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2023
Review of Clinical Studies Suggests Using Curcumin for Weight Management

Review of Clinical Studies Suggests Using Curcumin for Weight Management

An updated meta-analysis of 50 clinical trials found that curcumin, a compound that occurs in the “golden spice” turmeric, offers weight management benefits.¹

Trial participants who received curcumin experienced a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI), body weight and waist circumference compared with control groups. Bioavailable forms of curcumin that are easier for the body to use showed the greatest benefit.

The study examined fourteen systematic reviews and meta-analyses which included a total of 39 randomized, controlled trials, plus an additional 11 new trials. Different types of curcumin evaluated in the trials included whole turmeric, curcumin extracts or bioavailability-enhanced formulas.

The article was published in the May 2023 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. As the authors pointed out, weight management isn’t the only benefit of turmeric extract. “Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a member of the ginger family cultivated in Asian countries, and it is one of the most common herbs used as a culinary ingredient or dietary intake,” they remarked. “It has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries in Asia because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, and antihyperlipidemia properties.”

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Apply What You’ve Learned: Curcumin

Curcuminoids are a family of compounds extracted from the turmeric root, a spice used in Indian and other cuisines. Turmeric has been used as an herbal medicine in Asia for thousands of years.² Curcumin makes up the majority of curcuminoids in turmeric.³
Curcumin’s health benefits go beyond weight management. The compound has been used in diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and liver disease. It has also been studied in brain-related conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), anxiety, autism, depression, Down syndrome, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, prion disease and stroke.⁴
Curcumin’s ability to support a healthy inflammatory response and to fight oxidative stress may be why it benefits many health concerns and disorders.⁵
Curcuminoids, the most important of the benefit-packed compounds in turmeric, have poor bioavailability in their normal state. Combining turmeric extract with fenugreek fiber has been found to increase free curcuminoids’ bioavailability 45.5-fold when compared to unformulated standard curcumin.⁶

References

Unhapipatpong C et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023 May;117(5):1005-1016.
Akaberi M et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1291:15-39.
Lee WH et al. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2013 Jul;11(4):338-78.
Bhat A et al. Biofactors. 2019 Sep;45(5):666-689.
He Y et al. Molecules. 2015 May 20;20(5):9183-213.
Kumar D et al. J Funct Foods. 2016;22:578-587.

Featured Life Extension Magazine® Article

Senescent Cells and Brain Aging
By Brian Scott

Senescent cells are aged cells that, rather than dying, can become dysfunctional and damage the tissue around them. New research indicates that senescent cells in the brain are involved in the development of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Senolytics are compounds that help remove senescent cells in the body. In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, the senolytic compounds quercetin and dasatinib (a drug that treats cancer) eliminated senescent cells in the brain while lowering inflammation, reducing amyloid-beta deposits that characterize Alzheimer’s disease and improving cognitive function. Theaflavins from black tea have been found to have a senolytic action similar to that of dasatinib.

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