Written by Marlene Hollick, Ed.D., R.D. Study results showed that post-menopausal women who were administered Korean red ginseng demonstrated increased mtRNA copy numbers, increased total antioxidant status, and decreased reported fatigue symptoms, compared to post-menopausal women who were not administered Korean red ginseng.
Korean red ginseng (KRG) is Korean white ginseng (Panax ginseng) that has been steamed and dried, resulting in an increased the concentration of certain ginsenosides. KRG has drawn increased international attention for its naturally occurring anti-cancer and antioxidant characteristics. Historically used in East Asian countries for medicinal purposes, KRG has been reported to improve fatigue symptoms, memory deficits, and activities of the immune and circulatory systems 1,2.
In this study focusing on post-menopausal women, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number for lymphocytes was evaluated to assess for biological aging. According to the National Genome Human Research Institute, “Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria. The mitochondria are organelles found in cells that are sites of energy production. The mitochondria, and thus mitochondrial DNA, are passed from mother to offspring” 3. Other diagnostic indicators to assess biological aging included total antioxidant status (TAS) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) questionnaire. The purpose of the study, conducted by Chung, T., Kim, J., Seol, S., Kim, Y., and Lee, Y., and published in the November 2021 edition of Nutrients, was to investigate the effects of KRG on biological aging, antioxidant capacity, and clinical fatigue symptoms.
Specific mechanisms for the aging processes in post-menopausal women (as well as other demographic groups) have not been specifically demonstrated although the mechanisms have been theorized and continue to be researched. In one prospective study of over 12,000 Dutch women, a 2% increase in age-adjusted mortality rate was noted if menopause had occurred at least one year prior 4. Additionally, reports from Korea’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey concluded that post-menopausal women were 1.6 times more likely, compared to pre-menopausal women, to demonstrate metabolic syndrome 5. Other studies reviewed the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of aging more directly and noted alterations in mtDNA associations with aging, such as mutations, decreases in mtDNA copy number, and the effects of oxidative stress (from free radicals) on inflammatory processes associated with aging 6,7.
This study’s age range for post-menopausal women fell between 46-69 years. Subject requirements included unrestricted physical movement abilities, non-smoker status, and consumption of fewer than six alcoholic beverages per week. Prospective subjects with uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, a history of liver disease, a history of cardiovascular disease, a history of cancer or cancer treatments, taking other health supplements, or taking female hormones were deemed ineligible for participation in this study.
73 eligible subjects were enrolled for this double-blind, randomized, eight-week clinical trial. 37 were randomly selected to receive the KRG (experimental group), and 36 were randomly selected to receive the placebo (control group). By the conclusion of the study, 33 subjects in the KRG group and 30 subjects in the placebo group had remained.
The KRG group subjects received 2 gm of KRG via tablet daily derived from dehydrated KRG extract. The placebo group subjects received a tablet of cellulose and cornstarch, designed to taste the same as the KRG tablet. The study’s sponsor, The Korean Society of Ginseng in Seoul, Korea, had provided both the KRG and placebo tablets.
To help establish baseline data, all subjects first completed a questionnaire detailing elements of their medical history including lifestyle, health supplements, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. Anthropometric data included body weight, height, and BMI measures. Blood pressure readings were additionally obtained. After eight hours of overnight fasting, leucocyte counts, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, AST, ALT, and gamma-GT were measured.
Assessment of the dependent variables included total antioxidant status, mtDNA copy number, and Fatigue Severity Scale outcomes. Data were analyzed comparing baseline characteristics of both groups using independent t-tests for continuous variables, and chi-squared tests for (nominal) categorical values. To help determine whether metabolic parameters changed due to the intervention, paired t-tests were used, and the mean differences in the changes between the two groups were compared using independent two-sample t-tests. SPSS version 25.0 for Windows was employed to perform the statistical analyses. Any p-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant, and all statistical tests were designed as two-sided.
Results of the study showed three main effects of KRG when the KRG (experimental) group results were compared to the placebo (control) group results. These were:
- A statistically significant increase of the mtDNA copy number among the KRG group.
- A statistically significant increase in the TAS levels among the KRG group.
- A statistically significant decrease in the reported fatigue symptoms among the KRG group.
The conclusion of the study was that the administration of 2 gm/day of KRG for eight weeks to the experimental group, as compared to the placebo group, increased the mtDNA copy number, increased antioxidant activity, and reduced reported fatigue symptoms in selected post-menopausal women.
Limitations of the study identified by the authors include the dosage of 2 gm/day of KRG for eight weeks without studying the impacts of alternate dosages or time lengths, the inability to completely control each individual subject’s lifestyle for the duration of the trial, and the selection of all Korean subjects which reduced generalizability to other populations such as non-Korean women, men, or premenopausal women. Additional limitations include the lack of research subjects over the age of 69 years who otherwise met the study’s criteria. As a note of caution, ginseng remains a powerful herb and is not to be taken for extended periods of time; people with medical conditions including insomnia, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, schizophrenia, and autoimmune disease should consult their medical physician prior to use. However, based on the research findings presented, further study on the role of Red Korean Ginseng on the effects of biological aging appear warranted.
Source: Chung, T., Kim, J., Seol, S., Kim, Y., & Lee, Y. (2021). The Effects of Korean Red Ginseng on Biological Aging and Antioxidant Capacity in Postmenopausal Women: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study. Nutrients (13), 3090. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13093090
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
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Posted January 25, 2022.
Marlene Hollick, Ed.D., M.P.H., M.A., R.D, has decades of hands-on experience and academic expertise across a wide range of health and nutrition disciplines, including home care, hospitals, nursing homes, public schools, and higher education. Dr. Hollick earned her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Health Care Education from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Public Health from New York University, and a Master of Arts in Food and Nutrition, also from NYU. She is a Registered Dietitian, a Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist, and is currently enrolled in the post-graduate Science Writing program at Johns Hopkins University.
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- NIH. Mitochondrial DNA. Accessed January 24, 2022, https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mitochondrial-DNA
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