Influence of Red Pepper Spice and Turmeric on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Overweight Females: A Metabolomics Approach

Red pepper spice (RP) and turmeric (TM) are used as flavorings in foods and for medicinalpurposes. Utilizing a randomized, doubled-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design (2-week washout), 4-week supplementation with RP (1 g/d) or TM (2.8 g/d) was tested forinfluences on inflammation and oxidative stress in 62 overweight/obese (body mass index=27kg/m2) females (40–75 years) with systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP=2mg/l).Overnight, fasted blood samples were collected pre- and post-supplementation, and analyzed for oxidative stress (F2-iso-prostanes, oxidized low density lipoprotein), inflammation (CRP and seven inflammatory cytokines), and metabolic pro-files using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with mul-tivariate partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Pre- to post-supplementation measures of inflammation and oxidative stress for both RP and TM did not differ when compared to placebo (all interaction effects, P>0.05), and global metabolic difference scores calculated through PLS-DAwere non-significant (both spices, Q2Y<0.40). These data indicate that 4-week supplementation with RP or TM at culinary levels does notalter oxidative stress or inflammation in overweight/obese females with systemic inflammation,or cause a significant shift in the global metabolic profile