Researchers have confirmed that a cupboard staple could be an effective natural remedy for treating diabetes without the need for insulin jabs in a promising new study.
Ginger—also known as zingiber officinale—has been used for decades to treat everything from morning sickness to arthritis thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
But now researchers say ginger supplements could help manage type two diabetes, significantly lowering blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.
Often referred to as the ‘silent killer’, diabetes is becoming a growing problem across the UK, with 3.6million people estimated to be living with type two diabetes in England alone.
Type two diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin, or the insulin it does make doesn’t work properly.
This causes an increase in blood sugar levels, which left untreated can be life-threatening.
Unhealthy lifestyle factors can increase the risk of developing the condition, with rising obesity levels thought to be behind the sharp increase in cases.
In the current study, US researchers reviewed five meta analyses of previous studies to examine whether ginger can effectively treat inflammation, oxidative stress—a precursor for a number of serious diseases including cancer—morning sickness and type two diabetes.
Type two diabetes occurs when a hormone called insulin does not work properly or there is not enough of it
Scientists now say ginger could be an effective natural therapy to help manage the condition, helping keep blood sugar levels steady
Researchers found that ginger had functional benefits across all four areas, leading to significant reductions in key inflammatory markers and reduced nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.
But most intriguingly, they also found ginger to have a powerful effect on glycemic control, meaning patients could better tolerate carbohydrates which are known to increase blood sugar levels.
Researchers also found that ginger increases GLUT-4 protein levels in the body, helping muscles and fat cells absorb glucose from the blood to keep blood sugar levels steady.
Finally, they concluded that the lowering of a long-term blood sugar marker—called HbA1c shows that ginger could have lasting effects, making it an effective natural therapy for diabetes sufferers.
Notably, the typical dose of ginger used in these studies ranged from around one to three grams per day, which researchers said could have interfered with the results, making it difficult to ascertain exactly how much ginger a patient would need to manage symptoms.
They are now looking to conduct more large-scale trials to define optimal dosing and the best way to incorporate the powerful active ingredient into a patient’s diet.
The findings come following alarming new research which found that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before the age of 40 have a death rate four times higher than the general UK population.
People diagnosed before the age of 40 also had a higher rate of diabetes-related complications, particularly microvascular disease such as eye damage and kidney failure.
Researchers from the University of Oxford found that people diagnosed with the condition before the age of 40 have a death rate four times higher than the general population
And a lower age of diagnosis was also associated with persistently poorer blood sugar control.
Professor Amanda Adler, co-author of the study, said: ‘Over the past 30 years, the number of young adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has increased markedly worldwide.
‘Evidence to date suggests that younger-onset type 2 diabetes, characterised by earlier and longer exposure to high levels of blood glucose, may be more aggressive than later onset disease.’
This might include faster deterioration in beta-cell function – the cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin – and a greater risk of complications such as cardiovascular and kidney disease.
Lead author Dr Beryl Lin said: ‘Our data supports the need to proactively identify young adults with type 2 diabetes and provide high-quality care over their lifetimes.
‘We urgently need clinical trials focused on young people to develop tailored treatments which prevent or delay complications, like kidney and heart disease, and crucially, reduce the risk of premature death.’
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