Nephrologist shares research: Curcumin may protect blood vessels in diabetics

2026/09/27 08:25

Nephrologist Jiang Shoushan shared research and pointed out that in addition to helping improve blood sugar and reducing inflammation, curcumin may also help protect blood vessels from diabetes damage; diagram. (Picture taken from freepik)

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Curcumin not only has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but may also help fight vascular damage caused by diabetes. Nephrologist Jiang Shoushan shared a latest animal study and pointed out that researchers conducted experiments on type 1 diabetic rats and found that vascular health improved after one month of curcumin treatment. It has been shown that curcumin not only helps improve blood sugar, but also reduces inflammation, restores cell responses, and protects the structure and function of the aorta in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Curcumin improves multiple markers of vascular health

Jiang Shoushan posted on his Facebook page that the aforementioned research results will be published at the "American Physiology Summit" to be held in Minneapolis, USA in 2026. Study first author Swasti. Swasti Rastogi pointed out that the role of curcumin is not just a compound in spices or an antioxidant. Studies have shown that in addition to helping improve blood sugar, it can also reduce inflammation, restore cell responses, and protect the structure and function of the aorta in patients with type 1 diabetes.

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Type 1 diabetes has a higher risk of heart disease

Researchers say type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease and insulin treatment is critical to controlling the condition. However, people with type 1 diabetes may still develop heart disease at a younger age because persistent high blood sugar can damage blood vessels.

Jiang Shoushan said that in order to study whether curcumin can reduce this damage, the researchers used a type 1 diabetes rat model. Diabetic rats treated with curcumin were compared with diabetic rats not treated with curcumin. The study found that after a month, the blood vessel health of rats taking curcumin improved, similar to that seen in non-diabetic rats.

In addition, Jiang Shoushan noted that researchers also found that curcumin treatment appeared to reduce inflammation and restore more normal calcium activity in blood vessels. It also helps rebalance heat shock protein 70, an important protein whose regulation is disrupted by diabetes.

Jiang Shoushan said that these effects together suggest that curcumin may help limit the gradual weakening of blood vessel structure and function, thereby reducing blood vessel elasticity. By helping blood vessels maintain healthier function, this may reduce some of the cardiovascular risks associated with diabetes.