Curcumin supplementation is linked to multiple measures of weight reduction, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body weight, researchers concluded in a review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
 
Additionally, it was found that significant effects on these measures were most pronounced in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
 
These weight loss benefits were consistently experienced by populations involved in the review who had type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and obesity, suggesting the therapeutic potential of supplementation with curcumin in these populations.
 
The researchers said that the findings in the study are likely owed to the well-established antioxidant and inflammatory modulating properties of curcumin, however, bioavailability served as a major challenge.
 
“Bioavailability-enhanced formulas [including piperine, nanomicelle formation, phospholipids, and more] are preferred for their greater average treatment effect than either whole compounds or curcumin extracts. Curcumin supplementation should be an option for treating and managing these patients, in addition to lifestyle modification,” the authors concluded.
 
The findings were gathered from a total of 14 systemic reviews and meta analyses (SRMAs) which each included between 4 and 18 randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) representing a pooled population of over 8,000 participants. The mean study duration was eight weeks, and the mean dosages of curcumin extracts and bioavailability-enhanced formulas ranged from 500-1950 mg/d and 500-1000 mg/day respectively.