Curcumin Improves Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and Postexercise Lactate Accumulation, 2020, Mallard et al

Andy

Andy

Retired committee member
The efficacy of curcumin supplementation is traditionally limited due to its poor bioavailability. Despite this, curcumin has previously been shown to improve biomarkers of muscle damage. The addition of a novel drug delivery system that improves bioavailability could improve exercise recovery.

The purpose of this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was to assess the effect of curcumin (combined with LipiSperse) when consumed as a drink on exercise recovery in recreationally trained healthy males aged 18–35 yrs. The study included 28 young healthy males with strength training experience. The participants undertook lower limb resistance exercise to exhaustion. Fourteen participants received curcumin dispersed in water pre and postexercise and 14 received a matched placebo drink.

Pain (visual analogue scale), thigh circumference (TC), lactate, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, myoglobin, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were assessed pre, postexercise and 1, 2, 3, 24, 48, and 72 h postexercise. There was less appearance of postexercise capillary lactate in the curcumin group compared to placebo (7.4 vs 8.8 mmol/L). The placebo group rated overall muscle pain as higher compared to the curcumin group at 48- and 72-h postexercise. TC was reduced in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group at 24- and 48-h postexercise.

The results suggest curcumin may facilitate a quicker return to exercise training and/or allow a higher training intensity than a placebo by reducing postexercise pain, modulating inflammatory pathways and reducing lactate accumulation in an exercising population.
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Open access, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19390211.2020.1796885
 
This isn’t the thread I was looking for, but seems to be a good enough place to add my comment.

My n=1 try-it-&-see test of a Turmeric, Curcumin, Ginger & Black Pepper supplement seems to be strongly reducing my PEM type symptoms, most especially muscle weakness and pain.

Is it a cure?
Nope.

Might I just be in an upswing, and this happens to be “the thing” I’m currently exploring?
Of course that is a distinct possibility!!! :laugh:

I will continue to monitor, but for now at least these capsules (photo) seem worth taking.

Other things that help me (or at least I haven’t abandoned as useless):
-Magnesium supplement
-Low carb eating (not Keto)
-Coffee (though truth be told I was onto this pre-ME).

PS Oh And I’m still finishing every shower with cold water. Now easy to do, and feels like a relief when I do it. Maybe I’m just weird!! LOL.

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Keela Too said:
Oh And I’m still finishing every shower with cold water. Now easy to do, and feels like a relief when I do it. Maybe I’m just weird!! LOL.
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One of the theories behind why saunas might help ME, going back to the 90s, is that an autonomic jolt as temperature changes (but jumping in a pool after a sauna when you have ME might be very dangerous) might assist the brain to adapt. Its an old theory, and I am not sure its right.
 
alex3619 said:
There is a claim, and I have not looked into it, that black pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric. Turmeric is the spice curcumin comes from. This might explain why black pepper is being added to curcumin supplements.
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Yes, what I've read is that curcumin by itself is almost completely destroyed by the digestive tract. Piperine from black pepper helps a bit. But there a various proprietary formulations that supercharge the bioavailability, many of which have been used in many studies assessing bioavailability and therapeutic effect for various conditions.

Copying a post I made on Pheonix Rising:

The one I linked above is pretty good because it summarizes the mechanisms and studies behind the most common and studied curcumin formulations.

There are also lots of studies as well as meta-studies, like "Improving Curcumin Bioavailability: Current Strategies and Future Perspectives" which go into much greater detail.

And the paper "Curcumin Formulations for Better Bioavailability: What We Learned from Clinical Trials Thus Far?" has a table listing every ailment that each formulation of curcumin has been tested on, and what the responses were.
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alex3619 said:
There is a claim, and I have not looked into it, that black pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric. Turmeric is the spice curcumin comes from. This might explain why black pepper is being added to curcumin supplements.
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Yes I had heard that too and it was one of the reasons I chose this supplement
 
alex3619 said:
One of the theories behind why saunas might help ME, going back to the 90s, is that an autonomic jolt as temperature changes (but jumping in a pool after a sauna when you have ME might be very dangerous) might assist the brain to adapt. Its an old theory, and I am not sure its right.
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I was recently able to use a steamroom with a cold shower outside it. That was lovely and I found both the warmth and the cold (which I stood under for several minutes) very soothing. Very pleasant all round.

But my husband who’s not used to cold showers couldn’t step under the cold at all! It’s definitely something to acclimatise to.

Oh and I don’t think plunging into cold is ever good. I wet the extremities first, then my face & neck, then chest and lastly my back.
 
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