Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the risk associated with the consumption of food supplements that contain curcumin as an ingredient

* This record is given in both English and Spanish. The root of the Curcuma longa L. botanical species contains certain active components called cur­cuminoids, with diarylheptanoid structures and consisting of curcumin and analogous compounds, mainly desmethoxycurcumin and bisdesmethoxycurcumin. Curcumin is a food colour approved for use within the European Union with the code E 100. It provides yellow colouring and is suitable for use in a large variety of products. In addition to its use as additive in many foods, or its presence in dishes such as curry, currently turmeric, curcuminoids and curcumin are also used as ingredients in many food supplements sold within the European Union. In its re-evaluation of curcumin as a food additive (E 100), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set an admissible daily intake (ADI) of 210 mg/day in adults with a body weight of 70 kg. Having performed the risk assessment of the consumption of food supplements that contain cur­cumin as an ingredient, the AESAN Scientific Committee considers that the ADI established for curcumin as an additive is applicable to curcumin as an ingredient in a food supplement, but not to the sum of all curcuminoids, even though curcumin is the main component. Additionally, it notes that there is no available information on the lack of side effects in children under the age of 18, therefore it would not be desirable to provide food supplements containing curcumin to children under this age. Similarly, the safety of curcumin as an ingredient in food supplements for pregnant and lactating women has not been established. For this reason, it is not recommended as an ingredient in food supplements for pregnant and lactating women, as curcumin and its metabolites are transferred to infants by their mothers’ milk. It is also recommended that food supplement labels state the amount of curcumin present in their ingredients.ES; PDF; pfefsa@aesan.gob.e