Effects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Components of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objective This article aims to assess the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and/or components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods Electronic literature was searched in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database from inception of the database to May 19, 2017, and supplemented by browsing reference lists of potentially eligible articles. Randomized controlled trials on research subjects were included. Data were extracted as a mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analysis of fasting blood glucose (FBG) was performed. Results 10 studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 490 individuals. Ginger showed a significant beneficial effect in glucose control and insulin sensitivity. The pooled weighted MD of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was −1.00, (95% CI: −1.56, −0.44; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that ginger obviously reduced FBG in T2DM patients (−21.24; 95% CI: −33.21, −9.26; P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the significant effects of improvement of lipid profile were observed. Most analyses were not statistically heterogeneous. Conclusion Based on the negligible side effects and obvious ameliorative effects on glucose control, insulin sensitivity, and lipid profile, ginger may be a promising adjuvant therapy for T2DM and MetS.

Zingiber officinale preserves testicular structure and the expression of androgen receptors and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in diabetic rats

“…The regulatory impact of ginger on the glucose level has been demonstrated in the short and long term. A meta‐analysis performed by Zhu et al () showed that ginger significantly decreases fructose bisphosphatase and HbA1c, which indicates the long‐term effect of ginger on lowering blood sugar levels.…”

Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials

“…In particular, Chen et al conducted an SR-MA of oral ginger intake and found that ginger could effectively control menstrual pain in dysmenorrhea [11]. Another SR-MA study revealed that ginger improved lipid profiles and benefited the glucose control, insulin sensitivity, and glycosylated hemoglobin of type 2 diabetes mellitus [12]. In addition, ginger's potency has been regularly proposed in arthritis, gastric dysfunction, and cancers [6,13,14].…”

Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on semen quality

“…Generally, ginger roots (rhizomes) are widely used as a food spice (Eliopoulos, ). In addition, it is commonly used in traditional medicine because of its inherited and evidence‐based health benefits in wide‐range of diseased conditions/disorders such as cancers (Chen et al, ; Saha et al, ; Salafzoon, Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini, & Halabian, ), diabetes (Al Hroob, Abukhalil, Alghonmeen, & Mahmoud, ; Zhu, Chen, Song, Wang, & Sun, ), cardiovascular disease (Liu et al, ; Nicoll & Henein, ), male infertility (Banihani, ; Hosseini et al, ), ulcer (Liu et al, ; Wang et al, ), depression (Kukula‐Koch et al, ), rheumatoid arthritis (Funk, Frye, Oyarzo, & Timmermann, ), Alzheimer (Cuya, Baptista, Franca, & T., ) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Sahebkar, ). In actual fact, the impact of ginger on human health is attributable to its potent bioactive properties such as antioxidant (Danwilai, Konmun, Sripanidkulchai, & Subongkot, ; Masuda, Kikuzaki, Hisamoto, & Nakatani, ), anti‐inflammatory (Jeena, Liju, & Kuttan, ), immuno‐modulatory (Ali, Blunden, Tanira, & Nemmar, ), antimicrobial (Park, Bae, & Lee, ) and anti‐tumorigenic properties (Ali et al, ).…”