Curcumin-piperine supplementation may lead to lower inflammation in post-stroke patients

1. Supplementation with curcumin-piperine resulted in significantly reduced serum levels of inflammatory markers, total cholesterol, triglycerides, weight, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in post-stroke patients.

2. Curcumin-piperine supplementation did not lead to changes in quality-of-life indicators in post-stroke patients.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Stroke affects a large population worldwide and often has profound effects on patients’ quality of life afterward. In patients who have suffered a stroke, glucocorticoids have been sometimes used to reduce inflammation and are thought to lead to increased quality of life. Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory and anti-ischemic compound that has been hypothesized to exert neuroprotective effects in patients post-stroke. This study examined the effects of supplementation with curcumin-piperine in various serum markers of inflammation in patients with ischemic stroke.

This was a randomized controlled trial of 56 adult, post-ischemic stroke patients from Iran. Patients with a diagnosis of stroke on imaging, who were non-pregnant, did not smoke or use alcohol, had not taken warfarin, antioxidants, or other supplements, and were without malignant diseases, cancer, fatty liver, diabetes, lung, and kidney disease were included. Patients who had a history of allergy to herbal products or recurrent strokes were excluded. Patients were 1:1 randomized to either receive 500mg curcumin + 5mg piperine or placebo tablets for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes measured were serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), thrombosis, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid profile, blood pressure, and quality of life.

The results demonstrated that curcumin-piperine supplementation resulted in significantly reduced serum levels of hs-CRP, total cholesterol, triglycerides, CIMT, weight, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic BP. However, there was no difference in quality-of-life indicators between the intervention and control groups. This study was limited by the strict inclusion criteria which excluded many post-stroke patients with comorbidities thereby likely limiting the generalizability of these results. Nonetheless, these results suggest the possible role of curcumin-piperine supplementation in post-stroke patients but require further mechanistic and larger-sized prospective studies.

Click to read the study in BMC Nutrition Journal

Image: PD

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