiopathological mechanisms responsible for this disease are not fully understood. Dating back to 1846, Von Rokitansky was the first to propose that the accumulation of a fibrous substance on the endothelial wall of arteries is the fundamental cause of coronary heart disease (Von Rokitansky, 1846), and at about the same time Anitschow (1933) showed that diets high in cholesterol and fat result in the formation of atheromatous plaques. According to Pilgeram (1993), this was the origin of the two current concepts of atherogenesis: one based on the formation of fibrous tissue, the other on the accumulation of cholesterol. He concludes that the two mechanisms may act in synergy and that the probable atherogenic role of the fiber-forming blood protein fibrinogen may help in the conceptual integration of the above mechanisms. His own data showed an age-related increase in the plasma levels of fibrinogen which was more striking in atherosclerotic subjects, Strong support for the concept that plasma fibrinogen is a major coronary risk factor nad been also provided by Stone and Thorp (1985). They showed that in men aged 40-69 years, who were initially free from overt coronary heart disease, there was a significant positive correlation between initial plasma fibrinogen levels and the subsequent incidence of heart attacks. Specifically, in men with high cholesterol or high systolic blood pressure values the frequency of heart attacks was, respectively six and 12 times greater in those with high plasma fibrinogen levels than in those with low fibrinogen levels. Moreover, these authors state: 'In multivariate models plasma fibrinogen was a highly significant and independent explanatory variable, at least as important as serum cholesterol, blood presure or cigarette; smoking. These results suggest that high plasma fibrinogen levels ale an important corollary risk factor and should be included in profiles used to identify those at high risk of heart attacks.'
The impact of obesity and associated conditions on health has not been assessed in older adults using a generic, utility-based measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study evaluates the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and HRQOL scores and gives estimates of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost to overweight, obesity, and associated conditions.
A total of 1326 adults from the Rancho Bernardo longitudinal cohort study, with a mean age of 72 years, completed the Quality of Well-Being Scale (QWB), a generic health-related quality of life measure. Height, weight, exercise, and smoking status were also assessed. Differences in QWB scores between obese adults and those with a normal BMI were used to estimate the QALYs lost due to obesity and associated conditions.
Participants were divided into four groups based on BMI: <20 (underweight); 20 to 24.9 (normal); 25 to 29.9 (overweight); >30 kg/m(2) (obese). Analysis of covariance controlling for age, gender, smoking history, and exercise showed a significant difference between group means (F(7,1310)=30.79; p <0.001). The normal BMI group had the highest QWB score (0.709), followed by the underweight (0.698), overweight (0.695), and obese (0.663) groups. The QWB score for the obese group was significantly lower than that for the normal and overweight groups. An estimated 2.93 million QALYs are lost in this country each year from obesity and associated conditions.
Obese older adults tend to have lower HRQOL than those who are overweight or of normal BMI. The lower QWB scores associated with obesity translate into millions of QALYs lost each year. Being overweight but not obese did not have a significant impact on HRQOL in this population.
Curcumin, a widely used spice and colouring agent in food has been shown to have a broad spectrum of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplastic, antimutagenic and antioxidant. We have used liver slice culture model to demonstrate hepatoprotective activity of curcumin in vitro. Ethanol has been used as a hepatotoxin and the cytotoxicity of ethanol is estimated by quantitating the release of LDH. Ethanol induces 3.5 times more release of LDH from the liver cells and twice the amount of lipid peroxidation as compared to the cells from untreated liver tissue and this was significantly reduced in presence of curcumin (5 microM). We measured the activity of antioxidant enzymes (AOEs) namely superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase and found that in ethanol treated cells activity of all three enzymes was elevated. However, when curcumin was added along with ethanol their levels were kept low. The fact that release of LDH is significantly reduced along with lipid peroxidation and the activity of AOEs is kept low indicates that curcumin by its antioxidant activity reduced the oxidative stress induced by ethanol and protected the liver cells in vitro.
The use of turmeric, derived from the root of the plant Curcuma longa, for treatment of different inflammatory diseases has been described in Ayurveda and in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. The active component of turmeric responsible for this activity, curcumin, was identified almost two centuries ago. Modern science has revealed that curcumin mediates its effects by modulation of several important molecular targets, including transcription factors (e.g., NF-kappaB, AP-1, Egr-1, beta-catenin, and PPAR-gamma), enzymes (e.g., COX2, 5-LOX, iNOS, and hemeoxygenase-1), cell cycle proteins (e.g., cyclin D1 and p21), cytokines (e.g., TNF, IL-1, IL-6, and chemokines), receptors (e.g., EGFR and HER2), and cell surface adhesion molecules. Because it can modulate the expression of these targets, curcumin is now being used to treat cancer, arthritis, diabetes, Crohn's disease, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, psoriasis, and other pathologies. Interestingly, 6-gingerol, a natural analog of curcumin derived from the root of ginger (Zingiber officinalis), exhibits a biologic activity profile similar to that of curcumin. The efficacy, pharmacologic safety, and cost effectiveness of curcuminoids prompt us to "get back to our roots."
It was estimated in 1998 that 85% of the global burden of cardiovascular diseases occurred in low and middle income countries.1,2 Furthermore, about half the deaths in the 1990s attributable to cardiovascular diseases in these countries were in those below the age of 70 years compared with only a quarter in the developed countries.2
Although the mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases and prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors has generally decreased in economically developed countries, the corresponding mortality rate and risk prevalence has substantially increased in China, other East Asian societies and now India, which have been undergoing rapid demographic, social and economic changes.3,4,5 Dietary and lifestyle changes associated with economic growth and increasing wealth have led to a marked increase in obesity and diabetes in Asia that may further increase the burden of cardiovascular diseases.6,7,8 In sub‐Saharan Africa, where infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death, hypertension and stroke are emerging as an important cause of ill health in the rapidly urbanising population of the region.9 Despite these facts, the vast majority of publications in cardiovascular diseases refer to the populations of North America and Western Europe. Additionally, many of the guidelines derived from these areas are being applied, perhaps inappropriately, to other populations in completely different environments. Heart is attempting to redress this imbalance by publishing a series of invited reviews on different aspects of cardiovascular diseases in India, China, sub‐Saharan Africa and South America. Emphasis is placed on local research data and practices so that these can reach a wider audience; there are many lessons to be learnt for all from practising medicine in a more resource‐poor environment that concentrate the mind on doing what is most cost effective. The first in the series begins with cardiomyopathies and pericarditis in Africa, which are major causes of heart failure (see article on page 1176).10
We thank our many contributors for finding time in their busy clinical schedules to produce these reviews and we hope that our readership will find the articles as interesting and illuminating as we have as editors.
Although turmeric (Curcuma longa; an Indian spice) has been described in Ayurveda, as a treatment for inflammatory diseases and is referred by different names in different cultures, the active principle called curcumin or diferuloylmethane, a yellow pigment present in turmeric (curry powder) has been shown to exhibit numerous activities. Extensive research over the last half century has revealed several important functions of curcumin. It binds to a variety of proteins and inhibits the activity of various kinases. By modulating the activation of various transcription factors, curcumin regulates the expression of inflammatory enzymes, cytokines, adhesion molecules, and cell survival proteins. Curcumin also downregulates cyclin D1, cyclin E and MDM2; and upregulates p21, p27, and p53. Various preclinical cell culture and animal studies suggest that curcumin has potential as an antiproliferative, anti-invasive, and antiangiogenic agent; as a mediator of chemoresistance and radioresistance; as a chemopreventive agent; and as a therapeutic agent in wound healing, diabetes, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and arthritis. Pilot phase I clinical trials have shown curcumin to be safe even when consumed at a daily dose of 12g for 3 months. Other clinical trials suggest a potential therapeutic role for curcumin in diseases such as familial adenomatous polyposis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, hypercholesteremia, atherosclerosis, pancreatitis, psoriasis, chronic anterior uveitis and arthritis. Thus, curcumin, a spice once relegated to the kitchen shelf, has moved into the clinic and may prove to be "Curecumin".
Studies in animals and a short-term human study have suggested that curcumin, a polyphenolic compound concentrated in the curry spice turmeric, decreases serum cholesterol concentration. However, no controlled human trials have examined the effect of curcumin on cholesterol. This study investigated the effects of consuming curcumin on the serum lipid profile in men and women. Elderly subjects (n=36) consumed 4 g/d curcumin, 1g/d curcumin, or placebo in a 6-month, randomized, double-blind trial. Plasma curcumin and its metabolites were measured at 1 month, and the serum lipid profile was measured at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months. The plasma curcumin concentration reached a mean of 490 nmol/L. The curcumin concentration was greater after capsule than powder administration. Consumption of either dose of curcumin did not significantly affect triacylglycerols, or total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol over 1 month or 6 months. However, the concentrations of plasma curcumin and serum cholesterol were positively and significantly correlated. Curcumin consumption does not appear to have a significant effect on the serum lipid profile, unless the absorbed concentration of curcumin is considered, in which case curcumin may modestly increase cholesterol.
Risk factors for atherosclerotic disease Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine W.B. Saunders Co.: Philadelphia; 1024. Seidell JC. 1998. The impact of obesity on health status: some implications for health care costs
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