Curcumin Versus Ibuprofen for Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Physically Active Women (CURACTIVE)

August 20, 2026 updated by: Diego Fernández Lázaro, University of Valladolid

Comparative Efficacy of Oral Curcumin Supplementation Versus Ibuprofen on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Sports Performance in Physically Active Women: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

xercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a common consequence of unaccustomed or high-intensity exercise and is characterized by muscle soreness, impaired physical performance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and increased circulating biomarkers of muscle damage. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, are frequently used to alleviate these symptoms, although their repeated use may be associated with adverse effects. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has emerged as a potential nutritional strategy to support post-exercise recovery.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aims to compare the effects of oral curcumin supplementation and ibuprofen administration on exercise-induced muscle damage in physically active women. The study evaluates clinical outcomes, physical performance, biomarkers of muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and other health-related biomarkers to determine whether curcumin may represent a safe and effective nutritional alternative for promoting recovery after eccentric exercise.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) following eccentric exercise is characterized by structural disruption of skeletal muscle fibers accompanied by transient inflammation, oxidative stress, delayed-onset muscle soreness, and impaired physical performance. Although these responses are considered part of the normal adaptive process, excessive muscle damage may delay recovery and impair subsequent training or competition.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used by athletes to reduce post-exercise pain and inflammation. However, repeated NSAID use has been associated with gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular adverse effects, highlighting the need for safe nutritional alternatives capable of supporting recovery without interfering with physiological adaptation.

Curcumin, the principal bioactive polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties through modulation of multiple molecular pathways involved in redox homeostasis and inflammatory signaling. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that curcumin may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage by reducing oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and muscle soreness, although evidence remains inconsistent and direct comparisons with NSAIDs are scarce.

The objective of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is to compare the efficacy of oral curcumin supplementation with ibuprofen and placebo in physically active women following eccentric exercise. The study evaluates clinical recovery, physical performance, biomarkers of muscle damage, inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, and additional health-related biomarkers in order to characterize the physiological effects of curcumin supplementation and determine its potential role as a nutritional strategy for exercise recovery.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
36

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
      • Soria, Spain, 42004
        • University Campus of Soria

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy physically active women. Age within the predefined study range. Regular participation in physical activity for at least 6 months before enrollment.

Ability to perform the eccentric exercise protocol. Written informed consent provided before participation.

Exclusion Criteria:

Current musculoskeletal injury or pain affecting exercise performance. History of cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, renal, hepatic, or inflammatory disease.

Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Current use of anti-inflammatory drugs, antioxidant supplements, or other nutritional supplements that could interfere with study outcomes.

Known allergy or intolerance to curcumin, turmeric, ibuprofen, or study ingredients.

Smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. Participation in another clinical trial during the study period. Any condition considered by the investigators to compromise participant safety or protocol compliance.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Curcumin
Participants received oral curcumin supplementation according to the study protocol before and following the eccentric exercise protocol. Clinical recovery, physical performance, muscle damage, inflammatory, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, and other health-related biomarkers were evaluated during the recovery period.
Dietary supplement: Curcumin
Participants received oral curcumin supplementation according to the study protocol before and after the eccentric exercise protocol. Curcumin was administered at the predefined dose and duration specified in the protocol. The intervention aimed to evaluate its effects on exercise-induced muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, physical performance, and recovery in physically active women.
Other Names:
  • Curcuma longa
Active Comparator: Ibuprofen
articipants received oral ibuprofen according to the study protocol before and following the eccentric exercise protocol. Clinical recovery, physical performance, muscle damage, inflammatory, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, and other health-related biomarkers were evaluated during the recovery period.
Drug: Ibuprofen
Participants received oral ibuprofen according to the study protocol before and after the eccentric exercise protocol. Ibuprofen was administered at the predefined dose and duration specified in the protocol and served as the active comparator for evaluating recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants received placebo capsules identical in appearance to the active interventions according to the study protocol before and following the eccentric exercise protocol. Clinical recovery, physical performance, muscle damage, inflammatory, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, and other health-related biomarkers were evaluated during the recovery period.
Other: Placebo
Participants received placebo capsules identical in appearance, packaging, and administration schedule to the active interventions. The placebo contained inert ingredients and was administered according to the study protocol before and after the eccentric exercise protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Exercise-induced muscle damage
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 72-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Exercise-induced muscle damage assessed using clinical outcomes and biochemical biomarkers following eccentric exercise to compare the effects of oral curcumin supplementation, ibuprofen, and placebo in physically active women.
Baseline and during the 72-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Creatine kinase (CK)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum creatine kinase concentration as a biomarker of exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum lactate dehydrogenase concentration as an indicator of muscle membrane disruption and tissue damage.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum aspartate aminotransferase concentration as an indirect biomarker of exercise-induced muscle tissue damage.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum alanine aminotransferase concentration following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum alkaline phosphatase concentration following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in circulating interleukin-6 concentration as a biomarker of the inflammatory response to exercise-induced muscle damage.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
C-reactive protein (CRP)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in serum C-reactive protein concentration as a marker of systemic inflammation following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Malondialdehyde (MDA)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in plasma malondialdehyde concentration as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in superoxide dismutase activity as an indicator of endogenous antioxidant defense.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Catalase (CAT)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in catalase activity as a marker of antioxidant defense following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in perceived muscle soreness assessed using a validated visual analogue scale following eccentric exercise.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Countermovement jump (CMJ)
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in countermovement jump performance as a measure of lower-limb neuromuscular function and exercise recovery.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Thigh circumference
Time Frame: Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.
Changes in thigh circumference as an indirect indicator of exercise-induced muscle swelling.
Baseline and during the 48-hour recovery period following eccentric exercise.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Valladolid

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 31, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 23, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 25, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 20, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DFL-CURC-2025-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

ndividual participant data that underlie the results reported in publications arising from this study (after de-identification) will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding investigator. Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and whose proposed use of the data has been approved by the study investigators and complies with applicable ethical and institutional regulations.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 6 months after publication and ending 5 years after publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be available upon reasonable request to qualified researchers for scientifically sound research purposes following approval by the study investigators and execution of a data sharing agreement, when required.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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