Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used to treat dyspepsia. However, the long-term use of PPIs is associated with an increased risk of fracture, infections, and nutritional deficiencies. A study has investigated curcumin, a component of turmeric, as an alternative to omeprazole, a PPI, for treating functional dyspepsia. Functional dyspepsia patients (n=151) were randomized to receive curcumin (two capsules of 250 mg QID) alone, omeprazole (20 mg OD) alone, or curcumin plus omeprazole.
By day 28, the Severity of Dyspepsia Assessment scores indicated significant reductions in pain and non-pain categories for those in the combined, curcumin alone, and omeprazole alone groups. These improvements were even stronger after 56 days for all three groups. Curcumin showed comparable efficacy to omeprazole in treating functional dyspepsia without any obvious synergistic effect or serious…
