Fernández-Lázaro et al. 2020, curcumin and exercise-induced muscle damage (review)

Systematic review in Nutrients of curcumin supplementation and exercise-induced muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative markers in physically active people. Across 11 studies, curcumin reduced perceived muscle pain and creatine kinase and modulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8), while producing only a slight antioxidant effect, a point worth noting in the antioxidant-blunting debate, since the antioxidant action itself appears weak. Effective doses ranged widely, from 150 to 1500 mg per day, taken from before exercise through to 72 hours afterwards, an inconsistency that reflects the unsettled state of the evidence. Bioavailability is a recognised problem: standard curcumin is poorly absorbed, so results depend heavily on the formulation used, which complicates comparison across trials. Supports the soreness and inflammation signal while underlining how heterogeneous and formulation-dependent the evidence is.