GINGER PROMOTES SATIETY IN OVERWEIGHT MEN

Overweight men who incorporated a ginger drink into their morning meals had a lower prospective food intake later in the day and reduced hunger, according to a new study published in the journal Metabolism. The findings suggest ginger may play a potential role in overall weight management by increasing satiety without any adverse side effects.

Researchers at Columbia University and the New York Obesity Research Center gave 10 healthy but overweight men a standard breakfast accompanied by a ginger “tea" with 2 g of dried ginger powder (equivalent to about 1 teaspoon) or the same breakfast with plain hot water on two separate days. Researchers documented feelings of hunger immediately before and hourly after breakfast consumption, the calories burned after eating (thermic effect of food) as well as other measures.

They found approximately 43 more calories were burned after eating but total resting energy expenditure and respiratory quotient were not significantly affected. There were also no ginger-related effects on blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides or a variety of other metabolic parameters.

While more research is needed to understand the role of ginger in weight management, the researchers concluded including powdered ginger in the diet could have a small but significant effect on how food is processed in the body and “influence feelings of satiety without any adverse side effects."