A Curcuma longa (turmeric) extract was linked to significant improvements in markers of chronic inflammation, mental health assessments, and lower body weight and BMI compared to supplementation with a placebo in a recent randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving overweight, healthy participants.
 
Curcumin has long been studied for its impact on chronic, low-grade inflammation, which is potentially associated with an increased risk of many adverse health outcomes, as well as for its impact on mood. The authors of the study noted that overweight and obesity are associated with an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may be responsible for the heightened risk of developing low-grade inflammation, and perhaps subsequent chronic inflammatory diseases, in these populations.
 
In the present study, appearing in the BMC Nutrition Journal, investigators recruited 90 healthy subjects between the ages of 50 and 69 who were overweight. The participants either took two capsules containing curcumin extract or a placebo daily for 12 weeks, and were monitored for serum inflammatory markers. Throughout the study, the participants also took part in the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey and Profile of Mood States scale survey.
 
By the end of the study period, the participants who took the curcumin extract had significantly lower body weight and body mass index compared to the placebo group, along with significant reductions in serum levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker, and complement component 3, an inflammatory marker specifically associated with increased risk for a number of diseases.
 
“These results suggest that intake of a mixture of hot water extract and supercritical carbon dioxide extract of C. longa may have the potential to improve mental health and negative mood state by reducing chronic low-grade inflammation,” the authors of the study concluded. While the study was observational in nature, numerous in vitro studies have suggested a host of potential mechanisms of action for curcumin’s inflammatory-modulating properties, they noted. Further, in vitro studies specifically conducted on microglial cells (cells involved in central nervous system function) showed that C. longa extract, turmeronol A, and turmeronol B were shown to inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators including TNF-a and IL-6.