Ginger Does A Lot More Than You Think
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Ginger’s benefits go deep!
You are doubtlessly already familiar with what ginger is, so let’s skip right into the science.
The most relevant active compound in the ginger root is called gingerol, and people enjoy it not just for its taste, but also a stack of health reasons, such as:
- For weight loss
- Against nausea
- Against inflammation
- For cardiovascular health
- Against neurodegeneration
Quite a collection! So, what does the science say?
For weight loss
This one’s quite straightforward. It not only helps overall weight loss, but also specifically improves waist-hip ratio, which is a much more important indicator of health than BMI.
Against nausea & pain
Ginger has proven its effectiveness in many high quality clinical trials, against general nausea, post-surgery nausea, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and pregnancy-related nausea.
Source: Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials
However! While it very clearly has been shown to be beneficial in the majority of cases, there are some small studies that suggest it may not be safe to take close to the time of giving birth, or in people with a history of pregnancy loss, or unusual vaginal bleeding, or clotting disorders.
See specifically: Ginger for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy
As a side note on the topic of “trouble down there”, ginger has also been found to be as effective as Novafen (a combination drug of acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, and ibuprofen), in the task of relieving menstrual pain:
See: Effect of Ginger and Novafen on menstrual pain: A cross-over trial
Against inflammation & pain
Ginger has well-established anti-inflammatory (and, incidentally, which affects many of the same systems, antioxidant) effects. Let’s take a look at that first:
Read: Effect of Ginger on Inflammatory Diseases
Attentive readers will note that this means that ginger is not merely some nebulous anti-inflammatory agent. Rather, it also specifically helps alleviate delineable inflammatory diseases, ranging from colitis to Crohn’s, arthritis to lupus.
We’ll be honest (we always are!), the benefits in this case are not necessarily life-changing, but they are a statistically significant improvement, and if you are living with one of those conditions, chances are you’ll be glad of even things described in scientific literature as “modestly efficacious”.
What does “modestly efficacious” look like? Here are the numbers from a review of 593 patients’ results in clinical trials (against placebo):
❝Following ginger intake, a statistically significant pain reduction SMD = −0.30 ([95% CI: [(−0.50, −0.09)], P = 0.005]) with a low degree of inconsistency among trials (I2 = 27%), and a statistically significant reduction in disability SMD = −0.22 ([95% CI: ([−0.39, −0.04)]; P = 0.01; I2 = 0%]) were seen, both in favor of ginger.❞
To de-mathify that:
- Ginger reduced pain by 30%
- Ginger reduced disability by 22%
Read the source: Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials
Because (in part) of the same signalling pathways, it also has benefits against cancer (and you’ll remember, it also reduces the symptoms of chemotherapy).
See for example: Ginger’s Role in Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer
For cardiovascular health
In this case, its benefits are mostly twofold:
- It significantly reduces triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, while increasing HDL cholesterol
- It significantly reduces fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels (both risk factors for CVD)
Against neurodegeneration
This is in large part because it reduces inflammation, which we discussed earlier.
But, not everything passes the blood-brain barrier, so it’s worth noting when something (like gingerol) does also have an effect on brain health as well as the rest of the body.
You do not want inflammation in your brain; that is Bad™ and strongly associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
As well as reducing neuroinflammation, ginger has other relevant mechanisms too:
❝Its bioactive compounds may improve neurological symptoms and pathological conditions by modulating cell death or cell survival signaling molecules.
The cognitive enhancing effects of ginger might be partly explained via alteration of both the monoamine and the cholinergic systems in various brain areas.
Moreover, ginger decreases the production of inflammatory related factors❞
Check it out in full, as this is quite interesting:
Role of Ginger in the Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases
How much to take?
In most studies, doses of 1–3 grams/day were used.
Where to get it?
Your local supermarket, as a first port-of-call. Especially given the dose you want, it may be nicer for you to have a touch of sliced ginger root in your cooking, rather than taking 2–6 capsules per day to get the same dose.
Obviously, this depends on your culinary preferences, and ginger certainly doesn’t go with everything!
If you do want it as a supplement, here is an example product on Amazon, for your convenience.
Enjoy!
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The Best & Worst Stretches For Hamstrings
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Flexibility coach Liv Townsend helps us get the best gains for our efforts:
We won’t stretch the truth…
Firstly, some things that don’t work well for a lot of people:
- Seated forward fold: this stretch demands enough flexibility to anteriorly tilt your pelvis, and if your pelvis tucks under in a posterior tilt you mostly stretch your lower back while tugging on your feet may irritate your nerves rather than effectively lengthen your hamstrings.
- Pancake fold: the wide-legged forward fold often restricts people at the start position or is limited by tight adductors, meaning your inner thighs usually reach their end range before your hamstrings do.
- Kneeling half-split: this stretch can work but wobbling increases muscle tension and discomfort in your kneeling knee can reduce how much stretch your nervous system will tolerate (though if you can comfortably do it, it allows both passive relaxation and active heel drive for hamstring engagement).
Improving flexibility largely involves increasing your tolerance to stretch discomfort so that your body feels safe enough to relax and allow more range. Pain or instability elsewhere reduces that tolerance, so here’s a two-parter:
- Supine hamstring stretch: lying on your back prevents rounding your lower back, isolates your hamstrings, promotes relaxation, and when using a strap the weight of your arms adds gentle load while keeping the stretch fully passive.
- Romanian deadlift as a loaded stretch: this one (done in a staggered stance) loads one hamstring at a time, takes you to your available end range, and builds strength through that range as you hinge down and actively pull back up.
Why this helps so much: building strength at your end range helps prevent injury, improves how supported you feel in deeper positions, and signals safety to your nervous system so it allows greater length over time.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Tight Hamstrings? Here’s A Test To Know If It’s Actually Your Sciatic Nerve
Take care!
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Fig vs Plum – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing figs to plums, we picked the figs.
Why?
Both have their merits! But…
In terms of macros, figs have more protein, carbs, and fiber; the glycemic index is about equal so that makes this round a win for figs (as the “more food per food” option).
In the category of vitamins, figs have more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, and B9, while plums have more of vitamins A, C, E, and K, making this is a 7:4 victory for figs.
Looking at minerals, figs have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while plums are not higher in any minerals. Another easy win for figs here.
In other considerations, plums do have some anticancer properties beyond what figs can boast, so that’s a point in plums’ favor.
Adding up the sections nevertheless makes for a clear overall win for figs, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
- Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← plums are high on the list here
- From Apples to Bees, and High Fructose Cs: Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?
Take care!
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Should You Go Light Or Heavy On Carbs?
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Carb-Strong or Carb-Wrong?
We asked you for your health-related view of carbs, and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses
- About 48% said “Some carbs are beneficial; others are detrimental”
- About 27% said “Carbs are a critical source of energy, and safer than fats”
- About 18% said “A low-carb diet is best for overall health (and a carb is a carb)”
- About 7% said “We do not need carbs to live; a carnivore diet is viable”
But what does the science say?
Carbs are a critical source of energy, and safer than fats: True or False?
True and False, respectively! That is: they are a critical source of energy, and carbs and fats both have an important place in our diet.
❝Diets that focus too heavily on a single macronutrient, whether extreme protein, carbohydrate, or fat intake, may adversely impact health.❞
Source: Low carb or high carb? Everything in moderation … until further notice
(the aforementioned lead author Dr. de Souza, by the way, served as an external advisor to the World Health Organization’s Nutrition Guidelines Advisory Committee)
Some carbs are beneficial; others are detrimental: True or False?
True! Glycemic index is important here. There’s a big difference between eating a raw carrot and drinking high-fructose corn syrup:
Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?
While some say grains and/or starchy vegetables are bad, best current science recommends:
- Eat some whole grains regularly, but they should not be the main bulk of your meal (non-wheat grains are generally better)
- Starchy vegetables are not a critical food group, but in moderation they are fine.
To this end, the Mediterranean Diet is the current gold standard of healthful eating, per general scientific consensus:
A low-carb diet is best for overall health (and a carb is a carb): True or False?
True-ish and False, respectively. We covered the “a carb is a carb” falsehood earlier, so we’ll look at “a low-carb diet is best”.
Simply put: it can be. One of the biggest problems facing the low-carb diet though is that adherence tends to be poor—that is to say, people crave their carby comfort foods and eat more carbs again. As for the efficacy of a low-carb diet in the context of goals such as weight loss and glycemic control, the evidence is mixed:
❝There is probably little to no difference in weight reduction and changes in cardiovascular risk factors up to two years’ follow-up, when overweight and obese participants without and with T2DM are randomised to either low-carbohydrate or balanced-carbohydrate weight-reducing diets❞
Source: Low-carbohydrate versus balanced-carbohydrate diets for reducing weight and cardiovascular risk
❝On the basis of moderate to low certainty evidence, patients adhering to an LCD for six months may experience remission of diabetes without adverse consequences.
Limitations include continued debate around what constitutes remission of diabetes, as well as the efficacy, safety, and dietary satisfaction of longer term LCDs❞
~ Dr. Joshua Goldenberg et al.
Source: Efficacy and safety of low and very low carbohydrate diets for type 2 diabetes remission
❝There should be no “one-size-fits-all” eating pattern for different patient´s profiles with diabetes.
It is clinically complex to suggest an ideal percentage of calories from carbohydrates, protein and lipids recommended for all patients with diabetes.❞
Source: Current Evidence Regarding Low-carb Diets for The Metabolic Control of Type-2 Diabetes
We do not need carbs to live; a carnivore diet is viable: True or False?
False. For a simple explanation:
The Carnivore Diet: Can You Have Too Much Meat?
There isn’t a lot of science studying the effects of consuming no plant products, largely because such a study, if anything other than observational population studies, would be unethical. Observational population studies, meanwhile, are not practical because there are so few people who try this, and those who do, do not persist after their first few hospitalizations.
Putting aside the “Carnivore Diet” as a dangerous unscientific fad, if you are inclined to meat-eating, there is some merit to the Paleo Diet, at least for short-term weight loss even if not necessarily long-term health:
What’s The Real Deal With The Paleo Diet?
For longer-term health, we refer you back up to the aforementioned Mediterranean Diet.
Enjoy!
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The Two Worst Things For Cardiac Aging
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What do you think? There are some very reasonable top likely candidates!
Is it ultraprocessed food? It could be, on account of science such as: Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their circulating receptors predict cardiovascular disease mortality in older women
For more on that, see: Are You Eating AGEs?
It it, perhaps, alcohol? There’s a strong argument, as despite the popular myth of the “small glass of red per day”, any amount of alcohol increases mortality risk,, a comprehensive review in “Circulation”, a cardiovascular health journal, has suggested the French Paradox may not be so paradoxical after all, and is likely due to unrelated lifestyle factors, and historic under-reporting of cardiovascular disease by French doctors, and the World Health Organization has declared that the only safe amount of alcohol is zero: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
It’s further relevant that alcohol also increases all-cause mortality at any dose (even “low-risk drinking”): Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Mortality Among Older Adults
For more on that, see: Can We Drink To Good Health? ← this is mostly about red wine and heart health
Could it be red meat? Definitely a fair contender. It’s… Bad:
- Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Red Meat Consumption in Comparison With Various Comparison Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors
- Associations of Processed Meat or Unprocessed Red Meat Intake With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality
- Potential health hazards of eating red meat
- Red meat consumption, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Red Meat Consumption and its Relationship With Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Pathophysiology and Literature
For more on that, see: The Whys and Hows of Cutting Meats Out Of Your Diet
The very two top worst things
Researchers (Dr. Nazanin Rajai et al.) looked at this very question and found that the two biggest drivers of cardiac aging were…
*drumroll please*
Surprising many, financial strain and food insecurity emerged as the two strongest factors driving accelerated cardiac aging and higher mortality risk, outweighing many traditional clinical risk factors. It was a pretty comprehensive study, a cross-sectional analysis of 280,323 adult patients treated between 2018 and 2023, combining social determinants of health with AI-ECG* data and advanced statistical modeling.
*Dr. Rajai and her team used electrocardiogram technology combined with AI modeling to estimate cardiac age; a higher cardiac age gap means the heart is biologically older than the person**, and thus indicates a greater future cardiovascular risk.
**Notably, “biological age” is often thought of as one thing, but in reality, it’s an amalgam of many things, and different body parts/systems can age differently than others, within the same person’s body. We wrote about this here: Age & Aging: What Can (And Can’t) We Do About It? ← our mythbusting special on this topic
As for the factors that were looked at, this particular study looked at stress, physical activity, social connection, housing instability, financial strain, food insecurity, transportation needs, nutrition, and education.
That said, it’s worth taking into account that the other factors were important too; especially, social factors such as financial strain, housing instability, and physical inactivity predicted mortality risk at levels comparable to—or exceeding—some conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
You can read the paper in full, here: Interplay of Social Determinants of Health and Traditional Risk Factors in Predicting Cardiac Aging
This is consistent with what we wrote about previously, with a list of The Lifestyle Factors That Matter >8 Times More Than Genes
…and upon narrowing it down: 6 Lifestyle Factors To Measurably Reduce Biological Age
…and narrowing it further: Want To Age More Slowly? These 4 Social Factors Count The Most
And in particular, and especially relevant today: Heart Health vs Systemic Stress
As to how to address that? See: The S.T.E.P.S. To A Healthier Heart
Want to learn more?
You might like this book that we reviewed a while back:
Heart Smarter for Women: Six Weeks to a Healthier Heart – by Dr. Jennifer Mieres
Take care!
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Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety – by Dr. Robert Duff
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We’ve reviewed other anxiety books before, so what makes this one different? Mostly, it’s the style.
Aside from swearing approximately once every two lines (so you might want to skip this one if that would bother you), Dr. Duff’s writing is very down-to-earth in other ways too, making it unpretentiously comfortable and accessible without failing to draw upon the wealth of good-practice, evidence-based advice he has to offer.
To that end, he talks about what anxiety is and isn’t, and goes over various approaches, explaining them in a “about” fashion, and also a “how to” fashion, covering areas such as CBT, somatic therapies, social support, when talk therapy is most likely to help.
The book is a quick read (a modest 74 pages), and it’s refreshing that it hasn’t been padded unnecessarily, unlike a lot of books that could have been a fraction of the size without losing value.
Bottom line: if you (or perhaps someone you care about) would benefit from a straight-to-the-point, no-BS approach to dealing with anxiety (that’s actually evidence-based, not just a “get over it” dismissal), then this is the book for you.
Click here to check out Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety, and indeed do just that!
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Which medications are commonly prescribed for autistic people and why?
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Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. Someone may have social and communication differences, sensory issues and/or restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour or interests.
There has been increased awareness and an expanded definition of autism over the past couple of decades. Now around one in 40 people is thought to be autistic.
Autistic people often have strengths such as focus, honesty and dedication. But due to a combination of genetic and autism-related factors, they also have higher rates of other health conditions.
Common mental health conditions include anxiety, depression, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and intellectual developmental disorder.
Common physical health conditions include epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease.
The core features of autism can’t and don’t need to be altered. But a range of talking therapies and medications can help manage these other health conditions.
Arlette Lopez/Shutterstock Commonly prescribed medications
The increased awareness of autism and availability of new medications has seen increased rates of prescribing for autistic people and those with other chronic conditions over the past few decades. This is a trend we have seen internationally.
The most common medications for mental health conditions among autistic people are:
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac), for anxiety and depression
- low-dose antipsychotic medications, such as risperidone and aripiprazole, for reducing stress-related irritability and aggression
- stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) for ADHD
- melatonin and other sleep medications.
The most common medications for physical health conditions among autistic people are:
- painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, for pain and fever, especially in younger children. These are also the most commonly prescribed medication for non-autistic children
- antibiotics, such as amoxycillin, for suspected or confirmed infections (autistic children tend to have more infections)
- asthma and allergy medications, including salbutamol inhalers, loratadine and oral steroids (autistic people have similar rates of allergies to non-autistic people)
- laxatives, such as lactulose, for constipation. Autistic people are at increased risk of constipation due to limited food preferences, rigid toilet habits, and difficulty recognising when they need to use the toilet.
Autistic people are prescribed a range of medications for physical and mental health conditions. CandyRetriever/Shutterstock Multiple medications, or not enough
Prescribing multiple medications at the same time is known as polypharmacy. This has become more of an issue for autistic people in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
One study found autistic children and young people from Aotearoa New Zealand received a mean (average) four medications in one year (versus 2.9 medications for non-autistic people). Some 57% were prescribed three or more medications at a time.
Medications may work as well for people with and without autism. However, autistic people are more likely to have side effects. This might be due to heightened sensory sensitivities and the way medications affect the nervous system.
Polypharmacy increases the risk of medication interactions. It is also likely to contribute to autistic people’s higher chance of dying early. A 2024 study confirms this occurs at double the rate of non-autistic people.
Possible reasons for polypharmacy include:
- lack of agreement between doctors and clear guidelines for prescribing medication
- insufficient access to non-medication options to manage health conditions
- greater likelihood of being treated during crises. For instance, behaviour that escalates to the point of personal or property damage and family burnout may require medication to allow a child to stay at home.
However, at times, autistic people may not receive appropriate medications. This may be because doctors do not have clear prescribing guidelines or vary in how they prescribe. It can also be because someone or their family are concerned about side effects.
Sometimes there are concerns about medication side effects. Bee Bonnet/Shutterstock The right dose for the right time
We should aim to use the appropriate medication for the appropriate period of time for the growing number of people diagnosed with autism.
It’s essential prescribers have clearer prescribing guidance, aim for the lowest possible dose of medication, actively address polypharmacy and regularly monitor autistic people with a view to weaning medications as soon as possible.
Earlier identification and support for autistic children and their families would reduce the chance of crises and stress-related health conditions.
We need health services that can better meet the needs of autistic people. Flexible, tailored care should be provided in an environment that matches someone’s sensory needs. For instance, an environment should not be too bright or loud, or overstimulating. Ideally, this will have been designed with autistic people.
We also need an adequately resourced health system to provide autistic people with timely, appropriate, safe and equitable care.
Hiran Thabrew, Senior Lecturer in Child Psychiatry and Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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