ANTIOXIDANT CURCUMA EXTRACTS DECREASE THE BLOOD LIPID PEROXIDE LEVELSOF HUMAN-SUBJECTS

Extracts of the rhyzome of Curcuma longa a re widely used as food addi tives in India and other Asiatic and Central American countries. Moreo ver, it has been recently shown that these extracts (''turmeric''), as well as ''curcumin'' and related phenolic compounds isolated from Cur cuma, have a powerful lipid antioxidant action, when tested in in vitr o systems, This justifies the present attempt to find out whether hydr oalcoholic extracts of Curcuma longa also exert an antioxidant effect in human subjects. Our data show that a 45-day intake (by healthy indi viduals ranging in age from 27 to 67 years) of Curcuma hydroalcoholic extract (at a daily dose equivalent to 20 mg of curcumine) results in a significant decrease in the levels of serum lipid peroxides. These p eroxides probably play an important pathogenic role in normal senescen ce and age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, Therefore, hydroa lcoholic extracts of Curcuma longa (that have very low toxicity and ha ve been cleared as food additives in the above countries) may find use in future preventive geriatrics after further clinical studies.