When people think of weight loss methods ginger root is not one of the first things that comes to mind. When people think of ginger they think of reducing pain or helping with joints or easing digestion (like functional dyspepsia), or even helping with menstrual pain. But it turns out that ginger is also good for weight loss. So, in this article we're going to explore the scientific results that show that ginger is good for weight loss. And it turns out that there are several side benefits of using ginger for weight loss as well which we will get to down below.
Evidence for Ginger Root and Weight Loss
Meta-Analysis 2019
Over the years there have been several reviews and meta-analyses that have looked at the use of ginger for weight loss. Back in 2019 there was a review in the journal Critical
Review in Food Science and Nutrition that scrutinized 14 randomized controlled trials including 473 people altogether. The authors found that ginger reduced body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, hip circumference (a marker for belly fat), lowered fasting glucose, decreased HOMA-IR (a marker for insulin resistance), and increased HDL cholesterol. In this review they didn't find that it made a significant improvement in insulin, BMI index, triglycerides, total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol even though the numbers were going in the right direction. After all, it is just ginger we are talking about here. So, there were a lot of improvements in metabolic health from a simple root that God made that turns out makes food taste great and is great for our health.
Meta-Analysis 2022
In 2022 another meta-analysis was conducted which included 26 trials. In this one the authors found that ginger had benefits for reducing triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol. The authors found that it also reduced BMI index, which was not found originally in the review back in 2019. When the authors looked at which studies found results, they found the best results for weight loss were when more than 1500 milligrams per day of ginger was used for more than 8 weeks. So, you need to take ½ a teaspoon of ginger powder, or its equivalent, every day and just make it part of your routine.
Meta-Analysis 2024
Now here at the end of 2024 a new meta-analysis has been conducted of ginger for weight loss. This review included 27 trials with 1,309 total participants in these trials. The authors found that body weight was reduced by 1.5 kilograms, BMI index was reduced by 0.58 kg/m2, waist circumference was reduced by a centimeter, and percent body fat was reduced by 0.87%. The authors also found that ginger worked best when people used at least 2 grams per day for weight loss for more than 8 weeks.
Why Ginger is Better than Ozempic
So, these three meta-analyses over the years show that there are consistent results with ginger and weight loss. While ginger isn't Ozempic and it doesn't give you huge weight loss like 10% or 15% of your body weight, it does give consistent results. And you don’t have to worry about weight rebound when you miss a day or run out of ginger, or run out of cash.
You don’t have to worry about the rare side effects like severe pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis) or other side effects that Ozempic sometimes gives to people. Ginger doesn’t make you nauseated like Ozempic. It is actually used to help with nausea. So, in many ways a little help with no negative side effects is better than a huge weight loss hammer like Ozempic.
Ginger for Managing Blood Pressure
And it turns out that ginger is good for other things too like blood pressure. In 2019 there was a review published in Phytotherapy Research of six randomized controlled trials with 345 people in them and they found that systolic blood pressure was reduced by -6.36 mm of mercury and diastolic blood pressure was reduced by -2.12 mm of mercury. They found the results were most consistent in studies where the average age was less than 50 years old and the follow-up was less than 8 weeks (which is a bit strange), and the ginger intake was more than 3 grams per day.
Ginger for Cancer?
Now it turns out that ginger is also good for cancer. Well, actually, a lot of the results so far have been just in experimental studies with animals and in vivo cell culture studies of ginger extract. Results have shown 6-gingerol and similar compounds in ginger have anti-proliferative, antitumor, anti-invasive, an anti-inflammatory properties. So, we're not making any claims about ginger being the next great cancer fighting molecule, but it's nice to know that it does have properties that give you benefits even for such a serious disease.
Ginger for Fatty Liver Disease
Ginger was also found to be helpful for fatty liver disease. In 2022 a review was published with three clinical trials and 17 in vivo experiments, and the authors found several mechanisms in these in vivo experiments of how ginger helps fatty liver disease. These mechanisms included increased insulin sensitivity, increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, a decrease in the generation of reactive oxygen species, anti-dyslipidemic activities, and an overall reduction in the fat content in the liver. Your liver just works better when you eat ginger.
Ginger is a Team Player, not a Silver Bullet
So, ginger helps your overall health. Yes, it does help with weight loss but it's not Ozempic. It doesn't work like a hammer. Rather, it works like a member of the team. You have to use other things, too. You need to watch your diet carefully. Actually, you have to follow a very good diet to lose weight, and not too much of it either. You need to be physically active. You need to sleep well. You need to manage your stress well. These four factors together make for holistic wellness and holistic weight loss.
Try Ginger. You Might Like It.
But maybe you should think about adding ginger to your weight loss arsenal. You probably haven't considered it before, but maybe you should give it a try. after all there are no side effects and ginger root is very cheap in most grocery stores. There are great ways to add ginger to fresh juices, to hot beverages like hot lemon ginger tea, and main dishes with vegetables (ginger sesame soy broccoli anyone?)
There are only side benefits of helping improve your overall metabolic health and that's a great thing. Now at Hallelujah Diet we sell a ginger extract called Ginfort in our Professional Strength Ginger dietary supplement. It puts the power of 2 grams of ginger powder into one small capsule. So, it's very easy to get the power of more than 4 grams of ginger a day, which is 2 small capsules. Our product is very convenient, and it helps you to be very consistent with your supplementation of ginger. If you don’t like the pungent spicy flavor of ginger this is a great option for you. Give it a try. You might find out the ginger likes you, too.
