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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
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Turmeric and Reduced Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect3 studies · 1 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 randomized controlled trials, turmeric/curcumin supplementation showed 1 beneficial study with a moderate-sized significant reduction in TNF-α, while 2 studies reported neutral findings with small effect sizes. The median study duration was 84 days, suggesting effects may require at least 8-12 weeks to observe. Evidence is strongest for clinical populations (chronic lower back pain, knee osteoarthritis), with the most-studied dose being a daily curcumin extract (e.g., 300 mg CL20192).

  • Effective dose range: 300 mg CL20192 once daily or 2g/day curcumin
  • Studied populations: clinical populations (chronic lower back pain, knee osteoarthritis); athletes (amateur long-distance runners)

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests.

Generated Jun 15, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • mg/day: 200–500 (median 325, IQR 225–450) — 2 studies
  • g/day: 2 (median 2, IQR 2–2) — 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 2.8 months · IQR 9 weeks–2.9 months · Range 6 weeks–3 months — Reported in 3 of 3 studies
3 of 3 papers
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