Curcumin for muscle damage after exercise in athletes
What it found
In 11 small trials in trained adults, curcumin taken around exercise often eased muscle soreness and sometimes lowered markers of muscle damage and inflammation.
The authors say the evidence is promising but limited by small study sizes and varied formulations.
What they found
Studies in people
Muscle soreness and pain
Several trials found that curcumin reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness and pain after eccentric exercise. In one trial, curcumin led to moderate to large pain reductions at 24 and 48 hours after exercise.
Muscle damage markers
Some studies found lower creatine kinase levels after curcumin, while others found no difference. One trial reported a slight decrease in creatine kinase at 24 hours.
Inflammation and oxidative stress
Curcumin lowered some inflammatory markers like IL-8 and TNF-alpha in certain studies. It also increased antioxidant capacity and reduced malondialdehyde in some trials.
Timing of intake
Taking curcumin after exercise seemed more helpful for range of motion and soreness than taking it before. Plasma curcumin levels stayed higher for days when taken after exercise.
Other findings
Formulation differences
Studies used different curcumin formulations like Meriva and Longvida, which vary in how well they are absorbed. This makes it hard to compare results across trials.
What the authors conclude
“Curcumin demonstrates a significant potential to alleviate muscular symptoms, especially delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) resulting from eccentric exercises.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that curcumin shows significant potential to relieve muscle symptoms, especially delayed-onset muscle soreness from eccentric exercises.
- They state that curcumin may also lower inflammation biomarkers and boost antioxidant levels.
- They advise that future studies must consider curcumin's bioavailability, as it is a key factor in its efficacy.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether the scientific evidence supports using curcumin to reduce muscle damage caused by sports. They were interested because curcumin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that might help with muscle soreness and recovery.
They searched three databases in March 2023 for English articles on curcumin and exercise-induced muscle damage. They included 11 randomized controlled trials in healthy adults over 18 who exercised at least three times a week and took curcumin before, during, or after exercise. They assessed study quality using the PEDro scale.
What it can’t tell you
- Most studies were small, so the results may not apply to larger groups of people.
- The studies used different curcumin formulations and doses, making it hard to know which is best.
- It is not clear whether curcumin works the same way for women, since most participants were men.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
- Authors work at
- Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain; Department of Knowledge Engineering of the Faculty of Science, Spain
The paper
- Title
- Evaluation of curcumin intake in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes: a systematic review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Daniel Vasile PR, Patricia ML, Marta MS, Laura E (2024). Evaluation of curcumin intake in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes: a systematic review. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2434217Free full textPubMed 39623590DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error