A new clinical trial suggests that turmeric might help in easing pain caused by arthritis.
Researchers observed that turmeric extract performed better than a placebo for three months in reducing pain from knee arthritis. The treatment was not a home run, but the pain management was a little better than the usual medicine seen in previous trials.
All of this indicates that turmeric can be considered an alternative for knee osteoarthritis, said senior researcher Dr. Benny Antony of the Australian Menzies Institute for Medical Research / Tasmanian University.
Osteoarthritis is highly widespread, affecting more than 32.5 million Americans. Knee arthritis is one of the most common forms.
The disease occurs as the cartilage wears down over time, resulting in symptoms such as discomfort, swelling, and diminished mobility.
Individuals with knee arthritis sometimes take painkillers that can be bought over-the-counter. But apart from being only mildly successful, they can also induce side effects such as stomach discomfort. And excessive use is associated with increased risk of cardiac failure and kidney injury.
Therefore, it is important to have alternative choices, said Dr. Houman Danesh, a pain management specialist who was not involved in the study.
"This is a promising, encouraging study," said Danesh.
A larger implication of the findings, he added, is that what people with arthritis are eating matters. Turmeric, or derivatives thereof, are known to be anti-inflammatory. So if people continue to eat an inflammation-promoting diet - full, for example, of fried foods and heavily processed carbohydrates - it might counteract the benefit of adding turmeric, Danesh said.
Antony and his colleagues recruited 70 people with knee arthritis for the present research and allocated them randomly to one of two groups. One was taking 12 weeks of Curcuma longa extract capsules every day; the other was taking placebo capsules.
Curcumin is a component in turmeric, and it is often ascribed to the beneficial activities of turmeric. Supplement manufacturer Natural Remedies made and partly sponsored the capsules for the study.
The researchers found after 12 weeks that participants using the extract reported greater pain improvement compared to the placebo group. According to Antony, the average benefit was "modest," but still better than previous studies found with pain medications.
The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Sept. 14, are a starting point. Antony said there is still a need for larger studies, and it remains to be seen whether the pain relief will hold up over time.
