Table 1.
Summary of the effects of curcumin on PCOS in humans.
| Type of Model | Treatment and Treatment Duration |
Findings | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on 60 women with PCOS aged from 18 to 40 years old | 1. 500 mg/day curcumin 2. Placebo Orally 12 weeks |
Curcumin significantly reduced the following parameters compared with the placebo: 1. weight and BMI; 2. fasting glucose; 3. serum insulin; 4. HOMA-IR (insulin resistance); 5. total cholesterol; 6. LDL-cholesterol; 7. total-/HDL cholesterol ratio Curcumin significantly increased the following parameter compared with the placebo: 1. HDL-cholesterol levels; 2. QUICKI (insulin sensitivity); 3. gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ); 4. gene expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) |
[41] |
| A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on 67 women with PCOS aged from 18 to 49 years old | 1. 500 mg curcumin powder in a capsule 2. Placebo (maltodextrin) capsules Orally 3 times daily for 12 weeks |
-Decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and dehydroepiandrosterone levels in the curcumin-treated group compared with the placebo -Statistically non-significant increase in oestradiol levels -No changes in fasting insulin, LH and FSH, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), BMI and waist circumference among different groups |
[42] |
| A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on 60 overweight or obese women with PCOS | 1. 500 mg curcumin twice daily 2. Placebo Orally 6 weeks |
-Intragroup analysis of serum insulin decreased, whereas QUICKI increases significantly in the curcumin-treated group -No significant changes were recorded in all parameters between the curcumin-treated and placebo groups, including FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR, QUICKI, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels |
[43] |
| A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on 72 women with PCOS | 1. 1500 mg curcumin 3 times daily 2. Placebo Orally 3 months |
Significantly increased gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α and the glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity -Non-significantly increased gene expression of sirtuin-1 and activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme |
[44] |
Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; HOMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; QUICKI: quantitative insulin sensitivity check index; LDL cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LH: luteinising hormone; FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone; PPAR-γ: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma; LDLR: low-density lipoprotein receptor; FPG: fasting plasma glucose; hs-CRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; SOD: superoxide dismutase.