Effects of Curcumin Supplementation on Inflammatory Markers, Muscle Damage, and Sports Performance during Acute Physical Exercise in Sedentary Individuals
What this study found
Curcumin supplementation was found to reduce muscle damage, lower inflammation, and improve muscle performance during acute exercise in sedentary individuals. However, the studies showed variability and had methodological limitations, indicating a need for further research.
- Study & population
- The review analyzed five randomized controlled trials involving sedentary adults over 18 years of age.
- Intervention
- Curcumin supplementation was systematically reviewed for its effects on inflammatory markers, muscle damage, and sports performance during acute physical exercise in sedentary individuals.
- Key limitation
- Heterogeneity in data, methodological limitations across studies, and a small number of included studies restricted the ability for more robust conclusions.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
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.