Decreased lipoprotein (a) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in male patients with atherosclerosis after supplementation with ginger: A randomized controlled trial

Hossein Babaahmadi-Rezaei; Alireza Kheirollah; Saeed Hesam; Saleh Ayashi; Mohammad Aberumand; Mohammad Hassan Adel; Masoumeh Zamanpour; Maryam Alasvand; Zohreh Amozgari; Mojgan Noor-Behbahani; Zahra Niknam

doi:10.22122/arya.v16i4.2011

Decreased lipoprotein (a) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in male patients with atherosclerosis after supplementation with ginger: A randomized controlled trial

ARYA Atheroscler. 2020 Jul;16(4):153-160. doi: 10.22122/arya.v16i4.2011.

Affiliations

¹ Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Research Center AND Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
² Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
³ PhD Candidate, Cellular and Molecular Research Center AND Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁴ Associate Professor, Atherosclerosis Research Center AND Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁵ Cellular and Molecular Research Center AND Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁶ Assistant Professor, Atherosclerosis Research Center AND Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁷ Lecturer, Cellular and Molecular Research Center AND Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Although the antioxidant properties of ginger have been revealed, there is little available information on the effectiveness of ginger on inflammatory disorders such as atherosclerosis. This study was carried out to examine the effect of ginger on improving the complication of atherosclerosis.

Methods: This study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial conducted on patients with atherosclerosis. Participants in the ginger and control groups received 1600 mg of powdered ginger or placebo (wheat flour) in capsules daily for 8 weeks. Weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS), cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results: Ginger consumption in the intervention group significantly reduced serum Lp(a) level (27.25 ± 1.30 ng/ml vs. 23.57 ± 0.97 ng/ml) (P = 0.040) and also the level of hs-CRP in the intervention group was 1.90 ± 0.33 µg/ml and 1.24 ± 0.15 µg/ml (P = 0.010) before and after intervention, respectively, but the levels of Lp(a) and hs-CRP were not decreased significantly in the placebo group. The level of TAC in the ginger group was 0.71 ± 0.05 mM and after the trial was 0.57 ± 0.04 mM (P = 0.050); no significant differences were seen in TAC when ginger was administered at 1600 mg/daily for 60 days. Also the level of Lp(a) and hs-CRP but not TAC reduced significantly in ginger group compared to placebo group after intervention.

Conclusion: This study showed that ginger had anti-atherosclerosis and anti-glycemic properties associated through a significant decreased Lp(a) and FBS in patients with atherosclerosis supplemented with ginger.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; C-reactive Protein; Ginger; Lipoprotein (a); Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.