Effect of turmeric products on knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Wai HS, Pathomwichaiwat T, Suansanae T, Nathisuwan S, Rattanavipanon W · BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

The only formulation-versus-formulation comparison in the field. WOMAC pain fell 3.17 points (95% CI -5.50 to -0.83) for conventional preparations and 2.47 (95% CI -3.27 to -1.67) for bioavailability-enhanced ones — the enhanced products did not out-perform conventional ones on the pooled mean difference, though only the enhanced arm reached the minimum clinically important difference threshold on the percentage scale.

Population

17 RCTs of turmeric preparations in knee osteoarthritis (PROSPERO CRD42023464749)

Intervention

Conventional curcuminoid preparations and bioavailability-enhanced curcuminoid preparations, alone or with NSAIDs/acetaminophen

Comparator

Placebo and active drug comparators, compared indirectly

Limitations

Certainty of evidence rated low throughout; the formulation classes are pooled across very different products and doses, and the indirect network is thin, so the absence of a bioavailability advantage is suggestive rather than settled.