CHAPTER 16: Curcumin as Dietary Supplements Against Various Diseases: An Insight into the New Trends and Future Perspectives

The ever-evolving technological era has witnessed a great revolution in the diet and lifestyle of individuals, which has created many lifestyle-associated diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, brain disorders, gastrointestinal, bacterial and viral infections and so on. Therefore, concerns regarding longevity have motivated people to find effective alternatives in natural dietary supplements. Curcumin is recognized by the U.S Food and Drug Administration as a dietary herb that can improve health conditions. This review acknowledges the benevolent characteristics of curcumin supplements by including an evidenced-based study for treating various diseases. Although curcumin holds promising applications, its solubility and bioavailability attempt to suppress its virtues. Hence, the current review provides an outlook on resolving these limitations by adopting various food-grade carrier agents and novel techniques to form novel encapsulates that improve their functionalities. Curcumin supplements that embrace these advancements promise to enhance the delivery of curcumin in safe, efficient and economical manner.