Ginger roots is now a diminish marker for colon inflammation
That is the lead author Suzanna M. Zick, a naturopathic physician and research associate professor at University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor conduct the study published online Tuesday in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
The research involved 30 people who are randomly assigned to take pills containing 2 grams of ground ginger root extract or a “dummy” placebo pill each day for 28 days. They measured the level of inflammation in the participants’ intestines before and after the test period.
The amount of ginger in the pills is equivalent to 20 grams of raw ginger root, the authors said. That is probably well beyond what most people would eat in their regular diet, Zick noted. As for cost, she said that a month’s supply of similar ginger supplements typically runs about $10 to $30.
The researchers found that the level of inflammation in the subjects who took the ginger pills fell by an average of 28 percent, while staying about the same in those who took the placebo.
The study subjects underwent sigmoidoscopies at the beginning and the end of the study. Researchers examined colon inflammation levels and found that those taking the supplements had a drop in colon inflammation markers as well as a tendency toward substantial decreases in other markers.
The supplements seemed to pose no health risks, and the study subjects were for the most part compliant in taking their tablets. However, the authors noted that many more of the people in the supplement group (86%) were able to correctly guess what they were taking versus the placebo group (44%). Evidently the taste gave it away.
More research is needed, the authors said, to see if taking ginger root supplements have any effect on colon cancer risk. Accordingto some last researches findings, Gingerols inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori associated with dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease and the development of gastric and colon cancer.
“Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective way,” said Zick in a news release.
The study, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, was published online Oct. 11 in Cancer Prevention Research.