Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin Supplement on Improvement of Insulin Resistance in People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM
Aug 2021
Citations:28
Influential Citations:2
Systematic Reviews / Meta-Analyses
87
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Methods
Adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus; randomized controlled trials (parallel-group); some trials double-blind; populations studied largely in Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
Intervention
Oral curcumin (curcuminoids) supplementation; regimens varied across trials: 300 mg/day (Na 2014), 1000 mg/day (Panahi 2017), and 1500 mg/day (Chuengsamarn 2014); some used nano-curcumin or turmeric extract; some co-administered with piperine; duration not consistently reported; taken orally (capsules).
Results
Curcumin may improve insulin resistance and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. HbA1c decreased significantly (~0.70 percentage points). In Asia-Pacific trials, triglycerides and total cholesterol decreased; triglyceride reduction was notable. Adiponectin increased with curcumin; HDL-C showed some improvement; LDL-C effects were inconsistent. HOMA-IR improvements were observed in Asia-Pacific and Middle East subgroups but not consistently overall. Overall, curcumin may serve as an adjunct to standard therapy for metabolic and lipid parameters in T2DM, with effects varying by region and preparation; results are limited by heterogeneity and study quality; more high-quality, standardized RCTs are needed.
Limitations
Small number of trials and participants; substantial heterogeneity in populations, curcumin preparations, dosages, and durations; several trials had unclear risk of bias due to insufficient reporting of randomization/allocation concealment; some data could not be extracted; adverse-event reporting was limited; generalizability may be limited to Asia-Pacific and Middle East populations.

Abstract

Background Diabetes is a major public health concern. In addition, there is some evidence to support curcumin as part of a diabetes treatment program. Methods Data from randomized controlled trials were obtained to assess the effects of curcumin vers...