The Complementary and Alternative Roles of Curcumin in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: An Umbrella Review.

CONTEXT: Evidence regarding curcumin supplementation in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) has been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: This umbrella review aimed to summarize the effects of curcumin supplementation on UC and assess the strength of the evidence. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was conducted across the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, Sino-Med, VIP, and Wanfang databases from their inception to June 9, 2024. DATA EXTRACTION: Two review authors independently extracted data. DATA ANALYSIS: Methodological quality assessment, and evidence quality assessment, based on predetermined criteria, were performed by 2 independent reviewers. Seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses, encompassing 18 outcomes related to curcumin on UC, were included. Of these, 11 (77.78%) demonstrated statistical significance at the nominal level (P < .05). CONCLUSION: None of the reported outcomes were supported by high-certainty evidence, making the therapeutic potential of curcumin uncertain. Nevertheless, despite the widespread methodological shortcomings of the SRs/MAs, our study highlights opportunities to strengthen future research efforts. UMBRELLA REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration No. CRD42024564400.