Insights & Discussion
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, cinnamon reduced insulin resistance and testosterone levels similar to metformin, and ginger decreased follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones.
In the methodology of the study, 100 women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome were divided into four groups. Each group received a different treatment: cinnamon, ginger, metformin, or placebo. The dosage for these treatments was 500 mg, three times a day, administered over a period of 8 weeks. The participants' sex hormones, weight revelations, along with glycemic and lipid markers were monitored before and after this period. Several participants were disqualified because of unspecified factors, resulting in a final sample size of 83.
In terms of results, all groups saw a decrease in weight and body mass index. The metformin and cinnamon groups specifically had notably decreases in their insulin resistance, meaning that these treatments were effective in improving metabolic health. Additionally, the ginger group experienced a reduction in follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels unlike the other groups. Testosterone levels were lowered in the metformin and cinnamon groups, but no significant changes in dehydroepiandrosterone were observed in any of the groups. These results indicate the potential use of cinnamon and ginger as alternative treatments in managing polycystic ovary syndrome.
Discover Related Insights
Pomegranate juice supplementation has been found to effectively decrease testosterone levels in overweight and obese women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.
2023 Phytotherapy Research The effect of concentrated pomegranate juice on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and sex hormones in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial Abedini M, Ramezani‐Jolfaie N, Ghasemi‐Tehrani H, Tarrahi MJ, Amani R
Randomised Controlled Trial PCOS Pomegranate Testosterone
In the methodology, the study employed a randomized controlled trial which involved 44 participants. The women, aged between 18 and 40 years, had all been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and had a body mass index exceeding 25 kg/m. They were randomly divided, with one group consuming 45 ml/day of concentrated pomegranate juice and the other group receiving no intervention. A variety of biomarkers for sex hormones, inflammation, and oxidative stress were measured before starting the trial and again after eight weeks.
Further discussion of the results revealed a significant decrease in testosterone levels among the overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome who took concentrated pomegranate juice over the eight week period, in contrast to those in the control group. Apart from testosterone, no significant changes were observed for luteinizing hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin levels or for markers of inflammation and oxidative stress between the two groups.
Ginger significantly improves sperm health, enhancing quality parameters like count, viability, motility, morphology and DNA integrity, thereby boosting fertility.
2021 Veterinary Medicine and Science A systematic review on the effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) on improvement of biological and fertility indices of sperm in laboratory animals, poultry and humans Gholami‐Ahangaran M, Karimi‐Dehkordi M, Akbari Javar A, Haj Salehi M, Ostadpoor M
Systematic Review Ginger Male Fertility Sperm Quality
The study investigated the impact of ginger on semen quality across different species. It focused on key sperm parameters including count, viability, motility, morphology, and DNA integrity. The research pointed to the antioxidant properties of ginger, attributed to active phenolic compounds, which disrupt the production of free radicals - these are known to cause oxidative stress and negatively impact the quality of sperm. The study also noted ginger's androgenic activity and the associated influence on the levels of gonadotropin and sex hormones, such as testosterone.
In the discussion of results, it was identified that ginger minimizes DNA failures, reduces damage to the mitochondrial genome in sperm cells, and essentially moulds a sperm with apt morphological structure. The sperm, under the influence of ginger, attains progressive motility, high viability, and increased fertility. Overall, the entire fertility indicators of sperm also saw an upswing with the usage of ginger - reinforcing its effectiveness in increasing the total motility, survival rate, the normal morphological structure of sperm, and the number of sperm cells.
Ginger supplementation can prevent ethanol-induced reproductive dysfunction by improving hormone levels, reducing oxidative damage, inflammation, and regulating genes involved in testosterone synthesis.
2021 Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Improves Ethanol-Induced Reproductive Dysfunction by Enhancing Steroidogenesis and Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Li N, Xing Y, Sultan AH, Raeeszadeh M, Akbari A, Liu H
Experimental Study Ginger Inflammation Oxidative Stress
The methodology involved twenty-four adult male rats divided into four groups for a 28-day experiment. The researchers administered either ethanol or ginger extract to respective groups and then measured varying physiological factors related to reproductive health such as testosterone levels, antioxidant enzyme activity, concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and gonadotropins hormones. In addition, gene expressions related to oxidative damage, inflammation, and testosterone synthesis were also examined.
Animating the discussion of results, it was observed that the administration of ethanol significantly decreased levels of hormones, oxidative markers, and lowered gene expression involved in testosterone synthesis. Conversely, ethanol caused an increase in inflammatory markers and the expression of genes related to inflammation. On the other hand, rats given a ginger supplement positively reversed these effects, showing significant improvements in all factors, thus leading to the conclusion that ginger can prevent reproductive issues induced by ethanol. The results obtained from the histological study further confirmed these findings, reaffirming that ginger could effectively counter ethanol-induced reproductive dysfunction.
Cinnamon supplementation may significantly enhance metabolic status in women with polycicstic ovary syndrome, notably improving high-density lipoprotein and insulin sensitivity, and decreasing low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, and blood glucose levels.
2021 Journal of Ovarian Research Mechanistic and therapeutic insight into the effects of cinnamon in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review Maleki V, Faghfouri AH, Tabrizi FPF, Moludi J, Saleh-Ghadimi S, Jafari-Vayghan H, et al.
Systematic Review Blood Sugar Ceylon Cinnamon HDL-C
The systematic review employed a PICO framework where the population was subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the intervention was oral cinnamon supplement, the comparison group was either a control or a placebo group, and the outcome measured were changes in inflammatory, oxidative stress, lipid profile, glycemic, hormonal and anthropometric parameters, and ovarian function. To gather relevant research studies, databases including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched right from their inception until January 2020 using specific, relevant keywords. Out of the initial 266 studies found, only nine met the criteria for evaluation. The types of studies considered for this review included all clinical trials, animal studies, and english-language journal studies.
The results showed a promising improvement in metabolic status in PCOS patients with cinnamon supplementation. This was shown through increased high-density lipoprotein and insulin sensitivity, and a decrease in low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, and blood glucose levels in these patients. However, the impact of cinnamon on body weight and body mass index was inconsistent across the studies. Similarly, while the studies showed improved results regarding the effects of cinnamon on oxidative stress and ovarian function, the specific mechanisms behind these effects still need to be fully elucidated. Future studies should focus on observing clinical changes after cinnamon supplementation in PCOS through clinical trials with higher doses of cinnamon and a longer duration of intervention.
For primary dysmenorrhoea, cinnamon/fennel/ginger effectively reduced pain intensity, and cinnamon shortened the duration of pain.
2020 Journal of International Medical Research Efficacy of herbal medicine (cinnamon/fennel/ginger) for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Xu Y, Yang Q, Wang X
Systematic Review Ceylon Cinnamon Fennel Seed Ginger
Nine studies with 647 patients were selected. Compared with the results in the control group, pain intensity was significantly relieved in the trial group when assessed by the intervention, observation period, and study quality. Pain duration was significantly shorter in the trial group. No publication bias was observed for either outcome.
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