The effects of curcumin supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function: A meta-analysis of meta-analyses.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Meta-analysis of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials
PubMed 38945354 · doi:10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2024.106867
What was done
The authors conducted a meta-analysis of meta-analyses (umbrella review) of randomized clinical trials evaluating the effects of curcumin supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function. Searches were conducted across PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science up to March 31, 2024.
What was found
Pooled estimates from 21 meta-analyses showed curcumin significantly reduced CRP (WMD = -0.87; 95% CI: -1.14 to -0.59, P < 0.001), TNF-α (WMD = -2.72; 95% CI: -4.05 to -1.38, P < 0.001), IL-6 (WMD = -0.97; 95% CI: -1.40 to -0.54, P < 0.001), malondialdehyde (ES = -0.81; 95% CI: -1.39 to -0.23, P = 0.006), and pulse wave velocity (WMD = -45.60; 95% CI: -88.16 to -3.04, P = 0.036). Curcumin significantly increased flow-mediated dilation (WMD = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.06 to 2.22, P < 0.001), catalase (WMD = 10.26; 95% CI: 0.92 to 19.61, P = 0.03), glutathione peroxidase (WMD = 8.90; 95% CI: 6.62 to 11.19, P < 0.001), and superoxide dismutase (WMD = 20.51; 95% CI: 7.35 to 33.67, P = 0.002; SMD = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.27 to 1.38, P = 0.004). Total antioxidant capacity changes were not statistically significant (ES = 0.29; 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.66, P = 0.059).
Why it matters
This synthesis summarizes broad meta-analytic evidence confirming that curcumin supplementation consistently improves multiple systemic inflammatory markers, endogenous antioxidant enzyme concentrations, and measures of endothelial/vascular function.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose the total number of primary participants or report the degree of trial overlap across the 21 meta-analyses, which can introduce double-counting bias. In addition, curcumin formulations, dosages, treatment durations, and baseline clinical characteristics of underlying cohorts are not reported in the abstract.
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