Curcuminoid treatment for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

Panahi Y, Rahimnia AR, Sharafi M, Alishiri G, Saburi A, Sahebkar A · Phytotherapy Research

Curcuminoids plus piperine reduced WOMAC (p=0.001), VAS (p<0.001) and Lequesne index (p=0.013) more than placebo; WOMAC pain and physical function subscales improved but the stiffness subscale did not.

Population

Adults with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis, Iran

Intervention

Curcuminoids 1500 mg/day in 3 divided doses plus piperine 15 mg/day, 6 weeks

Comparator

Matched placebo

Limitations

Pilot size (19 vs 21), 6 weeks, single centre; the same 40-patient cohort supplied the biomarker reports pmid-25050518 and pmid-25688638, so the three papers are one trial, not three.