Report Title

Effects of Ginger Supplementation on Inflammation in Individuals

Collective Title

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics Research Reports 2018

Abstract

Background. Ginger is a widely used ingredient in Southeast Asian countries and has gained increasing popularity in the Western diet due to its purported health benefits. Ginger has high antioxidant power because of its rich phytochemistry profile that contributes to its anti- inflammatory properties. While there have been animal studies, the research of ginger’s effects in humans is limited.

Objective. We sought to understand ginger’s effects on commonly assayed inflammatory biomarkers—C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF- α)—in individuals with varying levels of physical activity. We propose that ginger may lower levels of these biomarkers due to its inherent anti-inflammatory characteristics.

Design. We designed an eight-week cohort study. Blood draw measurements were taken at three timepoints: the start of study, at week four, and upon completion of study.

Participants/setting. The study was conducted at Loma Linda University, where we enrolled twelve participants with a mean age of 42.4 ± 11.4 years who exercised at least once/week, did not take any anti-inflammatory medications, and who were free of any chronic inflammatory conditions.

Intervention. Participants were instructed to take three grams of ginger supplement mixed with lemonade powder to improve palatability daily. Participants also completed a pre- and post- intervention Short Form Health questionnaire (SF-36) to evaluate quality of life.

Main outcome measures. Inflammation was measured using three blood biomarkers: CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6. Quality of life was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire.

Statistical analyses performed. The three inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed using the Friedman non-parametric test and the Wilcoxon test where appropriate. The SF-36 questionnaire was analyzed using a paired t-test.

Results. Results of our study indicated a statistically significant reduction in TNF- α (p = .04) and a clinically significant reduction of greater than 15% in IL-6. There was a significant improvement in the domain of emotional well-being on the SF-36 after the ginger supplementation (p = .05).

Conclusions. Ginger may potentially be used as an adjuvant intervention in the prevention and management of chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.

LLU Discipline

Nutrition and Dietetics

Department

Nutrition and Dietetics

School

School of Allied Health Professions

First Advisor

Bains, Gurinder

Second Advisor

Bruhjell, Kristin

Third Advisor

Zimmerman, Grenith

Fourth Advisor

Carter, James, III

Fifth Advisor

Noval, JeJe

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

2018

Date (Title Page)

2018

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Ginger; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Biomarkers

Keywords

Ginger; Inflammatory Biomarkers

Type

Research Report

Page Count

28

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Research Reports

Collection Website

scholarsrepository.llu.edu/rr/

Repository

Loma Linda University. University Libraries.

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