A 57-year-old woman in the US has just been hospitalized for serious liver damage after taking daily supplements of turmeric.
According to NBC, the patient started taking turmeric pills in March, after listening to advice from a doctor on Instagram about the benefits of reducing inflammation and joint pain. However, just a few weeks later, she showed symptoms of stomach pain, nausea, fatigue, and dark urine despite drinking a lot of water every day.
Doctors said that her liver enzymes increased 70 times compared to normal levels and there was only "one more step" to fall into liver failure, requiring a liver transplant.
Dr. Punit Singla, Clinical Director of the Institute of liver Transplantation & Surgery, Marengo Asia Hospital (India) warned on hindustantimes: High doses of turmeric can affect the liver. Each person absorbs it differently, and self- complements are a health risk.
Turmeric is known for its antioxidant properties and safety when used in the daily diet, with a recommended dosage of 1.5 - 3 grams of turmeric powder (half to a teaspoon).
In the form of supplements, turmeric is often a pure curcumin extract, with a concentration of up to 95%, much higher than the 3% in natural turmeric powder. This means that the risk of overdose and liver poisoning increases significantly.
Experts recommend that people with fatty liver disease, alcoholism or underlying liver disease should stay away from turmeric supplements. Too much can lead to drug-induced liver failure (DILI), which has been proven in studies in 2023.
If turmeric is used with black pepper, the ability to absorb curcumin increases sharply, so health needs to be monitored.
Early warning signs of liver poisoning include: dark yellow urine, fatigue, abdominal heaviness, muscle weakness and digestive disorders. When experiencing these symptoms, users need to see a liver specialist immediately.
According to doctors, the amount of turmeric in your daily diet is enough to take advantage of the health benefits without causing harm. The use of supplements should be prescribed by a health professional, instead of arbitrarily applying them according to advice on social networks.
