Kartika Ratna Pertiwi, Rachmah Laksmi Ambardini, Nurhasan, Taufiq Hidayah, Novita Intan Arovah, B.M. Wara Kushartanti
Background Systemic inflammation contributes to significant disease and metabolic progression in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Complementary therapies such as massage and curcumin demonstrate anti-inflammatory and metabolic modulatory properties; however, their effectiveness, alone or in combination, remains underexplored. This pilot intervention study investigated the effects of massage therapy, curcumin supplementation, and their combination, on glycemic and inflammatory parameters in T2DM. Methods Thirty-seven T2DM participants were allocated into massage, curcumin, combination, and control groups. Treatment groups received either massage once a week, curcumin twice a day, or combination of both for 4 weeks. Fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels were measured pre and post intervention. Statistical analysis was conducted with repeated-measures ANOVA followed by Bonferroni's multiple comparisons. Results Plasma glucose levels demonstrated a significant main effect of time, but not of group or of interaction, with only treatment groups improved significant glycemic status. The levels of HbA1c and IL-1β l showed significant main effects of group, but not of time or of interaction, indicating the intervention resulted in significant stable differences between groups across time. Furthermore, while only massage therapy had significant lower HbA1c than control, the IL-1β of all treatments (massage, curcumin, and combination) was significantly lower than control group after intervention. Conclusion Massage therapy demonstrates beneficial effects on improving glycemic parameters and inflammatory marker, highlighting its potency as a complementary therapy in T2DM care. While curcumin supplementation also shows comparable effects, their combination does not exhibit additional synergistic effects, underlining the warrants for further investigation. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.
Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Colombo Street No.1, Karangmalang, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Province, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Colombo Street No.1, Karangmalang, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Province, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Lidah Wetan, Lakarsantri, East Java, Surabaya, 60213, Indonesia; Department of Sport Education, Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Sekaran, Gunung Pati, Central Java, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Colombo Street No.1, Karangmalang, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Province, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Colombo Street No.1, Karangmalang, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Province, 55281, Indonesia
