Here's something that says it's good for diabetes:
1: Endocrinology. 2008 Jul;149(7):3549-58. Epub 2008 Apr 10. Links
Dietary curcumin significantly improves obesity-associated inflammation and diabetes in mouse models of diabesity.Weisberg SP, Leibel R, Tortoriello DV.
Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion, Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center, Columbia University Medical Center, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, and both conditions are now recognized to possess significant inflammatory components underlying their pathophysiologies. We tested the hypothesis that the plant polyphenolic compound curcumin, which is known to exert potent antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects, would ameliorate diabetes and inflammation in murine models of insulin-resistant obesity. We found that dietary curcumin admixture ameliorated diabetes in high-fat diet-induced obese and leptin-deficient ob/ob male C57BL/6J mice as determined by glucose and insulin tolerance testing and hemoglobin A1c percentages. Curcumin treatment also significantly reduced macrophage infiltration of white adipose tissue, increased adipose tissue adiponectin production, and decreased hepatic nuclear factor-kappaB activity, hepatomegaly, and markers of hepatic inflammation. We therefore conclude that orally ingested curcumin reverses many of the inflammatory and metabolic derangements associated with obesity and improves glycemic control in mouse models of type 2 diabetes. This or related compounds warrant further investigation as novel adjunctive therapies for type 2 diabetes in man.
PMID: 18403477 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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and here it increases insulin in plasma of db/db mice. Is that non-diabetic or diabetic?!
1: Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Sep;52(9):995-1004. Links
Effect of curcumin supplementation on blood glucose, plasma insulin, and glucose homeostasis related enzyme activities in diabetic db/db mice.Seo KI, Choi MS, Jung UJ, Kim HJ, Yeo J, Jeon SM, Lee MK.
Department of Food and Nutrition, Sunchon National University, Jeonnam, Republic of Korea.
We investigated the effect of curcumin on insulin resistance and glucose homeostasis in male C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice and their age-matched lean non-diabetic db/+ mice. Both db/+ and db/db mice were fed with or without curcumin (0.02%, wt/wt) for 6 wks. Curcumin significantly lowered blood glucose and HbA 1c levels, and it suppressed body weight loss in db/db mice. Curcumin improved homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and glucose tolerance, and elevated the plasma insulin level in db/db mice. Hepatic glucokinase activity was significantly higher in the curcumin-supplemented db/db group than in the db/db group, whereas glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activities were significantly lower. In db/db mice, curcumin significantly lowered the hepatic activities of fatty acid synthase, beta-oxidation, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme reductase, and acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase. Curcumin significantly lowered plasma free fatty acid, cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations and increased the hepatic glycogen and skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase in db/db mice. Curcumin normalized erythrocyte and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, gluthathione peroxidase) in db/db mice that resulted in a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation. However, curcumin showed no effect on the blood glucose, plasma insulin, and glucose regulating enzyme activities in db/+ mice. These results suggest that curcumin seemed to be a potential glucose-lowering agent and antioxidant in type 2 diabetic db/db mice, but had no affect in non-diabetic db/+ mice.
PMID: 18398869 [PubMed - in process]
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db/db is diabetic:
1: Kidney Int. 2008 Oct 29. [Epub ahead of print]
Inhibition of C-jun N-terminal kinase improves insulin sensitivity but worsens albuminuria in experimental diabetes.Ijaz A, Tejada T, Catanuto P, Xia X, Elliot SJ, Lenz O, Jauregui A, Saenz MO, Molano RD, Pileggi A, Ricordi C, Fornoni A.
[1] 1Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA [2] 2Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
C-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) regulates both the development of insulin resistance and inflammation. Podocytes of the widely used db/db mouse model of diabetic nephropathy lose their ability to respond to insulin as albuminuria develops, in comparison to control db/+ mice. Here we tested whether JNK inhibition or its gene deletion would prevent albuminuria in experimental diabetes. Phosphorylated/total JNK was significantly increased in vivo in glomeruli of db/db compared to db/+ mice. Treatment of podocytes isolated from these two strains of mice with tumor necrosis factor-alpha caused greater phosphorylation of JNK in those obtained from diabetic animals. When db/db mice were treated with a cell-permeable TAT-JNK inhibitor peptide, their insulin sensitivity and glycemia significantly improved compared to controls. We induced diabetes in JNK1 knockout mice with streptozotocin and found that they had significantly better insulin sensitivity compared to diabetic wild-type or JNK2 knockout mice. Albuminuria was, however, worse in all mice treated with the JNK inhibitor and in diabetic JNK2 knockout mice compared to controls. Nephrin expression was also reduced in JNK inhibitor-treated mice compared to controls. A similar degree of mesangial expansion was found in all diabetic mice. Our study shows that targeting JNK to improve systemic insulin sensitivity does not necessarily prevent diabetic nephropathy.Kidney International advance online publication, 29 October 2008; doi:10.1038/ki.2008.559.
PMID: 18971923 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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I must say that curcumin has helped me in high dosages. I could FEEL the positive reduction in inflammation when I started taking it in high dose just after my last relapse so I find it hard to believe it is bad for MS.
LyndaCarol, I must say I am beginning to wonder about insulin too particularly because of the kidney link. I believe the kidney, the endothelium and adrenal system are all interlinked. Perhaps connected to insulin.
3 years antibiotics, 06/09 bilateral jug stents at C1, 05/11 ballooning of both jug valves, 07/12 stenting of renal vein, azygos & jug valve ballooning,