Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) supplementation on oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mojgan Morvaridzadeh; Ehsan Sadeghi; Shahram Agah; Siavash Fazelian; Mehran Rahimlou; Ferdinand Georg Kern; Shilan Heshmati; Amirhosein Omidi; Emma Persad; Javad Heshmati

doi:10.1111/jfbc.13612

Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) supplementation on oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis

J Food Biochem. 2021 Feb;45(2):e13612. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13612. Epub 2021 Jan 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutritional Science, School of Nutritional Science and Food Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
² Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Research Institute for Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
³ Colorectal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Clinical Development and Researches Unit, Kashani Hospital, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
⁵ Nutrition Department, Faculty of Paramedicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁶ Independent researcher and language editor, Berlin, Germany.
⁷ Department for Evidence-based Medicine and Evaluation, Danube University Krems, Krems, Austria.

PMID: 33458848
DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13612

Abstract

A wide variety of antioxidant properties are attributed to ginger (Zingiber officinale) and several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the effect of ginger intake on major oxidative stress (OS) parameters. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of using ginger to improve OS levels. Medline, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched up until March 2020 to gather RCTs that evaluated the impact of ginger intake on the levels and activity of OS parameters in adult subjects. Means and standard deviations for relevant OS variables were extracted and evaluated to assess the quality of the trials based on the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The gathered data were pooled and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). Twelve trials were included in this review. Ginger intake was shown to significantly increase glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity (SMD: 1.64; 95% CI: 0.43, 2.85; I² = 86.8%) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (SMD: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.73; I² = 42.8%) and significantly decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (SMD: -0.69; 95% CI: -1.26, -0.12; I² = 85.8%) compared to control groups. Ginger supplementation also non-significantly associated with an increase in CAT activity (SMD: 1.09; 95% CI: -0.07, 2.25; I² = 87.6%). This systematic review and meta-analysis presents convincing evidence supporting the efficacy of ginger supplementation on improving OS levels. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: In health sciences, OS, due to its pivotal role in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases, is a subject with a long history. Recent research strives for a safe, ideal, and effective antioxidant. Ginger is herbal medicine, which has been widely used in traditional and complementary medicine. Proving the antioxidant effect and potential benefit of ginger has positive clinical implications for the application of this practical herb.

Keywords: ginger; glutathione peroxidase; malondialdehyde; oxidative stress; total antioxidant capacity.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Antioxidants
Dietary Supplements
Malondialdehyde
Oxidative Stress
Zingiber officinale*

Substances

Antioxidants
Malondialdehyde