Researchers have made a noteworthy discovery indicating that a natural element present in the popular culinary spice, turmeric, could potentially match the effectiveness of omeprazole—a medication typically prescribed for alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms by reducing excess stomach acid production. The research findings have been officially published in the reputable journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
Turmeric, derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, contains curcumin—an active natural compound recognized for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Curcumin has been a staple in Southeast Asian medicine for addressing issues such as dyspepsia.
Nevertheless, the absence of direct comparative studies has left questions about how turmeric stacks up against conventional medications for this particular purpose. To address this, researchers undertook a randomized study involving 206 individuals aged 18-70 who experienced recurrent upset stomach (functional dyspepsia) of undetermined origin. Participants were selected from Thai hospitals over the span of 2019 to 2021 and were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups for a 28-day period:
- Turmeric (administered as two large 250 mg curcumin capsules taken four times daily) along with a small placebo capsule (69 patients).
- Omeprazole (a single small 20 mg capsule daily) coupled with two large placebo capsules taken four times daily (68 patients).
- A combination of turmeric and omeprazole (69 patients).
Omeprazole belongs to the class of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) commonly used to manage functional dyspepsia, characterized by symptoms such as post-meal fullness, early satiety, and discomfort or burning sensations in the stomach or food pipe.
However, it’s worth noting that prolonged use of PPIs has been linked to increased risks of fractures, nutritional deficiencies, and higher susceptibility to infections, as highlighted in the study. The trial initially involved 151 participants, with 20 from the curcumin group, 19 from the omeprazole group, and 16 from the combined treatment group dropping out.
At the study’s outset, patients in all three groups displayed similar clinical features and indigestion scores, assessed using the Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment (SODA) score. After 28 days and subsequently after 56 days, participants were reevaluated.
SODA scores indicated significant reductions in symptom severity by day 28 for pain (4.83, -5.46, and 6.22) and other symptoms (2.22, -2.32, and 2.31) in the combination, curcumin alone, and omeprazole alone groups. These improvements became even more pronounced after 56 days, especially in relation to pain (7.19, -8.07, and 8.85, respectively) and other symptoms (4.09, -4.12, and 3.71, respectively).
Researchers observed minimal changes in satisfaction scores over time among curcumin users, possibly linked to its taste or aroma. Importantly, no significant adverse effects were detected, although there was a slight decline in liver function among overweight curcumin users.
The researchers acknowledge the study’s relatively small size and other limitations, such as the short duration of the intervention and the absence of long-term follow-up data. Consequently, they suggest that larger, more extended investigations are necessary. Nevertheless, they conclude that “this multicentre randomised controlled trial provides highly reliable evidence for the treatment of functional dyspepsia,” and suggest that “the new findings from our study may justify considering curcumin in clinical practice.”
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