Can Curcumin Supplements Relieve Joint Pain? Here’s What We Know
Does Curcumin Help Arthritis?
One-third of adults in the United States reported having joint pain in the past 30 days, with arthritis the most common cause (1). Even with regular exercise and an anti-inflammatory diet, some people struggle with chronic pain and stiffness in the knees, hands, wrists, feet, and other joints.
To find temporary relief, health enthusiasts turn to supplements to manage inflammation caused by arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Many people wonder whether curcumin—one of the most popular anti-inflammatory supplements—can reduce inflammatory joint pain.
In this article, find out what the research shows regarding curcumin and joint pain relief, along with information on what curcumin is and how to find a high-quality curcumin supplement.
What Is Curcumin?
Curcumin is the primary compound in turmeric—a bright orange spice native to India—responsible for its health benefits (2). Turmeric’s use in Ayurvedic folk medicine spans millennia, and present-day researchers have conducted thousands of studies into turmeric and curcumin to discover what they can do for human health and how they do it.
Turmeric and Curcumin’s Health Benefits
According to peer-reviewed research, turmeric and curcumin possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antimutagenic, and neuroprotective properties (3). These positive effects on human physiology may provide relief from various conditions and promote overall wellness.
Current research suggests that curcumin may help with:
- Arthritis
- Inflammatory conditions
- Anxiety
- Metabolic syndrome
- Hyperlipidemia
We need more studies to determine curcumin’s potential and learn how best to use it for health and wellness. However, this has not stopped thousands of folks from using curcumin supplements to see how this all-natural compound may influence their health.
The Research Behind Curcumin for Arthritis Pain
Scientists have conducted multiple human studies on the impact of curcumin in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Here’s a brief summary of their findings (4,5,6,7).
- OA patients receiving two 500 mg/day doses of a curcuminoid mixture in addition to standard treatments (including things like pharmaceutical medications and lifestyle changes) showed greater improvements over eight months than those only following standard treatment protocols (5).
- Patients with RA were given either 500 mg/day curcumin, diclofenac sodium (a prescription for pain and swelling), or both. All patients showed improvements, with those in the curcumin group experiencing the greatest changes in pain, swelling, and disease activity (6).
- 500 mg/day curcumin plus 15 mg piperine (included to boost curcumin absorption) divided into three doses led to improvements in pain and function after six weeks in OA patients. Additional benefits were found via decreased oxidative stress (7).
- 367 OA patients received either 1500 mg/day of a turmeric extract or 1200 mg/day of ibuprofen for four weeks. Both groups showed improvements over this period, with no significant difference seen between these groups. Those who took ibuprofen experienced greater side effects, specifically digestive troubles (8).
How To Take Curcumin Supplements
Many people ask us, “how much curcumin should I take for joint pain?” There is no specific dosage given the variability of curcumin supplements and the lack of large-scale human clinical trials.
The first thing you ought to do is shop for a high-quality curcumin supplement. The best curcumin supplements utilize a strategy to increase bioavailability. By doing so, a bioavailable supplement with less curcumin than a curcumin-only pill will be more powerful—so you won’t need as high of a dose.
There are many strategies for making curcumin more bioavailable, such as adding in piperine or encapsulating curcumin in phospholipids (9). Among the effective formulations studied in humans is Theracurmin Curcumin, which has shown 27 times greater bioavailability than standard curcumin (10).
Interceuticals Better Curcumin contains high levels of Theracurmin along with two additional herbs meant to enhance curcumin’s benefits. The suggested use is one capsule twice daily, which delivers the same quantity of curcumin as tested in a human clinical trial on memory and attention (10).
Before adding curcumin into your daily supplement routine, you should speak with your doctor. They can advise you on any potential interactions and help monitor your progress.
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