Effect of Curcumin Supplementation on the Intestinal Butyrogenic Bacteria Population in Obese Men Under Weight Loss Diet: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Clinical Trial

Ruqayyah Mansouri; Rasoul Shokri; Seyedeh Neda Mousavi; Davoud Afshar

doi:10.18502/ijdl.v26i1.21335

Ruqayyah Mansouri Department of Microbiology, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
Rasoul Shokri Department of Microbiology, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
Seyedeh Neda Mousavi Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
Davoud Afshar Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijdl.v26i1.21335

Keywords: Butyrate producing bacteria, Obesity, Curcumin

Abstract

Background: The present study investigated the effects of curcumin supplementation along with a weight loss diet on the relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut of metabolically healthy obese men.

Methods: In the present double-blinded controlled clinical trial, sixty metabolically healthy obese men (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) participated. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups receiving curcumin supplementation (500 mg, twice daily) or placebo. The duration of the intervention was eight weeks. The samples were matched for age and dietary intake before the study. Stool samples were collected at the beginning and end of the study and the relative abundance of bacteria was measured after DNA extraction.

Results: The relative abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in men undergoing placebo intervention decreased after 8 weeks (P= 0.04) and was significantly lower than that in the curcumin intervention group (P= 0.003). The mean changes in faecalibacterium prausnitzii increased in the curcumin while they decreased in the placebo group (P= 0.03). In addition, the mean changes in Roseburia intestinalis increased in the curcumin and decreased in the placebo group (P= 0.009).

Conclusion: Weight loss diet leads to a decrease in the relative abundance of butyrogenic bacteria in the gut of obese men, while curcumin supplementation can lead to an increase in the population of these bacteria, as one of the methods of treating obesity.