Effects of Curcuminoids Plus Piperine on Glycemic, Hepatic and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

Abstract

Introduction: Curcuminoids have been shown to reduce glycemia and related complications in diabetes. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of curcuminoids plus piperine administration on glycemic, hepatic and inflammatory biomarkers in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients.

Methods: T2D patients aged 18-65 years were enrolled in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial and randomly allocated to standard-of-care treatment and dietary advises plus either curcuminoids (daily dose of 500 mg/day co-administered with piperine 5 mg/day) or placebo for a period of 3 months. Glycemic, hepatic and inflammatory parameters were measured at baseline and final conditions.

Results: A total of 100 subjects (50 in each group) completed the 3-month period of trial. A significant reduction was found in serum levels of glucose (-9±16 mg/dL vs. -3±11 mg/dL in curcuminoids and placebo groups, respectively; p=0.048), C-peptide (-0.6±0.8 ng/mL vs. 0.02±0.6 ng/mL; p<0.001) and HbA1c (-0.9±1.1% vs. -0.2±0.5%; p<0.001) after curcuminoids supplementation versus placebo group. Additionally, participants in the intervention group showed lower serum alanine aminotransferase (-2±6 vs. -1±5; p=0.032) and aspartate aminotransferase (-3±5 vs. -0.3±4; p=0.002) levels compared with the placebo group. Finally, no significant differences in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations were observed between curcuminoids and placebo groups (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the present trial revealed a beneficial effect of curcuminoids plus piperine supplementation on glycemic and hepatic parameters but not on hs-CRP levels in T2D patients.