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GINGER KILLS PAIN STUDY
GINGER KILLS PAIN STUDY
It said that a study has found that “muscle pain from sport or gardening can be eased by eating ginger”. This study compared the effect of capsules of raw or heat-treated ginger to a “dummy” capsule on muscle pain. Students were asked to take the capsules for 11 days, and carry out strenuous arm exercises on the eighth day. They then rated their muscle pain over the next three days. The ginger group rated their pain as slightly less than the placebo group in the 24 hours after the exercise.
Although the study used a good design and both researchers and participants were blinded, the study was relatively small (78 participants). This theory should ideally be tested in further, larger studies. It is also not possible to determine from this study whether ginger would have any effects on other kinds of pain or more intense exercise-related muscle pain.
The study was carried out by researchers from Georgia College and State University and the University of Georgia. It was funded by the McCormick Science Institute (MSI), an independent organisation that supports research into the health effects of culinary herbs and spices. MSI receives funding from McCormick & Company, Inc., a manufacturer of culinary herbs and spices. The study was published in the Journal of Pain.
This study consisted of two randomised controlled experiments looking at the effect of daily ginger supplements on muscle pain. Ginger has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects in rodents, but the researchers reported that its effects in humans have not been extensively studied.
The researchers used a type of study design that is good for looking at the effects of treatments. Both experiments were also double blind, meaning that neither the participants nor the researchers knew whether they were receiving ginger or placebo. Blinding is particularly important in cases such as this where the outcome (pain as reported by participants) is subjective, and could be affected by a person’s beliefs about what they were receiving and their preconceptions about its possible effects.
Although this study suggests that taking ginger supplements may reduce muscle pain after exercise, this theory should ideally be tested in further, larger studies.
Written by Dr Martin Harris, Doctor and Mohel for Jewish Circumcision Clinic in London Bris Mila Brit Milah.
www.circumcisionlondon.co.uk
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KosherPages medical columnist Dr Martin Harris (GP, Honorary Consultant Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children & Mohel) answers your questions on health. You may contact Dr Harris using the form below.