Curcumin for Complementary Management of Osteoarthritis
A recent study evaluated the efficacy of curcumin in patients with osteoarthritis. The study included 50 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who were treated by their doctors using the best traditional treatments. The patients were them divided into two groups in which one group was also given a supplement of 200 mg of curcumin daily. At the start of the study and then again after three months, the patients completed a treadmill test. The results were recorded as the total distance that could be walked without pain. The patients also completed questionnaires to record their symptoms of osteoarthritis. The results revealed that after supplementing with 200 mg of curcumin for three months, the treadmill test scores were prolonged from 76 meters to 332 meters. It was also found that those taking curcumin reported a 58 percent decrease in osteoarthritis symptom scores. The participants in the control group only saw very modest improvements in these parameters. These results suggest that curcumin is clinically effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis and that further studies are warranted.