The effects of curcumin as dietary supplement for patients with COVID-19: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials.
What this study found
Overall, curcumin showed a favorable immunomodulatory signal in COVID-19, with improvements in lymphocyte counts and several inflammatory or T-cell related markers. Hassaniazad et al. reported increased FOXP3 and decreased TBX21 expression; Valizadeh et al. reported decreased IL-6 and IL-1β expression and secretion, with no effect on TNF-alpha or IL-18; Tahmasebi et al. reported changes in Th-17-related measures and cytokines. Mortality was lower in several curcumin arms, including 20% (4/20) versus 40% (8/20) in Valizadeh et al., 0% (0/20) versus 5% (1/20) in the mild Tahmasebi group, and…
- Study & population
- Systematic review of 6 randomized controlled trials in adults with COVID-19, including mild and severe cases.
- Intervention
- Curcumin was tested as a short-term oral supplement across six randomized placebo-controlled COVID-19 trials, most using nano-curcumin formulations and one using curcumin with Bioperine.
- Key limitation
- The evidence comes from only 6 small randomized trials with short treatment periods and heterogeneous curcumin formulations, doses, and outcomes.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Accumulating evidence has been reported regarding the effect of curcumin as a dietary antiviral on patients with COVID-19; however, findings are controversial. Our systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin in patients with COVID-19. Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar) were systematically searched to identify only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed curcumin in patients with COVID-19 from inception to September 23, 2021 relevant keywords. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used to evaluate the risk of bias. After a critical review of 1,098 search hits, only six RCTs were selected for discussion. A total of 480 patients were included, with 240 amongst the curcumin groups and 240 in the control group. The lymphocyte count was significantly higher in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group. Curcumin was found to decrease the number of T-helper 17 cells, downregulate T-helper-17 cell-related factors, reduce levels of T-helper-17 cell-related cytokines, yet increase the gene expression of Treg transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), and decrease T-Box transcription factor 21 (TBX21). Our review revealed that curcumin might have a positive effect on relieving COVID-19 related inflammatory response due to its powerful immune-modulatory effects on cytokines production, T-cell responses, and gene expression. These findings suggest that curcumin confers clinical benefits in patients with COVID-19. However, due to the limited number of the included studies, further high-quality studies are needed to establish the clinical efficacy of the curcumin.