Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Diabetic patients supplemented with 3g of ginger daily experienced a 21% decrease in fasting blood sugar and a 6.6% increase in insulin sensitivity.
By the year 2030, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase from 366 million people in 2011 to 552 million people, an increase of 51%, and 90% of which will be type 2 diabetes (1). The latest statistics show 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, incurring a $174 billion annual cost to our healthcare system (2).
According the Centers for Disease Control, foods to be consumed as a way to help maintain healthy blood control include foods made with whole grains like breakfast cereals, oatmeal, whole grain rice, whole-wheat bread as well as dark green/orange vegetables, and beans and peas (3). Now a new study (4) suggests that ginger powder may be another way to help maintain blood sugar health.
The study involved 81 patients between the ages of 42 and 56 and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They were given either three 1-gram capsules of ginger powder (40 patients) or placebo (41 patients) per day for 8 weeks. Before and after the study, they provided blood samples which were measured for several aspects of blood sugar control.
At the end of 8 weeks, those in the ginger group saw a 21% decrease in fasting blood sugar (171.3 to 153.12 mg/dL, p = 0.003) compared to a 10.5% increase in the placebo group (136.17 to 153.73 mg/dL p = 0.01). Those in the ginger group also saw a 6.1% decrease in a protein called HbA1c, a marker of Type 2 diabetes (8.2 to 7.7%, p = 0.02) compared to an 18.8% increase in the placebo group (6.9 to 8.2%, p < 0.005).
Finally, the researchers looked at a marker of insulin resistance, called the QUICKI Index (5), and found that those in the ginger group saw a 6.6% increase in the QUICKI Index (indicating an increase in insulin sensitivity = 0.316 to 0.337, p < 0.005) compared to a 2.7% increase in the placebo group (0.324 to 0.333, p = 0.014).
For the researchers, “This study demonstrated that daily consumption of 3 grams of ginger in capsules for 8 weeks by patients with type 2 diabetes leads to [improved blood sugar control]. Therefore, consumption of this supplement is appropriate for patients [with type 2 diabetes].”
Source: Mozaffari-Khosravi, Hassan, et al. “The effect of ginger powder supplementation on insulin resistance and glycemic indices in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” Complementary therapies in medicine 22.1 (2014): 9-16.
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Posted April 7, 2014.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- Whiting DR, Guariguata L, Weil C, Shaw J. IDF diabetes atlas: global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2011 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2011;94:311–21.
- “2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet” posted on the CDC website
- “Eat Right” posted on the CDC Website
- Mozaffari-Khosravi H. The effect of ginger powder supplementation on insulin resistance and glycemic indices in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Complement Ther Med 2014 Feb;22(1):9-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.017. Epub 2014 Jan 8
- Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Hosseinzadeh-Shamsi-Anar M, Salami MA, Hadinedoushan H, Mozayan MR. Effects of a single postpartum injection of a high dose of vitamin D on glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in mothers with first-time gestational diabetes mellitus. Diab Med 2012;29(January (1)): 36—42.
