Ginger has been used in alternative and all natural medicine and healing solutions for literally thousands of years, but researchers at Columbia University have recently begun to look into whether or not ginger has the ability to help you melt fat faster than you would have been able to otherwise.
A group of nutritionists working at Columbia University have recently published a study in which they tested 10 men in their late 30s to see if they could speed up the natural weight loss process after consuming a bit of ginger each day.
The average man in this test group had a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 27, which is a little bit overweight but not necessarily clinically obese. On two separate mornings, researchers provided the men of this test subject a breakfast that included muffins and orange juice.
Both breakfasts had a total of 595 cal, which broke down to 85 g of carbohydrates, 25 g of fat, and 7 g of protein. Both breakfasts also included a single glass of warm water. On the first occasion, the warm water was left entirely untouched and was nothing more than warm water. On the second occasion, however, two total grams of powdered ginger had been dissolved into the glass before it was consumed.
Six hours after both breakfasts were consumed the groups were tested to see how much energy they had expended.
Obviously, metabolic activity and energy expenditure increased shortly after each meal (which is in line with how the body operates on a day-to-day basis every time you eat something). But metabolic activity increased by rate of 43 extra calories being burned after the men had consumed that bit of ginger alone.
The test results have led these researchers to believe that if you made absolutely no other changes whatsoever to your daily diet or exercise habits outside of adding just two total grams of ginger to one meal you’d be able to lose upwards of 2 kg in a single year.
Now, obviously, that’s extrapolating the data out quite a bit after such a small test and with a very small sample size – but the potential for ginger to be a game changing new weight loss supplement cannot be overlooked or overestimated.
According to the men that consumed both breakfasts during these tests, the one with ginger had them feel quite a bit more satiated after the meal compared with the time they ate breakfast without the addition of ginger to the hot water.
Researchers postulate that the chemical composition of ginger has some underlying appetite suppressant properties to it that they weren’t able to fully identify or quantify – though they continue to look a little deeper to figure out exactly what’s going on.
They are already gearing up for another study, one with more test participants as well as one that’s expected to stretch over a longer block of time to get a better feel for the impact ginger may have on our bodies when it comes to weight loss.
The 10 men that participated recommended that they find a way to hide the ginger as opposed to adding ground powder to hot water. Some found that this approach was unpalatable or difficult to consume, and some described as being a bit too spicy.
The research team wants to try and mix ginger with a fatty food instead that may make it a little more palatable while at the same time making for a more efficient delivery of the actual ginger itself into our digestive system. They believe that the dietary fats consumed at the same time as the ginger will increase its overall bioavailability.
Sources:
https://time.com/collection/guide-to-weight-loss/4787027/ginger-body-fat-obesity/#targetText=Still%2C%20these%20studies%20have%20suggested,inflammatory%20proteins%20and%20liver%20health.
https://www.healthline.com/health/ginger-for-weight-loss
https://www.livestrong.com/article/440604-does-ginger-burn-fat/
