Beware of turmeric supplements

Despite nutritional deficiencies becoming rarer every year, diet supplements are nevertheless constantly increasing in popularity… So what’s the problem? Well these kinds of pills and tablets taken as "preventative" measures can sometimes do more harm than good.

Following several worrying cases reported in the States, Italy and Norway, the French medical review Prescrire has advised caution when it comes to taking supplements containing types of curcuma – turmeric, curcumin, etc. These products have been linked with cases of liver failure and prenatal conditions.

In Italy, 26 people who had been taking turmeric supplements for 8 days to 8 months were hospitalised between November 2018 and June 2019 for severe liver failure. Pregnant women particularly are being asked to take care with these products.

Animal studies performed in 20171 had already demonstrated that the fœtuses of pregnant females taking similar doses of curcuma products as those found in supplements had reduced body weight and, in some cases, even had congenital malformations. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even issued an official warning on this issue in June 2019, so we should all take care.

1) https://www.prescrire.org/Fr/3/31/58327/0/NewsDetails.aspx