The superiority of bioavailability-enhanced turmeric (BE) formulations over conventional curcuminoid (CT) preparations for knee osteoarthritis pain relief is unproven; the apparent higher ranking of BE in network meta-analyses is influenced by indirect comparisons and differences in baseline pain intensity, and does not establish true differences in efficacy.

Turmeric contains curcuminoids that stop the knee joint from making chemicals that cause pain and swelling. They also boost the joint's own antioxidant defenses. Both regular and special turmeric do this. Because the regular version already gives enough curcuminoids to start this process, taking a special version that is absorbed by the body a little differently does not make the pain go away more. The joint gets the same amount of benefit.