Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Feb 21;13(2):684.
doi: 10.3390/nu13020684.

Effects of Curcumin on Glycemic Control and Lipid Profile in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Yung-Jiun Chien  1   2 , Chun-Yu Chang  2   3 , Meng-Yu Wu  2   4 , Chih-Hao Chen  5 , Yi-Shiung Horng  1   2 , Hsin-Chi Wu  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of Curcumin on Glycemic Control and Lipid Profile in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Yung-Jiun Chien et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The therapeutic effects of curcumin for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remain inconclusive. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of curcumin on glycemic control and lipid profile in patients with PCOS. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from the inception through 28 November 2020. Randomized control trials (RCTs), which enrolled adult patients with PCOS, compared curcumin with placebo regarding the glycemic control and lipid profile, and reported sufficient information for performing meta-analysis, were included. Three RCTs were included. Curcumin significantly improves fasting glucose (mean difference (MD): -2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): -4.16 to -1.38), fasting insulin (MD: -1.33, 95% CI: -2.18 to -0.49), Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (MD: -0.32, 95% CI: -0.52 to -0.12), and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (MD: 0.010, 95% CI: 0.003-0.018). It also significantly improves high-density lipoprotein (MD: 1.92, 95% CI: 0.33-3.51) and total cholesterol (MD: -12.45, 95% CI: -22.05 to -2.85). In contrast, there is no statistically significant difference in the improvement in low-density lipoprotein (MD: -6.02, 95% CI: -26.66 to 14.62) and triglyceride (MD: 8.22, 95% CI: -26.10 to 42.53) between curcumin and placebo. The results of the fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, QUICKI, and total cholesterol are conclusive as indicated by the trial sequential analysis. Curcumin may improve glycemic control and lipid metabolism in patients with PCOS and metabolic abnormality without significant adverse effects. Further studies are advocated to investigate the potential effects of curcumin on hyperandrogenism.

Keywords: cholesterol; curcumin; insulin resistance; meta-analysis; polycystic ovary syndrome; trial sequential analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of glycemic control. The mean difference between curcumin and placebo is calculated as the value in the curcumin group subtracted by that in the placebo group (curcumin–placebo). CI: confidence interval. MD: mean difference.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of lipid profile. The mean difference between curcumin and placebo is calculated as the value in the curcumin group subtracted by that in the placebo group (curcumin–placebo). CI: confidence interval. MD: mean difference.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Visual summary abstract. CI: confidence interval. HDL: high-density lipoprotein. HOMA-IR: Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. LDL: low-density lipoprotein. NS: non-significant. PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome. QUICKI: quantitative insulin sensitivity check index. TSA: trial sequential analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McCartney C.R., Marshall J.C. Polycystic ovary syndrome. N. Engl. J. Med. 2016;375:54–64. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1514916. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lauritsen M.P., Bentzen J.G., Pinborg A., Loft A., Forman J.L., Thuesen L.L., Cohen A., Hougaard D.M., Nyboe Andersen A. The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a normal population according to the Rotterdam criteria versus revised criteria including anti-Mullerian hormone. Hum. Reprod. 2014;29:791–801. doi: 10.1093/humrep/det469. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chang J., Azziz R., Legro R., Dewailly D., Franks S., Tarlatzis R., Fauser B., Balen A., Bouchard P., Dalgien E., et al. Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long-term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil. Steril. 2004;81:19–25. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.10.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Apridonidze T., Essah P.A., Iuorno M.J., Nestler J.E. Prevalence and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2005;90:1929–1935. doi: 10.1210/jc.2004-1045. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ciaraldi T.P., Aroda V., Mudaliar S., Chang R.J., Henry R.R. Polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with tissue-specific differences in insulin resistance. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2009;94:157–163. doi: 10.1210/jc.2008-1492. - DOI - PMC - PubMed