Health Benefits of Ginger and Its Nutrition

Ginger root is originated in the Southeastern region of Asia and comes as one of the most nutritious spices present on the planet. The family of the ginger root is the Zingiberaceae family, which is related to galangal, cardamom, and turmeric. The ginger root comes with a rhizome, which is the most used part of this spice. Ginger might be utilized as whole ginger, powdered, dried, or a juice and oil. It is a highly common ingredient that is utilized in different recipes. It is often added to processed foods to increase their taste.

Nutritional Facts of Ginger Root

Ginger root in the raw form comes with 1.6 calories for every 2 grams of serving. Every serving of ginger contains no fat and protein. However, it has a minimal amount of carbs, equaling to 0.4 grams, which is equal to a complex carb amount. Ginger root doesn’t contain any cholesterol as well.

It contains 0.1 mg vitamin C and IU vitamin A in minimal amount, 0.01 mg iron, 0.32 milligrams of calcium. Also, it has potassium of amount 8.3 mg. Ginger root comes under the vegetable category. In 100 grams of ginger root, there are 79 calories present with 17.86 grams of carbs, 3.6 grams of fiber, 3.57 grams of protein, 33 milligrams of potassium, and 7.7 milligrams of vitamin C.

Some other vitamins and minerals present in ginger root include vitamin B6, niacin, folate, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron.

Health Benefits of Ginger Root

Some of the health benefits of ginger root backed by science include the following:

1) It Contains Gingerol

Ginger comes with an active compound called gingerol, which comes with a lot of medicinal properties. It has a long history of being used as alternative and traditional medicine. Ginger root is utilized to help with digestion, alleviate nausea, and fight against the common cold and flu, which comes as one of the main purposes of gingerol.

What’s more, the overall flavor and fragrance of the root come from all the natural oils. The main bioactive substance present in ginger comes with a lot of medicinal properties, as stated. Gingerol comes with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory characteristics backed by science. For example, the ginger root might help alleviate the body’s oxidative stress that is a consequence of having extra free radicals present in the body.

2) Helps with Nausea

Ginger is famously known to beat nausea, morning sickness, and vomiting. Scientifically, it is known to alleviate nausea. It might aid in relieving nausea as well as vomiting for individuals who undergo different surgery types. Ginger might also aid in providing relief against nausea induced by chemotherapy. However, there is a need for more extensive research as well.

However, it might be regarded as among the most effective as it helps to prevent and treat nausea, for example, morning sickness. A studies review that contained about 1,300 gestating women, from 1.1 to 1.5 grams of ginger, might reduce the overall nausea symptoms. However, the review concluded that it had no influence on the different episodes of vomiting. Although ginger is usually safe to consider, you need to consult with your physician prior to taking a big amount if you are expecting a child.

It is suggested that women who are pregnant or who are in labor don’t take ginger in large amounts. There is a contraindication with ginger in pregnant women leading to clotting disorders and vaginal bleeding.

3) Might Aid Weight Loss

Ginger might have a role in the weight-loss ability, according to different studies that are conducted in animals and human subjects. A review conducted in 2019 showed that supplementation with ginger alleviated body weight, the hip ration, and waist-hip ratio in individuals with obesity and overweight.

A study conducted in 2016 showed that ginger might also help in reducing body mass index as well as insulin levels in the blood. What’s more, the high insulin levels in the blood are linked with obesity. The participants in the study received high daily doses of 2 grams of the powder for three months. A review showed that ginger as a functional food came with a positive influence on weight loss and obesity. However, there is a need for more extensive research.

The evidence behind the role of ginger root in preventing obesity is much stronger in animal research. Mice and rats who took ginger extract and ginger water may see an alleviation in their weight, even in examples in which they had also been fed diets high in fat.

The ability of the ginger root to affect weight loss might be related to different body mechanisms, such as the ability of the root to increase the total calories consumed or alleviate inflammation.

4) Might Aid in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is another usual health issue. It includes the overall degeneration of the body joints, leading to different symptoms, including stiffness and joint pain. Review literature suggested that individuals treat their osteoarthritis significant alleviations in disability and pain. Only mild effects such as disruption of the taste were observed. On the contrary, stomach upset also prompted about 22 percent of the different participants of the study to drop out.

The different participants of the study received from 0.5 mg and 1 g of ginger every day between 3 to 12 weeks. Most of the people were diagnosed with the condition. Another research published in 2011 found that the combo of mastic, cinnamon, ginger, and sesame oil might also help in the reduction of stiffness and pain in individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee.

5) Might Decrease the Blood Glucose Levels and Heart Disease Causes

Although this is a relatively new area of research, ginger shows a powerfully positive impact on diabetes. A study published in 2015 with 41 patients with diabetes showed that consumption of 2g ginger powder every day decreased blood glucose levels by 12 percent.

Ginger root also had a significant impact on the hemoglobin A1c of the patients, which is a marker for blood glucose levels in the long term. It was shown that HbA1c was alleviated to 10 percent over a time of three months.

What’s more, Apolipoprotein B and Apolipoprotein A Iration dropped down to a reduction of 28 percent. Also, there was a reduction of 23 percent in malondialdehyde, which comes as a result of oxidative stress. A high ratio of B/A I apolipoprotein and MDA are indicators of heart disease.

However, it is important to note that it was a pilot study, and although the results are pretty much positive, there is a need for further research before extracting a common result out of the hypothesis.

In some encouraging news, a review published in 2019 also showed that ginger root reduced HbA1c in patients having type 2 diabetes. On the contrary, it was found that ginger root came with no effect on the fasting blood glucose levels.

6) Can Help in the Treatment of Chronic Indigestion

Chronic indigestion is related to recurrent stomach discomfort and pain in the upper region of the stomach. Scientists believe that the delay in the emptying of the stomach serves as a major cause behind indigestion. What’s more, it is shown that ginger is involved in speeding up the emptying process of the stomach.

People having functional dyspepsia that is indicated as indigestion without having a cause known were induced with placebo as well as ginger capsules in a study conducted in 2011. An hour later, the participants were given soup. The total emptying stomach time it took to people 12.3 minutes who consumed ginger. On the contrary, the stomach emptying time for the people on placebo was 16.1 minutes.

These significant effects are also shown in individuals without having indigestion. In a study published in 2008 by some people of the same team of researchers, 24 individuals in the control group were provided with ginger capsules. They were provided with the soup 60 minutes later. The consumption of ginger in comparison to ginger significantly drove the emptying time of the stomach. The people who received ginger in the study had a stomach emptying time of 13.1 minutes, and the people with the placebo had a stomach emptying time of 26.7 minutes.

7) Might Reduce Menstrual Pain

Period problems also include dysmenorrhea, which is characterized as the pain felt by women undergoing their menstrual cycle. Conventional use of ginger is for the relief against the pain that includes menstrual pain. A study published in 2009 showed that the effect of ginger against NSAIDs significantly reduced menstrual pain in the subjects. However, there is a need for more extensive research against the use of ginger and other pharmaceutical drugs.

Final Word

We can conclude that ginger root comes with a myriad of health benefits. Some of the health benefits include an alleviation in the blood cholesterol as well as the pain reduction in women having menstrual problems. However, pregnant women should always consult with their doctors before consuming any herbal supplements such as ginger extract.