U of A endocrinologist earns honors for turmeric research
Paper summarizing years of research on the botanical’s health effects on muscle and bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis, postmenopausal osteoarthritis and breast cancer is recognized by journal Metabolites.
A paper in the April issue of the journal Metabolites that was based on studies by Janet L. Funk, MD, a professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, and her research team was chosen last month for Editor’s Choice honors.
![[Woman with red hair facing right and wearing a physician's white coat]](/sites/default/files/styles/az_natural/public/2025-10/Funk-Janet-MD_100x150px.jpg.webp?itok=Tgn-X6cJ)
Janet L. Funk, MD
Dr. Funk said she was surprised and pleased by the article being picked for the recognition.
“I’m guessing, because turmeric is such a popular supplement, and most people take supplements for musculoskeletal health, the journal thought, by highlighting it, it would be something that would be of interest to a large number of people, too,” she said.
The paper summarizes decades of National Institutes of Health-funded work on turmeric and its bioactive components, a group of polyphenols that includes curcumin, comparing the effects of different compounds found in turmeric roots across multiple bone-related diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, postmenopausal osteoporosis and breast cancer.