Effect of Curcumin on Diabetic Kidney Disease

What is Diabetic Kidney Disease? 

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes, is characterized by increased albuminuria level or urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or both. 

Approximately 463 million people were living with diabetes mellitus in 2019 according to the International Diabetes Federation., and this number is projected to increase to 700 million by 2045.

Up to 40% of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients develop DKD and is currently the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. 

What are Current Treatments? 

Lifestyle changes like exercise and diet, optimal control of blood pressure, glucose and lipids and treatment with pharmacological agents or pharmaceuticals, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, are recommended by clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of this condition. 

Other medications, such as Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors have been shown to prevent major kidney outcomes in individuals with diabetes. 

New Study On Curcummin and DKD

A new study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine evaluated the use of curcummin supplementation on renal function, lipid profile, blood pressure and glycemic control in DKD. 

Curcummin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compud extracted from turmeric and has various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic and glycemic control. 

Glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, oxidative stress, and inflammation are among the major contributors to the pathogenesis of DKD, indicating that curcumin has properties that might improve the pathological changes in DKD.

The study was a systematic review that provided evidence of 5 randomized control trials involving 290 patients with DKD. In which curcumin supplementation significantly improved the serum creatinine, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose. 

The effect should be confirmed by more large scale studies, but the results of the studies available are promising. 

Source:

Zhao Jie, et al. Effect of Curcumin on Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2021, Article ID 6109406, 14 pages, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6109406

Image from: 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turmeric-vs-curcumin