Curcumin with piperine for health conditions
What it found
Adding piperine to curcumin improved blood sugar, cholesterol, antioxidant status and inflammation in people with diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other conditions, and helped in chronic respiratory diseases, asthma and COVID-19.
Many of these findings come from animal and lab studies.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar and diabetes
In people with type 2 diabetes, taking curcumin with piperine for 8 to 120 days improved blood sugar, HbA1c and triglyceride levels in some trials. It also improved antioxidant status and reduced markers of inflammation.
Cholesterol and metabolic syndrome
In people with metabolic syndrome, 1,000 mg curcumin plus 10 mg piperine daily for 8 weeks significantly reduced triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, and increased HDL cholesterol. In people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, it improved severity of the condition and some inflammatory markers.
COVID-19 and respiratory illness
In people with COVID-19, curcumin with piperine helped maintain oxygen saturation above 94% on room air, reduced worsening, and shortened hospital stays in those with moderate or severe symptoms. In people with chronic lung complications from sulfur mustard exposure, it improved antioxidant status and respiratory questionnaire scores.
Gut bacteria
In a small study of healthy people, turmeric and curcumin changed the types of bacteria in the gut. Participants using curcumin had an average 69% increase in bacterial species, while the placebo group had a 15% reduction.
Animal and lab studies
Brain and nerve conditions
In animal studies, curcumin plus piperine improved memory and reduced oxidative stress in rats and mice with induced aging, depression-like behavior or Parkinson's-like damage. The combination worked better than curcumin alone in several of these studies.
Other findings
How piperine helps curcumin
Piperine increased the amount of curcumin available in the body by up to 2000% in one study. It works by slowing down the breakdown of curcumin in the intestine and liver.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that curcumin-piperine co-supplementation has beneficial effects on blood sugar, cholesterol, antioxidant status and inflammation in diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome.
- They call for further high-quality clinical trial studies to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the curcumin-piperine supplement.
How it was done
Curcumin is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, but its usefulness is limited because it is poorly absorbed when taken by mouth. The authors wanted to see whether taking curcumin together with piperine could improve its effects on human health.
The authors searched scientific databases for English articles on curcumin and piperine published up to January 2022. They included both animal and lab studies and clinical trials in people, covering conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, traumatic brain injury, COVID-19, depression and others.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from animal and lab studies, which cannot show what happens in people.
- Some clinical trials were small or had conflicting results, so the evidence is not yet definitive for many conditions.
- This is a review of existing studies, so it cannot prove that curcumin-piperine causes the improvements seen.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran; University of Hull, United Kingdom; Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Curcumin-piperine co-supplementation and human health: A comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical studies
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Heidari H, Bagherniya M, Majeed M, Sathyapalan T, Jamialahmadi T, Sahebkar A (2023). Curcumin-piperine co-supplementation and human health: A comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical studies. Phytotherapy research. doi:10.1002/ptr.7737Free full textPubMed 36720711DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error