Ingredient review
Curcumin
Description
What is it?
Curcumin is a plant chemical found in turmeric (Curcuma longa), (2) a root often used to make curries, teas, and other drinks, mustard sauces, cheese, butter, and chips. It is also used as a colorant and as a preservative. (9)
Download ingredient reviewMain uses
Anti-oxidant applications
Cardiometabolic conditions
Inflammatory conditions
Formulations
Form
Bioavailability
Unformulated
2 g produced no change to bioavailability in humans (19)
Longvida®️ (solid lipid particle structure with improved solubility)
↑ 100x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (10)
Meriva®️ (phospholipid micelle formulation)
↑ 29x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (4)
Theracurmin®️ (highly dispersible, water-soluble & low aggregability)
↑ 27x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (17)
Curcumin-Bioperine®️ (combined with piperine)
↑ 21x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (19)
BCM-95®️ (micronized curcumin in turmeric essential oils)
↑ 7x bioavailability compared with unformulated curcumin (2)
C3 Complex®️ (95% concentration combination of three curcuminoids)
No bioavailability data currently available
Dosing & administration
Arthritis
Metabolic syndrome
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Dosing & administration
Curcumin formulation: 500 mg per day
Outcomes
liver fat content, BMI, TC, LDL-C, TG, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, and HBA1C (16)
Class of evidence
b
Osteoarthritis
Peptic ulcer
Dosing & administration
Turmeric: 600 mg 5x per day for 4 weeks
Outcomes
ulcer prevalence, abdominal pain and discomfort (14)
Class of evidence
c
Rheumatoid arthritis
Dosing & administration
Curcumin: 500 mg per day
Outcomes
tenderness and swelling (3)
Class of evidence
c
Type 2 diabetes
Dosing & administration
Nano-micelle curcumin: 80 mg per day for 3 months
Outcomes
HBA1C, FBG, TG, BMI (15)
Class of evidence
b
Dosing & administration
Turmeric: 2 g per day for 1 month w/ metformin
Outcomes
HBA1C, FBG, LDL-C, non-HDL-C and LDL/HDL ratio, hsCRP, lipid peroxidation, MDA
total antioxidant status (18)
Class of evidence
b
Dosing & administration
Curcumin: 150 mg, 2x per day for 8 weeks
Outcomes
endothelial function
malondialdehyde, ET-1, IL-6, & TNFalpha (20)
Class of evidence
b
Adverse effects
Pharmacokinetics
Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
- Phase I hepatic metabolism rapidly reduces the compound’s double bonds via enterocyte oxidoreductases with involvement of CYP3A4 or alcohol dehydrogenase in liver microsomes. (8)(13)
- Phase II metabolism rapidly conjugated via sulfotransferases (SULTs), glucuronosyltransferases, and glutathione S-transferases (GST). (8)(13)