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Ingredient guide

Curcumin for women: what is known, from absorption to pregnancy

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

The studies behind our two graded benefits do not report results for women separately. One small crossover study found women absorbed more curcumin than men from the same single doses, and 8 of 10 US liver injury cases linked to turmeric were in women. NCCIH says turmeric supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy.1,2,3

Key facts

  • In a crossover study of 13 women and 10 men, women absorbed curcumin more efficiently than men, and the authors asked for further study.1
  • Women aged 19 to 50 need 18 mg of iron a day, compared with 8 mg for men, and 0.5 g of turmeric powder in a rice meal did not change iron absorption in 10 young women.4,5
  • Eight of the ten turmeric liver injury cases in a US registry were women, and the median age was 56.2
  • NCCIH says turmeric supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy and that little is known about breastfeeding.3

What the research covers

Turmeric research is large, but most of it tests curcumin in people with a health condition, and this site does not cover those uses. Some of those trials were in women, and they are not used here. The trials behind our two graded benefits enrolled adults, and none of their abstracts reports results for women separately.3,6,7,8

NCCIH says there is not enough evidence to conclude that turmeric or curcumin is beneficial for any health purpose.3

Absorption: women and men may differ

In a crossover study of 13 women and 10 men who each took single doses of plain curcuminoid powder, micronized powder and liquid micelles, women absorbed more. Compared with the plain powder, the micronized powder raised blood levels 14-fold in women and 5-fold in men, and the micelles 277-fold in women and 114-fold in men. The authors asked for further study of the difference.1

The study had 23 people and tested single doses, so it shows a difference in how much reached the blood, not a difference in anything a person would feel. The authors said it warranted further study, and we found no second study that tested it. Read it as a reason for caution about comparing your results with someone else's, not as a dose rule.1

Adults over 50: the memory trials

As absorption-enhanced curcumin, may modestly support working memory and attention in older adults*7,8,9,10,11

Early evidence

Two trials of one solid lipid curcumin product (400 mg a day, 80 mg of curcumin) in 60 and 80 healthy older adults found better working memory than with placebo, one hour after a single dose and after 4 and 12 weeks. An 18-month trial of another enhanced form (90 mg of curcumin twice a day) in 40 adults aged 51 to 84 found better memory and attention scores. Two other trials found little or no difference: 2,000 mg a day of the solid lipid product for 12 weeks in 39 adults, and 1,500 mg a day of a third formulation for 12 months in 96 older adults. All the trials were small, and authors of one positive trial had received funding from the supplement industry.

Amount studied: 80 to 180 mg of curcumin a day in absorption-enhanced forms, from one dose up to 18 months

These trials enrolled adults aged 50 and over. Their abstracts do not report results for women separately, so the graded claim applies to older adults as a group, and only for the absorption-enhanced forms that were tested.7,8,9

Iron

Women aged 19 to 50 need 18 mg of iron a day, more than twice the 8 mg that men need.4

In 10 healthy young women, 0.5 g of turmeric powder in a rice meal did not change how much iron they absorbed from it.5

That test used 0.5 g of spice in one meal. It does not show what happens with high-dose capsules taken for weeks, and we found no study of that.5

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and the liver

NCCIH says the use of turmeric supplements during pregnancy may be unsafe. Its warning names supplements rather than the spice in food. Ask your doctor or midwife before taking a capsule while pregnant or trying to become pregnant.3

NIH's breastfeeding database says no data exist on whether turmeric passes into breast milk, and a small study found no adverse effects in exposed infants. NCCIH says little is known about amounts greater than those commonly found in food.3,12

In ten US cases, liver injury began 1 to 4 months after starting turmeric. Eight of the ten were women, five needed hospital care and one died of liver failure, and seven carried the gene variant HLA-B*35:01.2

Eight of ten is a small registry series. It cannot show that women are more at risk, because it does not say how many women and men take turmeric. It is still a reason for women, like anyone, to know the warning signs.2

NCCIH advises stopping turmeric or curcumin and talking with a health care provider at any sign of liver damage, such as tiredness, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine or yellowing of the skin or eyes.3

Questions people ask

Is it safe to take turmeric supplements while pregnant?

NCCIH says turmeric supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy, so ask your doctor or midwife before taking one. Its warning names supplements, not turmeric used as a spice in food.3

Is turmeric good for women over 50?

The only benefit we grade for older adults is working memory, from small trials of absorption-enhanced curcumin in adults aged 50 and over. Their abstracts do not report women separately, and NCCIH says the evidence is not enough to call turmeric beneficial for any health purpose.3,7,8

Does curcumin affect iron?

In 10 healthy young women, 0.5 g of turmeric powder in a rice meal did not change how much iron they absorbed from it. Chili in the same meal lowered absorption by 38%. We found no study of curcumin capsules and iron.5

Do women absorb curcumin differently from men?

In one crossover study of 13 women and 10 men, women absorbed curcumin more efficiently than men. It is a small study, and the authors asked for further research.1

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Sources

  1. Schiborr C, Kocher A, Behnam D, et al. The oral bioavailability of curcumin from micronized powder and liquid micelles is significantly increased in healthy humans and differs between sexes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(3):516-527. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver Injury Associated with Turmeric: A Growing Problem. Ten Cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network [DILIN]. Am J Med. 2023;136(2):200-206. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Last updated April 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated August 17, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Tuntipopipat S, Judprasong K, Zeder C, et al. Chili, but not turmeric, inhibits iron absorption in young women from an iron-fortified composite meal. J Nutr. 2006;136(12):2970-2974. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Liu X, Lin L, Hu G. Meta-analysis of the effect of curcumin supplementation on skeletal muscle damage status. PLoS One. 2024;19(7):e0299135. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. Cox KHM, White DJ, Pipingas A, Poorun K, Scholey A. Further Evidence of Benefits to Mood and Working Memory from Lipidated Curcumin in Healthy Older People: A 12-Week, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Partial Replication Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1678. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, et al. Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Cox KH, Pipingas A, Scholey AB. Investigation of the effects of solid lipid curcumin on cognition and mood in a healthy older population. J Psychopharmacol. 2015;29(5):642-651. Opened 2026-10-07.
  10. Santos-Parker JR, Lubieniecki KL, Rossman MJ, et al. Curcumin supplementation and motor-cognitive function in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nutr Healthy Aging. 2018;4(4):323-333. Opened 2026-10-07.
  11. Rainey-Smith SR, Brown BM, Sohrabi HR, et al. Curcumin and cognition: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of community-dwelling older adults. Br J Nutr. 2016;115(12):2106-2113. Opened 2026-10-07.
  12. Turmeric. In: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 2006 onward. Updated July 15, 2025. Summary read through PubMed. Opened 2026-10-07.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.