Curcumin Supplement May Help Prevent Osteopenia

23 May 2017 --- A curcumin-based supplement could be beneficial in the prevention and management of the chronic bone condition osteopenia, a new pilot human study has shown. This study is the first to be conducted in humans with a curcumin-based product and further evaluates the efficacy and safety of Indena’s bioavailable Phytosome formulation of curcumin, Meriva, in asymptomatic subjects with a bone density condition.

The study enrolled 57 healthy subjects with low bone density, randomized in two different groups, comparable in terms of age and gender. During the 6-month experimental period, the control group followed a standard management (SM) to control the bone density. The supplement group combined the SM with a daily curcumin-based oral supplementation consisting of 1g of Meriva. In the Meriva supplemented group, researchers measured an increase in levels of bone density of 7.1% and 4.8% in the small finger and upper jaw. In addition, they measured a 21% decrease in ultrasound transmission values at the end of the study (week 24). No significant changes were observed in the control group.

Boosted by a growing number of studies into the benefits of using turmeric and curcumin, products featuring these ingredients featured prominently among the new product releases at Vitafoods Europe this year.

“These new positive clinical data broaden the existing findings on the efficacy of dietary supplementation with Meriva in contributing to managing certain health conditions, potentially impacting on life quality, including bone health,” says Antonella Riva, Product Research Manager at Indena.

“We are very proud to add this new evidence to the science supporting Meriva. It is a promise being delivered by Indena to its Partners and Consumers,” adds Cosimo Palumbo, Indena Marketing Director. 

“Meriva continues to lead modern, rigorous clinical development in the turmeric space. More studies are on-going, and we will soon hear again about the benefits connected with the use of our unique, food grade, highly tolerable formulation of curcuminoids,” Palumbo concludes.

The study was published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences and is accessible online.