Curcumin plus piperine improve body composition in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of oral supplementation of curcumin alone and curcumin plus piperine on body composition, phase angle, and functional capacity in patients with mild to moderate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with a diagnosis of IBD, aged 18 years or older with intact kidney and liver function, were into three groups: placebo, curcumin (1000 mg/day), and curcumin plus piperine (1000 mg/day + 10 mg/day). Anthropometric markers, body composition, phase angle (via tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis), and hand-grip strength were assessed before and after the 12-week supplementation period. Statistical analyses included Chi-square test (χ²) and generalized estimating equation (GEE) adjusted for age. Of the 58 patients who started the study, 51 completed it. Initially, obesity was prevalent according to BMI (43.1%) and body fat percentage (62.7%), while 86.3% exhibited muscle depletion based on fat-free mass (FFM). Post-intervention, the curcumin plus piperine group showed a significant reduction in muscle depletion, with improvements in FFM (χ², p = 0.019; GEE, p = 0.049) and phase angle (χ², p = 0.028) compared to the placebo group. In conclusion, our findings indicate that curcumin plus piperine significantly improves body composition by increasing muscle mass in patients with mild to moderate IBD, suggesting its potential as an adjuvant therapy. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ensaiosclinicos.gov.br as RBR89q4ydz on July 20, 2023. Website https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/ .

Keywords: Anthropometric markers; Crohn’s disease; Turmeric; Ulcerative colitis.