Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Those who supplemented with 1000 mg of curcumin for 6 weeks had depression scores that improved significantly by 9% and 10.2% compared to control.
Depression has been estimated to be one of the leading causes of disease-induced disability (1), with women having twice the risk of experiencing depression than men (2). Major depressive disorder is projected to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020 (3) and is currently a significant contributor to the $83.1 billion that depression as a whole cost society in 2000 (4).
With numerous side effects and occasional lack of effectiveness of antidepressant medication (5), natural ways to help with depression are needed. Now a new study (6) suggests that curcumin may improve the action of antidepressant medication. The study involved 100 men between the ages of 31 and 59 with some form of depression. They were given either 1,000 milligrams of curcumin (50 men) or a placebo (soybean powder = 50 men) each day for 6 weeks.
Depressive symptoms were recorded with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. The antidepressant medication escitalopram was prescribed to each subject based on the score on the depression scales and ranged from 5 to 15 milligrams daily.
After 6 weeks, the following benefits were noted in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group:
| Curcumin | Placebo | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Depression Score | 32.2% decrease (14.06 to 9.54) | 23.2% decrease (14.28 to 10.98) | < 0.05 |
| Montgomery Depression Score | 34.4% decrease (18.22 to 11.96) | 24.2% decrease (18.68 to 14.16) | < 0.05 |
When looking at the blood work, significant improvements were noted with two inflammatory proteins. The first inflammatory protein, IL-1beta, was 20.1% lower in the curcumin group at week 6 (6.69 versus 8.37 picograms/milliliter, p < 0.001) while another protein, TNF-alpha, was 24.9% lower in the curcumin group at week 6 (52.65 versus 70.04 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Cortisol levels in the saliva of the curcumin group were 34.7% lower by week 6 (54.3 versus 83.04 nanograms/mL, p < 0.001). Unfortunately, only week 6 levels were provided for the blood work; no before-study levels were given, so absolute decreases could not be quantified.
When suggesting how curcumin elicited these benefits, the researchers pointed to curcumin’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune system-enhancing, and nerve-protecting properties (7, 8, 9) as well as research in humans on curcumin “as a complementary and alternative therapy” (10).
For the researchers, “These findings indicate the potential benefits of further implications of supplementary administration of curcumin to reverse the development of depression and enhance the outcome of antidepressants treatment in major depressive disorder.”
Source: Yu et al. Chronic Supplementation of Curcumin Enhances the Efficacy of Antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo- Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 35(4), 2015, p 406–410; DOI: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000000352
© 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
Posted June 6, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Murray, CJL & Lopez, AD. Alternative visions of the future: projecting mortality and disability, 1990-2020. In: , Murray, CJL & Lopez, AD, eds. The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996, 325–97
- Kessler, RC. Epidemiology of women and depression. J Affect Disord 2003;74:5–13.
- Murray, C.J. and A.D. Lopez, Global mortality, disability, and the contribution of risk factors: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet, 1997. 349(9063): p. 1436-42.
- Greenberg, P.E., et al., The economic burden of depression in the United States: how did it change between 1990 and 2000? J Clin Psychiatry, 2003. 64(12): p. 1465-75.
- “Antidepressants: Get tips to cope with side effects” from the Mayo Clinic website
- Yu JJ. Chronic Supplementation of Curcumin Enhances the Efficacy of Antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2015 Aug;35(4):406-10. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000000352
- Maheshwari RK, Singh AK, Gaddipati J, et al.Multiple biological activities of curcumin: a short review. Life Sci. 2006;78:2081–2087.
- Srimal RC, Dhawan BN. Pharmacology of diferuloyl methane (curcumin), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1973;25: 447–452
- Masuda T, Hidaka K, Shinohara A, et al. Chemical studies on antioxidant mechanism of curcuminoid: analysis of radical reaction products from curcumin. J Agric Food Chem. 1999;47:71–77
- Kessler RC, Soukup J, Davis RB, et al. The use of complementary and alternative therapies to treat anxiety and depression in the United States. Am J Psychiatry. 2001;158:289–294.
