**5.3 Turmeric in heart disease**

A recent meta-analysis found that turmeric or curcumin have no effect on diastolic blood pressure and minor effect on systolic blood pressure when taken for longer than 12 weeks [72]. A meta-analysis that included 7 randomized, placebocontrolled clinical trials in patients with cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension, and dyslipidemia) found turmeric powder at 2–2.4 g/day for 1–2 months, turmeric extract with 0.6–1.9 g curcuminoids/day for 2–6 months, or curcumin at 70–80 mg/ day for 2–3 months were effective in reducing serum LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Adverse events reported were abdominal pain, nausea, dyspepsia, constipation, and hot flushes. Hot flushes were also reported in the placebo group. In 3 of the trials patients were kept on their medications during the study; however, only one trial disclosed the name of the concomitant drug treatment (metformin) [73].
