Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Nutrients. 2018 Oct 19;10(10):1553. doi: 10.3390/nu10101553.
Curcumin is a principal curcuminoid of turmeric (), which is commonly used as a spice in cooking and a yellow pigment in the food processing industry. Recent studies have demonstrated that curcumin has a variety of biological activities and pharmacological performances, providing protection and promotion of human health. In addition to presenting an overview of the gut metabolism of curcumin, this paper reviews the current research progress on its versatile bioactivity, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-regulatory activities, and also intensively discusses its health benefits, including the protective or preventive effects on cancers and diabetes, as well as the liver, nervous system, and cardiovascular systems, highlighting the potential molecular mechanisms. Besides, the beneficial effects of curcumin on human are further stated based on clinical trials. Considering that there is still a debate on the beneficial effects of curcumin, we also discuss related challenges and prospects. Overall, curcumin is a promising ingredient of novel functional foods, with protective efficacy in preventing certain diseases. We hope this comprehensive and updated review will be helpful for promoting human-based studies to facilitate its use in human health and diseases in the future.
姜黄素有姜黄（）的主要姜黄素，通常用作烹饪中的香料和食品加工业中的黄色颜料。最近的研究表明，姜黄素具有多种生物活性和药理作用，为人类健康提供保护和促进。本文除了概述姜黄素的肠道代谢外，还综述了其多功能生物活性的研究进展，如抗氧化、抗炎和免疫调节活性，并深入讨论了其对健康的益处，包括对癌症和糖尿病以及肝脏、神经系统和心血管系统的保护或预防作用，强调了潜在的分子机制。此外，还根据临床试验进一步说明了姜黄素对人体的有益作用。考虑到姜黄素的有益作用仍存在争议，我们还讨论了相关的挑战和前景。总的来说，姜黄素是新型功能性食品中很有前途的成分，具有预防某些疾病的保护功效。我们希望这篇全面和更新的综述将有助于促进基于人体的研究，以促进其在未来人类健康和疾病中的应用。
