| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermogenesis and Body Composition In vitro studies show piperine activates TRPV1 receptors and stimulates UCP1 expression via AMPK signaling in muscle cells. In mice, 0.05% piperine diet significantly decreased body weight and visceral fat over 4 weeks. However, the sole human RCT testing black pepper on 24-hour energy expenditure in overweight women found no significant thermogenic effect, suggesting preclinical results may not translate to humans. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured thermogenesis and body composition
| ||||||
Supplement
Piperine is the pungent compound in black pepper, thought to slow how fast the body clears some substances so more reaches the blood. People mostly look at it to boost curcumin absorption, and the evidence is moderate: curcumin levels rose sharply in a small study of healthy volunteers, and turmeric with piperine outperformed turmeric alone in dialysis patients. Most findings come from curcumin combinations, so they say little about piperine alone.
Sources: PMID 36370961
- Updated
- How we grade
- 12 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 4
- Outcomes
- 9
- Graded outcomes
- 0162
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curcumin Bioavailability Enhancement A landmark pharmacokinetic study in 8 healthy volunteers found 20 mg piperine co-administered with 2 g curcumin increased curcumin bioavailability by 2000% (Shoba et al. 1998). Multiple subsequent RCTs (n=50-117 each) have leveraged this combination, consistently demonstrating that piperine-enhanced curcumin produces significant clinical effects on inflammatory, metabolic, and oxidative biomarkers that curcumin alone does not reliably achieve. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Large effect | 2 studies | 450 people | ||
Studies that measured curcumin bioavailability enhancement | ||||||
| Anti-inflammatory Activity Multiple RCTs using curcuminoid-piperine combinations (n=100-117) demonstrated significant reductions in CRP and hs-CRP in metabolic syndrome and stroke rehabilitation patients. Piperine enhanced curcumin's anti-inflammatory potency vs. curcumin alone in hemodialysis patients (n=49). Preclinical studies show piperine independently inhibits IL-6, PGE2, and MMP13 in human synoviocytes and rat arthritis models. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 280 people | ||
Studies that measured anti-inflammatory activity
| ||||||
| Blood Glucose Regulation An RCT of standalone piperine in NAFLD patients (n=68) found significant reductions in fasting glucose and insulin resistance (HOMA). Two RCTs of curcumin + piperine in type 2 diabetes (n=100 and n=71) showed significant decreases in glycemia, HbA1c, and HOMA index vs. placebo over 3-4 months. | Changes; see studies | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 239 people | ||
Studies that measured blood glucose regulation
| ||||||
| CoQ10 Absorption A double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacokinetic study found that 5 mg piperine (BioPerine) co-administered with 120 mg CoQ10 for 21 days produced a ~30% increase in plasma CoQ10 AUC compared to placebo (p=0.035). Single- and 14-day protocols showed similar trends. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 2 studies | 24 people | ||
| Liver Enzyme Levels An RCT of standalone piperine (5 mg/day) in NAFLD patients with early cirrhosis (n=68) found significant decreases in hepatic enzymes, fasting glucose, and improved dyslipidemia vs. placebo over 12 weeks. A separate RCT of curcuminoids + piperine in type 2 diabetes (n=100) also showed improvements in hepatic biomarkers. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 2 studies | 168 people | ||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipid Profile An RCT in metabolic syndrome (n=100) found curcuminoids + 10 mg piperine significantly reduced LDL-C, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and Lp(a), while raising HDL-C. A standalone piperine RCT in NAFLD (n=68) similarly showed significant lipid improvements. Additional RCTs in type 2 diabetes (n=100, n=71) showed triglyceride reductions with curcumin-piperine combinations. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 339 people | ||
Studies that measured lipid profile
| ||||||
Antioxidant Status
- Antioxidant Status: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant Status An RCT in metabolic syndrome patients (n~100) found curcuminoids plus 10 mg piperine significantly increased SOD activity and decreased MDA vs. placebo over 8 weeks. A separate RCT in hemodialysis patients (n=49) showed turmeric + piperine was superior to turmeric alone in reducing oxidative stress markers. An RCT in stroke patients (n=56) showed significant increases in total antioxidant capacity. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 3 studies | 210 people | ||
Studies that measured antioxidant status
| ||||||
Body Composition
- Thermogenesis and Body Composition: improves
Arthritis (Multiple Kinds)
- Anti-arthritic Effects: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-arthritic Effects In vitro studies using IL-1beta-stimulated human fibroblast-like synoviocytes showed piperine dose-dependently inhibited PGE2 production, IL-6, and MMP13 expression, and blocked AP-1 nuclear migration. In a rat adjuvant arthritis model, piperine significantly reduced nociceptive behavior and inflammatory ankle joint pathology. No human clinical trials have been conducted. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 3 studies | |||
Studies that measured anti-arthritic effects
| ||||||
Key findings
- Curcumin Bioavailability EnhancementImproves (the measure goes up)
- Anti-inflammatory ActivityImproves (the measure goes down)
- Lipid ProfileImproves (the measure goes down)
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested Piperine products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
Links to Fullscript, iHerb or Thorne carry our referral, so we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Grades come from the research and never change based on what we earn. Fullscript asks for a free account before it shows its catalog and prices. Full disclosure
Studies cited
12 studies from PubMed
- The impact of piperine on the metabolic conditions of patients with NAFLD and early cirrhosis: a randomized double-blind controlled trial
- The effects of curcumin-piperine supplementation on inflammatory, oxidative stress and metabolic indices in patients with ischemic stroke in the rehabilitation phase: a randomized controlled trial
- Turmeric supplementation with piperine is more effective than turmeric alone in attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation in hemodialysis patients: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial
- Effectiveness of the piperine-supplemented Curcuma longa L. in metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial
- Piperine regulates UCP1 through the AMPK pathway by generating intracellular lactate production in muscle cells
- Effects of resveratrol alone or in combination with piperine on cerebral blood flow parameters and cognitive performance in human subjects: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over investigation
- Piperine reverses high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice
- Effect of piperine in the regulation of obesity-induced dyslipidemia in high-fat diet rats
- Adiposity suppression effect in mice due to black pepper and its main pungent component, piperine
- Anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects of piperine in human interleukin 1beta-stimulated fibroblast-like synoviocytes and in rat arthritis models
- Effects of piperine, the pungent component of black pepper, at the human vanilloid receptor (TRPV1)
- Piperine derived from black pepper increases the plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 following oral supplementation