Liver disease after eating turmeric supplements

Is it dangerous to take dietary supplement with turmeric?

There are always discussions about the effectiveness of dietary supplements. Actually, the preparations should be beneficial to health and not harm her in any way. However, in a recent case report, physicians describe how an elderly woman developed hepatitis after taking turmeric supplements for eight months.

A 71-year-old woman was routinely diagnosed as having abnormally high enzyme levels in her liver. The treating physicians and specialists were initially surprised and wondered what might have caused the liver damage to the woman. Analyzing their diet, they then found that the woman had taken turmeric to reduce the risk of stroke. The doctors report on the case in the English-language journal "BMJ Case Reports".

Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties

How widespread is the intake of dietary supplements? Almost 20 percent of adults in the US and around 30 percent of adults in the UK take dietary supplements. Turmeric is one of the most popular products, with one third of patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking the spice because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

What causes autoimmune hepatitis?

After the patient was referred to a specialist, the studies showed that she was suffering from autoimmune hepatitis. The disease, which affects as many as 18 out of every 100,000 people in the US and UK each year, occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks their liver causing inflammation.

Woman took a variety of medications

Doctors at the University of Arizona, Tucson, first suggested that the sudden liver damage was due to the other 20 medicines and supplements the patient took each day for various reasons. Among other things, she suffered from thyroid problems and irritable bowel syndrome and arthritis.

How did the investigation go??

However, after reviewing their medical records, the experts found that their drug dose had not changed dramatically in two years. After several tests were initially performed without clear results, about three months after the patient was referred to the specialists, the liver enzyme level of the woman began to drop suddenly. The person admitted that she had not taken turmeric supplements for four weeks. Thirteen months later, her liver enzymes returned to normal. Having discarded the dietary supplements, the physicians were unable to test the drug for its turmeric dose or contamination with heavy metals or pesticides.

Turmeric tablet users often have limited liver function

However, it has previously been found that supplements made from the root of the spice may have been contaminated with lead. According to the case report, half of the people taking turmeric tablets have impaired liver function. In addition, up to 15 percent of autoimmune hepatitis cases are triggered by drugs or dietary supplements, which is probably due to the breakdown of the drugs, the experts explain.

Interaction with other medications elicited liver damage

The doctors explain that it was not the supplements themselves that caused the liver damage to the woman, but their interaction with the other medications. However, the experts emphasize that up to 40 percent of older patients take more than one drug. Doctors should therefore ask their patients with abnormal liver enzymes if they take turmeric, the conclusion of the current case report. (As)