effect of oral curcumin on rheumatoid arthritis patients: a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Background and objective: incomprehensive studies have examined the therapeutic and side effects of curcumin on the treatment of debilitating diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (ra). this study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on ra.materials and methods: this double-blind clinical trial was carried out on 64 ra patients with an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr)-disease activity score (das)-28>2.6. the patients were then randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. in addition to the routine treatment, the intervention group was treated with 80-mg/day capsules of curcumin (nano-micelles). further, the patients were followed up for three months, and clinical-laboratory examinations were recorded in this study.results: there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding the trends of the disease activity indicators, including das-28, disability index, physician assessment, and the number of tender joints (p>0.05). further, a significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of pain score changes and the number of swollen joints. additionally, the curcumin-treated subjects obtained lower mean pain and fewer swollen joints, compared to those in the control group (p<0.05).conclusion: the present study revealed that curcumin had no significant therapeutic effects on reducing the activity of ra; however, no significant side effects were observed on the patients, and it also showed its analgesic effect well.