The effect of ginger supplementation on blood sugar patterns and insulin resistance in patientswith type ۲ diabetes

Introduction: Type ۲ diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, which usually occurs in adulthood andoften as a result of a wrong lifestyle. Nowadays, many medicinal plants are used all over the world to treat thisdisease. Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim of investigating the effect of gingersupplementation as a natural medicinal plant on blood sugar patterns and insulin resistance in patients with type۲ diabetes.Methods: The present study was a review study designed in ۲۰۲۲. The search was conducted in internationaland national databases, including Scientific Information Database (SID), PubMed and Scopus, using thefollowing keywords: “Ginger”, “Insulin” and “Diabetes”. Summaries of articles published in congresses andconferences were excluded from the study. Initially, ۱۱ articles in English or Persian were finally evaluated.Results: The results of various studies showed that the consumption of ginger reduces blood sugar, seruminsulin and insulin resistance in patients with type ۲ diabetes. According to the findings of a study, consuming۳ grams of ginger powder daily for ۸ weeks causes a decrease in fasting blood sugar, while another study foundthat consuming ۲ grams of ginger per day for ۲ months has no effect on fasting blood sugar. But it can reduceserum insulin. Another study showed that ginger reduces blood sugar by acting antagonistically againstserotonin receptors and blocking them.Conclusion: Generally, taking ginger supplements reduces blood sugar and insulin resistance in patients withtype ۲ diabetes. Therefore, it is recommended that these patients consider ginger as a complementary agent inthe treatment of diabetes