Curcumin alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers from India have found that curcumin, the main compound in turmeric, is a safe and effective natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In their study, which was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, they found that curcumin acts as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent for managing rheumatoid arthritis without causing any side effect.

• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder.
• Many of the drugs used to manage this disease have side effects.
• In a search for safe and effective treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, the researchers evaluated the ability of a novel, highly bioavailable form of curcumin to improve the clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
• In Ayurvedic medicine, curcumin has been used to treat inflammatory conditions for centuries.
• For the study, the researchers recruited 36 people with rheumatoid arthritis and divided them into three groups.
• The participants received a placebo, 250, or 500 milligrams (mg) of curcumin twice a day for 90 days.
• The researchers used the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response, visual analog scale (VAS), C-reactive protein (CRP), Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and rheumatoid factor (RF) values to assess the responses of the patients.
• The results revealed that those who received curcumin at both low and high doses reported significant improvements in their symptoms compared to baseline and placebo.
• These were confirmed by significant changes in ESR, CPR, and RF values in patients receiving curcumin.
• Both doses of curcumin were also well-tolerated and did not cause side effects.

The findings of the study indicated that curcumin supplementation can improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis without causing side effects.

To read more studies on the health benefits of turmeric, visit Turmeric.news today.

Journal Reference:

Amalraj A, Varma K, Jacob J, Divya C, Kunnumakkara AB, Stohs SJ, Gopi S. A NOVEL HIGHLY BIOAVAILABLE CURCUMIN FORMULATION IMPROVES SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSTIC INDICATORS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, TWO-DOSE, THREE-ARM, AND PARALLEL-GROUP STUDY. Journal of Medicinal Food. 1 October 2017; 20(10). DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2017.3930