Across 6 studies, 4 reported beneficial effects (primarily small to moderate in magnitude) of turmeric/curcumin on quality of life, with 2 showing neutral results. The most studied dose (where reported) was 1 g/day (95% curcuminoids with 1% piperine), and effects were typically observed over 8–12 weeks in clinical populations such as functional dyspepsia, chronic lower back pain, and breast cancer.
Caveats: Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). Many studies used curcumin in combination with other extracts or as an adjuvant to standard therapy, which may confound the specific effect of turmeric alone.
There is probably little to no difference in the rate of adverse events between this intervention and placebo (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.51 to 3.08; 1 study, 89 participants; moderate CoE).
from: Non-Chinese herbal medicines for functional dyspepsia.Overall, supplementation was not associated with serious adverse events in the included trials.
from: Impact of Dietary Supplements on Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients with BrAlmost all the studies reported little to no difference in the rate of adverse events compared to placebo
from: Non-Chinese herbal medicines for functional dyspepsia.better tolerance to chemotherapy, fewer adverse effects
from: Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin as an Adjuvant to Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced and MeThe use of CHM and curcumin concomitant with standard therapy was associated with survival and quality-of-life benefits.
from: Unconventional Treatments for Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review.Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout.
from: Curcuminoid supplementation for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: a pilot, randobetter tolerance to chemotherapy, fewer adverse effects
from: Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin as an Adjuvant to Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced and MeThe intervention probably improves the quality of life, measured on the EQ-5D (MD 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09)
No statistically significant between-group differences were observed at Week 12 for total MENQOL
Critical QoL scores greatly improved in the CL20192 group.
Studies on amino acids like acetyl-L-carnitine and L-arginine also yielded mixed results.
Curcumin-treated women displayed higher physical performance, better prognosis and QoL, better tolerance to chemotherapy, fewer adverse effects, and better PFS.
Among these, the use of CHM and curcumin concomitant with standard therapy was associated with survival and quality-of-life benefits.