Lies and deception.
That’s all the majority of Turmeric and Curcumin supplements are.
To be clear, there are some specific use-cases for curcumin supplements, but they need to be used for the correct indication, in the correct form, from a good brand.
Let’s get into the scam so that you don’t get ripped off.
Table of Contents
Cold Water
The first sign that all is not well came in 2012 with the curcumin results from the Interventions Testing Program. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric.
Much of the excitement about curcumin has been due to its claimed anti-inflammatory properties [1].
Inflammation is a central driver of aging and age-related chronic diseases. So the question naturally arose whether curcumin might, through its anti-inflammatory action, help combat the aging process.
Some early animal trials showed promise [2].
So they tested curcumin through the rigorous Interventions Testing Program. It’s the gold standard for assessing potential interventions that could extend mice life. But there was no apparent protective effect [3].
To make matters worse, an influential article in 2017 raised serious worries about the state of curcumin research. The authors argue it just isn’t very promising as a potential basis for a medication. It’s far too unstable. Half of it is broken down in just 5 minutes. Plus, the natural bioavailability of curcumin is terrible. Less than 1% of what we swallow ends up reaching the bloodstream. And it gets even more troubling [4].
But first, a clarification. The failure of the Interventions Testing Program wasn’t because of poor bioavailability. Before running their experiments, they take steps to ensure the compounds they test are absorbed adequately into the bloodstream. So the curcumin found its way into the blood of the mice in the experiment. It just didn’t have any measurable impact after it got there.
Back to the 2017 article. Their main critique is more troubling. They argue many of the positive-looking results seen in lab tests are likely due to false signals—artefacts.
When scientists test whether a compound might work as intended, they begin by checking its activity in lab experiments. Ideally, if a compound shows activity in these tests, it means the compound is actually interacting with a specific target (like a disease protein) in a helpful way.
But curcumin is tricky. It’s known for making lab tests look positive even when it's not actually doing anything useful. It's like getting a false positive on a test. So we need to be really cautious about claims that curcumin has a certain effect in the lab.
The 2017 article explains this by highlighting that curcumin exhibits PAINS-type behavior — which stands for Pan-Assay Interference Compounds. These are substances that appear active in a wide range of lab assays, not because they actually target disease-relevant proteins, but because they interfere with the test itself.
Curcumin is known to:
- Covalently label proteins
- Chelate metals
- Exhibit redox reactivity
- Aggregate
- Disrupt membranes
- Interfere with fluorescence
- Decompose structurally
All of this means curcumin often fools lab assays, leading to false positives [4].
And despite millions of dollars in research, no actual drug has emerged.
At the time that article was published:
- Over $150 million in federal funding had gone toward curcumin-related research
- More than 15,000 papers had been published
- And yet — not one FDA-approved medication has resulted from this research [4].
They conclude with a damning summary of where we are with curcumin research. Curcumin “has never been shown to be conclusively effective in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial for any indication” [4].
Clinical Success?
It’s now almost 10 years since that article came out. The claim still has a lot to be said for it.
There have been continued disappointments in human trials.
For instance, there’s Alzheimer’s disease. There was early promise in mouse studies. But clinical trials have often failed to show significant improvements in mental functioning compared to placebo [5].
A 2018 analysis found that patients with Alzheimer’s actually appeared to do worse on a test of cognitive function when treated with curcumin [6].
Then there’s Crohn’s disease. In one double-blind study, curcumin was found to be no more effective than placebo at preventing disease recurrence following bowel surgery. Those taking curcumin also had higher rates of severe recurrence [7].
Curcumin was tried as a tool to combat COVID-19. It did not significantly shorten the duration of symptoms such as fever, cough, or muscle pain compared to placebo. It did seem to help with weakness. But the sample was quite small [8].
And there’s weight loss. Curcumin might help with the inflammation generated by fat tissue [9].
Yet there is no consistent evidence that curcumin acts as a major weight-reduction agent. It doesn’t appear to cause clinically meaningful reductions in BMI without changes to diet and exercise [10].
But like I mentioned earlier, there are specific areas where curcumin may help. But curcumin needs to be given for the correct indication, at the correct dose, in the correct form.
For specific inflammatory conditions, it appears to work — sometimes as well as medications.
One example is ulcerative colitis. In a clinical trial, researchers tested the effects of using curcumin alongside a standard medication for the condition. The stand-out result here was that over 50% of the patients who took curcumin got their colitis into a state of remission after 4 weeks. None of those in the placebo group did [11].
There have also been positive results in knee arthritis. A meta-analysis found curcumin seems to improve pain and joint function [12].
And in some trials, curcumin appeared just as effective as pain medications like standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as diclofenac [12].
Next, curcumin has shown effectiveness in treating chronic indigestion. In one study, it was compared to omeprazole, a common medication for managing symptoms, and to placebo. Curcumin worked just as well as omeprazole [13].
One final example: prediabetes. In one clinical trial lasting 9 months, researchers tested curcumin supplements vs. placebo in a group of 240 prediabetics. At the end of the treatment period, 16.4% of those in the placebo group had progressed to type 2 diabetes. In sharp contrast, none in the curcumin group had done so. They also showed improvements in relevant biomarkers [14].
Industry Problems
But even if curcumin may work for certain indications, many curcumin supplements are just garbage. Here’s what you need to watch out for.
Sometimes, brands play games with the labelling to mislead consumers about what’s actually in the product. The front might say something like, “Turmeric Curcumin 1650mg,” but to find out what this means, you need to carefully check the ingredients. Often a large chunk of that 1650mg is just turmeric root powder. It contains at most 10% curcumin, the active ingredient [15].
That’s a tiny dose that doesn’t match the human clinical trials.
Then you might see “turmeric extract.” That’s a concentrated form that contains higher levels of curcumin. But if they don’t specify how high, it might not be much higher. What you want to see is 95% standardized extract. That indicates 95% curcumin.
Look at this product on Amazon: it lists 1750 mg of turmeric root powder, which yields at most 175 mg of curcumin — and potentially a lot less [16].
But in contrast, another product includes all 2250 mg as 95% standardized turmeric extract — meaning nearly the entire amount is curcumin [17].
I’m not affiliated with any of these products, by the way.
Even if you get the dose right, there are potential issues with ingredient sourcing. You may think you're buying a natural herb. But manufacturers can take shortcuts, using synthetic curcumin derived from fossil fuels. One organization that tested turmeric supplements found evidence of this in 4 out of 23 brands analyzed [18].
The biggest issue is bioavailability. We’ve touched on this already. Naturally, our bodies are able to absorb very little curcumin.
Researchers have developed ways to try to boost bioavailability. A common one you’ll see is the addition of piperine, a derivative of black pepper, to supplements.
But it’s not clear how successful this has been. Some studies show these kinds of strategies increase total blood curcumin levels — but some researchers argue that the form of curcumin getting absorbed isn’t actually the one that has beneficial impacts [19].
As for piperine specifically, several analyses have found it does not in fact increase the amount of curcumin absorbed. The claim that it does is mostly based on a single study from the 1990s. More recent studies contradict that claim [19].
The lesson? Take label claims about bioavailability with a big grain of salt. In many cases, most of the curcumin is likely just passing through the digestive system without effect.
Finally, turmeric powder — as opposed to extract — can also have issues with lead contamination.
Getting Practical
But, as we’ve seen, there is some clinical evidence of helpful effects in certain circumstances. So if you want to try curcumin, what’s the best way to proceed?
Speak with your doctor first, of course. There have been reports of liver injury with curcumin supplements, so tread carefully [20].
If you do want to proceed, here’s what I tell my patients:
- Be smart about selecting the right brand. Supplements are poorly regulated, and it isn’t always clear what you’re getting. Third-party testing websites like Labdoor.com and ConsumerLab.com are a great starting point.
- Confirm the amount of curcumin, not just turmeric root.
- And it’s vital that the product includes bioavailability enhancers. As we just saw, it isn’t clear that all enhancers work as advertised. The research is mixed.
The same study that cast doubt on piperine did find that NovaSOL, which helps curcumin dissolve more easily in water, was the most effective in raising blood levels [19].
An analysis of existing research comparing several enhanced bioavailability products also placed NovaSOL on top [21].
Another way to assess curcumin's potential is by looking at health outcomes. One recent meta-analysis on blood lipids found a clear trend: the benefits (like lower LDL cholesterol) were greater when the supplements used had a bioavailability enhancer [22].
Some evidence also shows that consuming curcumin along with foods that contain fats can help with absorption [23].
But watch out for gummies, which tend to be a rip-off. To get the same dose of curcumin as a pill, you end up spending a lot more — plus you’re swallowing a dose of sugar or artificial sweeteners you don’t need.
What About Dosing?
In clinical trials where we’ve seen tentative evidence of health benefits, they are often using doses in the range of 500–2,000 mg of curcumin.
But we’re not at a point where we have standardized guidance about optimal dosing for a particular health issue.
Overall, I tend to encourage my patients not to pursue curcumin supplements because of the issues outlined in this article. But if they do want to try it, then hopefully by following the strategies around indication, dose, form, and brand, it gives them a better chance of a successful outcome.
References
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043466623000224
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17516143/
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3598361/
4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1155/2014/174282
6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.6257
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31470175/
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9167899/
9. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11174746/
10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12785604/
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25724700/
12. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5003001/
13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34652861/
15. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9881416/
16. https://www.amazon.com/NatureWise-Curcumin-Curcuminoids-BioPerine-Absorption/dp/B01BMDAVB6
17. https://www.amazon.com/Turmeric-Qunol-Supplement-Curcuminoids-Absorption/dp/B09YGG58LZ
19. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225008363
20. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548561/
21. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095496418300773
22. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/83/8/1520/8053000
23. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/fo/d4fo03414g
