Rarely Known, These Are 5 Benefits of Ginger for Body Health

 

"Ginger is one type of herbal plant that is consumed to overcome various health problems. Among them are nausea, arthritis and losing excess weight."

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) is included in the type of food flavoring spices. This spice not only enhances the taste of food, but is also beneficial for body health.

The benefits of ginger can be felt thanks to its good content, such as energy, protein, fat carbohydrates, fiber and calcium. It also contains several types of vitamins. Among them are vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C.

Consuming this spice regularly can improve digestive function. Not only that, ginger is effective in lowering blood sugar which is a trigger for heart disease and stroke.

Benefits of Ginger for the Body

Ginger contains many good nutrients, including:

55.0 grams of water.

51 kilocalories of energy.

1.5 grams of protein.

1.0 grams of fat.

10.1 grams of carbohydrates.

12.0 grams of fiber.

21 milligrams of calcium.

39 milligrams of phosphorus.

1.6 milligrams of iron.

12 milligrams of sodium.

441.7 milligrams of potassium.

0.48 milligrams of copper.

9 micrograms of carotene.

0.7 milligrams of zinc.

0.02 milligrams of thiamine (vitamin B1).

0.17 milligrams of riboflavin (vitamin B2).

3.3 milligrams of niacin (vitamin B3).

Vitamin C 4 milligrams.

The benefits of ginger for body health include:

1. Expelling Free Radicals in the Body

Gingerol, a bioactive compound in ginger, is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. This content can help reduce oxidative stress, which is the impact of excessive free radicals in the body. The benefits include reducing nausea and helping fight flu and colds.

2. Relieves Digestive Disorders

This benefit is thanks to the phenolic content in ginger. Its function is to relieve symptoms of stomach acid and ulcers, produce saliva and prevent stomach contractions. This content can also help speed up the movement of food and drink during the digestive process.

3. Helps Lose Weight

The next benefit of ginger is that it helps lose weight in people with obesity. The benefits are due to the gingerol and shogaol compounds contained in ginger. Both have anti-obesity effects that play a role in suppressing appetite and controlling blood sugar levels in the body.

4. Helps Overcome Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint health problem that causes symptoms in the form of stiffness and pain in the joints. The severity of symptoms in sufferers can be overcome by consuming 500 milligrams to 1 gram of ginger. Do this every day for 3 to 12 weeks.

5. Helps Lower Blood Sugar

A study of 41 participants with diabetes 2 was published in the journal The effects of ginger on fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I and malondialdehyde in type 2 diabetic patients. The results prove that consuming 2.2 grams of ginger powder per day can lower blood sugar by 12 percent.

Still from the same study, participants experienced an increase in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) before consuming ginger powder. Increased HbA1c is a marker of long-term blood sugar levels. After consuming ginger powder for 12 weeks, HbA1c levels decreased by 10 percent. 

The benefits of ginger mentioned above can be felt when consumed regularly. This spice can be used as a mixture in cooking or processed as a drink such as ginger tea or ginger milk.