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.
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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 Oxidative Stress Testosterone
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.
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.
Our study found ginger is a promising herbal medicine for health care, which is beneficial for nausea and vomiting, metabolic syndrome and pain.
2019 Complementary Therapies in Medicine Ginger for health care: An overview of systematic reviews Li H, Liu Y, Luo D, Ma Y, Zhang J, Li M, et al.
Systematic Review Ginger
In our overview, most of systematic reviews suggest ginger is a promising herbal medicine for health care, which is beneficial for nausea and vomiting, metabolic syndrome and pain. However, considering the limited quality of included evidence and heterogeneity of different clinical trials, more well-design studies are required to confirm the conclusion further.
Synbiotic pomegranate juice (containing inulin and lactobacillus) can improve insulin resistance, reduce testosterone level, and aid weight loss in women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
2019 Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases Effect of synbiotic pomegranate juice on glycemic, sex hormone profile and anthropometric indices in PCOS: A randomized, triple blind, controlled trial Esmaeilinezhad Z, Babajafari S, Sohrabi Z, Eskandari MH, Amooee S, Barati-Boldaji R
Randomised Controlled Trial Insulin Resistance Obesity PCOS
In this randomized, controlled, triple-blind, parallel trial study, patients diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (92 in total) were grouped into four groups of 23. The three treatment groups received 2 litres of synbiotic pomegranate juice (SPJ), pomegranate juice (PJ), and a synbiotic beverage (SB) on a weekly basis. The control group was given a placebo beverage weekly. The primary focus of this trial was to observe any changes in insulin resistance, with secondary outcomes including fasting blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, body mass index, and waist and hip circumference comparisons, from baseline to the end of the trial.
After finishing the trial, analyses of the remaining 86 patients indicated noticeable improvement in insulin resistance, mainly in the SPJ and SB groups. The same groups also showed a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and an overall decrease in insulin. The SPJ and SB groups also saw significant reductions in body mass index, weight, and waist circumference. Lastly, there was a noteworthy decrease in testosterone levels within the SPJ and SB groups. However, no significant changes were found in fasting plasma glucose, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone in any of the groups.
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