Jean-Guillaume Letarouilly1, Pauline Sanchez2, Yann Nguyen3, Johanna Sigaux4, Sébastien Czernichow5,6, René-Marc Flipo1, Jérémie Sellam7, Claire Daïen2. 1. Department of Rheumatology, CHU Lille, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France. 2. Department of Rheumatology, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier University, 34295 Montpellier, France. 3. Department of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Beaujon, AP-HP Nord, Université de Paris, F-92100 Clichy, France. 4. Department of Rheumatology, Hôpital Avicenne, AP-HP, INSERM U1125, Université Paris 13, F-93017 Bobigny, France. 5. Department of Nutrition, Specialized Obesity Center, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Université de Paris, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France. 6. Epidemiology and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris City Center, UMR1153, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, F-75004 Paris, France. 7. DMU 3ID, Hôpital Saint Antoine, AP-HP, CRSA Inserm UMRS_938, Sorbonne Université, F-75012 Paris, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Spices, i.e., curcumin, ginger, saffron, and cinnamon, have a thousand-year history of medicinal use in Asia. Modern medicine has begun to explore their therapeutic properties during the last few decades. We aimed to perform a systematic literature review (SLR) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of spice supplementation on symptoms and disease activity in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondylarthritis, or psoriatic arthritis). METHODS: An SLR of RCTs, reviews, and meta-analyses was performed, searching for articles in MEDLINE/PubMed. Abstracts from international rheumatology and nutrition congresses (2017-2020) were also scrutinized. The risk of bias of the selected studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and the Jadad scale. RESULTS: Altogether, six studies, assessing the use of spice supplementation only in RA patients, were included: one on garlic supplementation, two on curcumin, one on ginger, one on cinnamon, and one on saffron supplementation. Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, or saffron supplementation was associated with a decrease in RA clinical activity. However, several points limit the external validity of these studies. No conclusion on the impact of curcumin supplementation on RA activity could be drawn due to low-quality studies. CONCLUSIONS: Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron supplementation could have a beneficial effect on RA activity, but the risk of bias of these studies is difficult to assess and data are too limited to recommend them in daily practice.
BACKGROUND: Spices, i.e., curcumin, ginger, saffron, and cinnamon, have a thousand-year history of medicinal use in Asia. Modern medicine has begun to explore their therapeutic properties during the last few decades. We aimed to perform a systematic literature review (SLR) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of spice supplementation on symptoms and disease activity in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondylarthritis, or psoriatic arthritis). METHODS: An SLR of RCTs, reviews, and meta-analyses was performed, searching for articles in MEDLINE/PubMed. Abstracts from international rheumatology and nutrition congresses (2017-2020) were also scrutinized. The risk of bias of the selected studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and the Jadad scale. RESULTS: Altogether, six studies, assessing the use of spice supplementation only in RA patients, were included: one on garlic supplementation, two on curcumin, one on ginger, one on cinnamon, and one on saffron supplementation. Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, or saffron supplementation was associated with a decrease in RA clinical activity. However, several points limit the external validity of these studies. No conclusion on the impact of curcumin supplementation on RA activity could be drawn due to low-quality studies. CONCLUSIONS:Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron supplementation could have a beneficial effect on RA activity, but the risk of bias of these studies is difficult to assess and data are too limited to recommend them in daily practice.
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Anh; Sun Jo Kim; Nguyen Phuoc Long; Jung Eun Min; Young Cheol Yoon; Eun Goo Lee; Mina Kim; Tae Joon Kim; Yoon Young Yang; Eui Young Son; Sang Jun Yoon; Nguyen Co Diem; Hyung Min Kim; Sung Won Kwon Journal: Nutrients Date: 2020-01-06 Impact factor: 5.717