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Open WellbeingWhat the studies actually measured

Cholesterol and blood fats

Curcuminand HDL cholesterol

Both sources here measured higher HDL cholesterol.

How sure anyone can be

Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

Further research may change this.

The most certain of the two findings here; each record carries its own.

The numbers reported

One source’s range, drawn against its own line of no difference and scaled to its own numbers.

1.431.8 mg/dL2.17

This range stays on one side of the no-difference line.

Bar the confidence interval — the range the true effect is likely to sit inNotch the number the source reportedLine where there would be no difference at all

Two sources, newest first

What we read is the published abstract, not the full paper, so a blank below may still be printed in the paper itself. A fixed rule worked this out from the source’s own fields. Nobody checked this rating by hand.

  • Systematic review, 2025

    Very low certainty, level 1 of 4

    An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Investigating the Effect of Curcumin Supplementation on Lipid Profiles.

    Nutr Rev. 2025;83(8):1520-1536. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuaf012. PMID:40044446.

    Number reported
    2.4 mg/dL
    Which way it went
    Higher
    Likely range
    1.22 to 3.57
    Source’s own words
    mg/dL HDL-c, mean difference vs placebo
    Who was studied
    Not stated in the abstract
    Compared with
    placebo
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    I2 = 94%
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, 3 steps down: risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency
    1. Starts at High
    2. Risk of bias brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no risk-of-bias or quality appraisal, so study limitations cannot be ruled outNot in the abstract
    3. Imprecision brought it down to Lowthe abstract does not state how many participants were pooledNot in the abstract
    4. Inconsistency brought it down to Very lowheterogeneity across pooled studies is high (I² = 94%)Reported in the abstract
    5. Ends at Very low3 steps down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    indirectness

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    Source saved; quote checked byte-for-byte against it by software; no signature.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

  • Systematic review, 2023

    Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

    Effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on lipid profile: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Complement Ther Med. 2023;75:102955. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102955. PMID:37230418.

    Number reported
    1.8 mg/dL
    Which way it went
    Higher
    Likely range
    1.43 to 2.17
    Source’s own words
    mg/dL HDL-c weighted mean difference vs control
    Who was studied
    Adult
    Compared with
    control
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, one step down: imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Imprecision brought it down to Moderatethe abstract does not state how many participants were pooledNot in the abstract
    3. Ends at ModerateOne step down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    risk of bias and indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI-reviewed & signed — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and checked that the quote, the numbers, the units and the direction match it. No person read it. The owner authorised the agent to sign the batch with the owner's key, and every build rechecks that signature against these exact bytes.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

What is still missing from these readings

  • Two do not say how many people took part.
  • Amount taken — Not in the abstract.
  • For how long — Not in the abstract.

Something nobody wrote down is never a zero and never a guess.

Still to read for Curcumin

Four of the 22 things on our list for Curcumin have no reading here yet:

  • Fasting insulin
  • Type 2 Diabetes Incidence
  • Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index
  • WOMAC Physical Function Subscale

Still to read means nobody here has got to it, not that it was tried and did nothing or that no research exists. A pairing on no list is not a gap: we never set out to read it.

Read next

This is a library, not advice. No recommendation, no dose, no diagnosis, no ranking. We never ask about your symptoms, and nothing here is tailored to you.