Curcumin and Exercise in Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory state, and this is thought to contribute to a decrease in vascular function leading to greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Curcumin supplementation has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and improve endothelial function at rest in healthy older humans, although the magnitude of this effect remains unknown during exercise in CKD. The primary aim of this proposal is to determine whether exercising blood flow and vasoconstrictor responsiveness are improved as a result of acute oral supplementation with curcumin in patients with CKD. We hypothesize that: 1) acute curcumin supplementation will increase steady state exercise blood flow, and 2) reduce vasoconstriction induced by an acute sympathetic stimulus (cold pressor test) CKD.