ArticlePharmacy practice
The impact of turmeric or its curcumin extract on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review of clinical trials.
Article in Pharmacy practice. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of curcumin on hepatic fat content in individuals with obesity.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2022Trial
- Rarely reported cases of hepatotoxicity associated with turmeric- and curcuminoid-containing dietary supplements: a comprehensive review by USP.Pharmaceutical biology · 2026Review
- Liver Disease and Plant-Derived Phytoconstituents: From Ethnopharmacology to Modern Medicine.Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2026Review
- Patterns of dietary supplement use among United States patients with steatotic liver disease: Vitamins, minerals and botanicals.World journal of hepatology · 2025Article
- Hepatoprotective and Fat-Accumulation-Reductive Effects of Curcumin on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- Evaluating Bioactive-Substance-Based Interventions for Adults with MASLD: Results from a Systematic Scoping Review.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Curcumin, an active component of turmeric: biological activities, nutritional aspects, immunological, bioavailability, and human health benefits - a comprehensive review.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Therapeutic effects of curcumin supplementation on liver enzymes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Article
- Curcumin Inhibits Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis Induced by HAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Effects of curcumin in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Canadian liver journal · 2024Article
- The Effect of Bioactive Aliment Compounds and Micronutrients on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 and -2: Emerging Targets in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Curcumin and Andrographolide Co-Administration Safely Prevent Steatosis Induction and ROS Production in HepG2 Cell Line.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A scientifically validated combination of garcinol, curcuminoids, and piperine for mild to moderate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients-results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
- Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Leaf Essential Oils ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The effect of turmeric on lipid profile, malondialdehyde, liver echogenicity and enzymes among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized double blind clinical trial.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2021Article
- Curcumin Suppresses the Lipid Accumulation and Oxidative Stress Induced by Benzo[a]pyrene Toxicity in HepG2 Cells.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Nutritional Approach Targeting Gut Microbiota in NAFLD-To Date.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Remifentanil up-regulates HIF1α expression to ameliorate hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion injury via the ZEB1/LIF axis.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTurmeric and its curcumin extract have been evaluated in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common ailment that can lead to irreparable liver damage.
objectiveTo identify the evidence supporting the use of turmeric or curcumin therapy in NAFLD.
methodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central from the earliest possible date to 12/17/18 including terms for turmeric, curcumin, and NAFLD. We assessed the impact of turmeric or its curcumin extract on alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and NAFLD severity via ultrasound.
resultsFive trials assessed the comparative efficacy of curcumin/turmeric in NAFLD. One trial was single armed with comparisons only versus baseline and another trial was only available in abstract form. All of the trials had small sample sizes, 4 of 5 trials had limited durations of follow-up, and all trials had methodological limitations that negatively impacted the strength and applicability of evidence. Clinical and methodological heterogeneity precluded statistical pooling. Three of the 4 trials with evaluable data for turmeric or curcumin versus their own baseline demonstrated significant reductions in ALT, AST, and NAFLD severity grade. Two of the 4 placebo controlled trials had significant mean difference reductions in ALT and AST for turmeric or curcumin versus placebo while 2 of 3 of these trials found significant reductions in NAFLD severity grade. Among these trials, only one used turmeric instead of a curcumin extract and this turmeric trial did not demonstrate any differences in ALT, AST, or NAFLD severity between the turmeric and placebo groups.
conclusionsCurcumin extract is a promising, but not proven, treatment for NAFLD while the role for turmeric is less clear. The general findings are that ALT, AST and NAFLD severity are reduced with the use of curcumin.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.