Curcumin supplementation reduces blood glucose and serum lipids of Brazilian women with high waist circumference: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on the body compositions and biochemical parameters of Brazilian women with high waist circumferences.

Methods: This is a blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in 2016 with 35 Brazilian women with high waist circumference (WC). In total, 80 participants were randomized [38 in the placebo group (PG) and 42 in the supplemented group (SG)], but at the end of the protocol, 20 individuals in the PG and 15 in the SG were evaluated. The sample consumed one capsule of curcumin (500 mg/day) (Curcumin C3 Complex®) or a placebo for 90 days. Body weight, height, body mass index, WC, body fat, fat free mass, fasting glucose (FG), lipid profile [triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-c and LDL-c], physical activity level and food intake (energy, carbohydrate, total fat and protein) data were evaluated before and after the intervention.

Results: Curcumin supplementation reduced body mass (p < 0.040) but did not alter other anthropometric parameters or body composition (p ≥ 0.050). In relation to the biochemical profile, the SG saw reductions in FG (p < 0.001), TGs (p < 0.001) and TC (p = 0.001) compared with the PG. At the baseline and during the intervention, the practice of physical activity and food intake did not differ between the SG and PG (p ≥ 0.050).

Conclusion: Curcumin supplementation improved the blood glucose and lipid profile of Brazilian women with high WC, without altering body composition. New studies with larger sample sizes and longer durations are important for identifying more robust data regarding the proposal of this work.