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Santiago Urquijo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span> \nTurmeric supplements have been linked to a small but growing number of liver injury cases, leading some experts to urge people to use the herbal remedy with caution.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nNew research\u2014from a recently published study in the American Journal of Medicine<\/em> as well as a presentation at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology\u2014outlines 15 different case studies of drug-induced liver injury, related to turmeric supplements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cPhysicians in general have so many patients that take this natural supplement that’s thought to be very safe,\u201d Zachary Marwil, MD, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist with the Northwell Health Endoscopy Center of Long Island, told Health<\/em>. \u201cBut there have been some cases reported, more recently, it seems\u2014it’s still pretty rare\u2014of patients that develop […] what we call a drug-induced liver injury.\u201d \n<\/p>\n \nHere\u2019s what to know about turmeric-related liver injuries, and what to consider if you\u2019re currently taking the supplement, or before you start using it, to do so as safely as possible.\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nTurmeric\u2014which contains the active ingredient curcumin, shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties\u2014is considered \u201cgenerally safe\u201d by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when taken at the recommended levels (up to 60 mg).<\/span>\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nThe supplement is marketed as being able to help with a wide range of health issues, including arthritis, respiratory infections, depression, allergies, and liver disease\u2014and it continues to gain popularity in the US.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nIn 2020, turmeric was the fourth-highest-selling herbal supplement in the country.<\/span> Turmeric-based drinks are expected to grow in popularity in the coming years, as well.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThis popularity may be able to help explain the increased incidence of turmeric-related liver injuries as identified by researchers\u2014and they\u2019re curious to know if the supplement has always caused a liver injury on some level, or if there\u2019s something different about current turmeric supplements.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIs it that it [was] always going to cause a low level of liver injury, and just because more people are using it, we’re seeing it more?\u201d mused Robert Fontana, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health. \u201cOr is it something about the newer products or formulations?\u201d\n<\/p>\n The Health Benefits of Turmeric a Nutritionist Wants You to Know<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nTen of the 15 recently reported cases of drug-induced liver injury from turmeric were detailed in a clinical research study published in October 2022.\u00a0 The study examined data from more than 2,000 suspected cases of drug-induced liver injury enrolled in the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN).\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nOf the cases that were high confidence for drug-induced liver injury, 345 were attributed to an herbal or dietary supplement; 10 of those cases were linked to turmeric, and occurred during or after 2011, with the majority taking place since 2017. Most cases were mild to moderate; one person died.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nResearchers discovered that turmeric-induced liver injury in the study typically occurred in middle-aged women using the supplement for arthritis, pain relief, or general health. Symptoms usually appeared within 84 days after first use.\n<\/p>\n \nThe data presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting showed similar findings. Five different teams of researchers presented on five different case studies in which turmeric was linked to drug-induced liver injury.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nAll featured patients were between the ages of 49 and 64, and experienced symptoms similar to the 10 previous liver injury cases, including fatigue, nausea, and jaundice.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nAccording to Dr. Marwil, whose team presented one of the case studies at the meeting, the link between turmeric and liver injury wasn\u2019t immediately clear.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAfter going off all medication, [the patient] had gotten better,\u201d said Dr. Marwil. But as soon as she restarted her turmeric regimen, the jaundice and hepatitis reappeared. \u201cIt\u00a0 was only at that point that we were able to realize [the cause],\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n \nPatients, like doctors, likely also don\u2019t immediately suspect turmeric supplements to be the cause of what ails them, or consider their supplement routine relevant.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cPatients don't frequently tell you what they're taking,\u201d said Dr. Fontana, who was an author on the clinical research study. \u201cThey assume that something over the counter can't be toxic, because, \u2018Why would they sell it to me at the grocery store?\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nIn that case, it\u2019s possible that cases of turmeric-related liver injury are much more common than have been reported so far, added Dr. Fontana.\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nIt\u2019s important to note that those who acquired liver injury after taking turmeric did not appear to be misusing the supplements.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt didn't seem like they were taking too much [or] they were overdosing,\u201d said Dr. Marwil. \u201cIt just seemed like kind of a perfect storm of some type of hypersensitivity along with the fact that now [with] these supplements, you're getting more in your body than you probably previously were in previous iterations of the supplement.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nIn the clinical research study, three of the seven turmeric products obtained from those with liver injuries also contained piperine, or black pepper.\n<\/p>\n \nResearchers noted that, when added to turmeric, black pepper can \u201csubstantially increase\u201d the supplement\u2019s systemic bioavailability, or the ability of a substance to be absorbed and used by the body. This could also increase the likelihood of liver injury, researchers said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cNow you have more of this drug, for lack of a better term, coursing through your bloodstream, passing through your liver,\u201d Dr. Marwil said, referencing the addition of piperine to turmeric supplements. \u201cBecause these drugs\u2014based on their engineering, it seems\u2014have become more bioavailable, more of the drug is now exposed to the liver, hence, you get these cases.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nResearchers are also looking into a specific gene called HLA-B*35:01<\/em>, which was found when patients in the clinical research study underwent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sequencing.\n<\/p>\n \nPreviously, HLA-B*35:01 <\/em>had been implicated in liver injury associated with green tea, Garcinia cambogia<\/em>, and Polygonum multiflorum<\/em>.<\/span> Seven of the 10 patients carried HLA-B*35:01<\/em>, but differences among the patients were minor and cases were too few to make any conclusions about a link between the gene and turmeric-associated liver injury.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe have a clue now. And then we\u2019ve got to figure out, why is it that the HLA-B*35:01<\/em> people are more prone to this reaction?\u201d Dr. Fontana mused. \u201cAnd then that way we can figure out maybe, [among] those people, who\u2019s really susceptible.\u201d\n<\/p>\n What Are the Effects of Daily Supplements on Your Health?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nThough the new research highlights that liver injury due to turmeric supplementation appears to be increasing in the US, experts maintain say more research is needed before any sweeping recommendations on supplement use are made.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThere\u2019s probably several million people taking this [supplement],\u201d said Dr. Fontana. \u201cWe want to alert them. But we don't want to scare people, that this is going to lead to a recall and this kind of thing. Because the incidence here is still pretty low.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThat said, it\u2019s still important for patients and doctors alike to be in the know about warning signs of drug-induced liver injury so people can seek care and treatment as soon as possible.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nSymptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, and jaundice are common with drug-induced liver injury, and have the potential to be associated with turmeric supplements, even if a person has been taking them for a while at the recommended dosage.\n<\/p>\n \nPeople with a history of liver disease, or with a history of drug or supplement sensitivity should avoid turmeric supplements just to be on the safe side, said Dr. Marwil.\n<\/p>\n \nDr. Fontana also explained that he hopes to spread the word so that people who may experience negative side effects from taking turmeric or their physicians can report the case to the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, and in turn, hopefully give researchers a clearer picture of who could be at risk in the future. \n<\/p>\n \n\u201cMost people recover, but boy, if we could build that out so no one got liver injury, as a doctor, we would want to do that,\u201d Dr. Fontana said. \u201cThat's how medical progress is made slowly but surely, using human genetics to try to improve efficacy and reduce risk.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Santiago Urquijo \/ Getty Images Though turmeric is a common household spice and supplement, researchers are concerned that it may be linked to liver injury in some rare cases. Newer turmeric supplements are engineered to be more easily absorbed by the body, which could explain what appears to be an increase in negative reactions. Experts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,659],"tags":[116,660],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Turmeric Use in the US <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Turmeric-Related Liver Injuries Rare, But Increasing <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Additives, Genetics May Further Add to Turmeric Potency <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Low Incidence of Injury but Alert Is Still Warranted <\/span> <\/h2>\n