Graydon
01-11-2007, 06:11 PM
Greetings Ginger Aficionados...
In hopes to avoid dissapointing those of you who wanted to hear more about ginger (the root, not the Gilligan's Island playmate), I did a little digging. Believe it or not, there are actually at least 264 scholarly scientifc articles published having "ginger" in the title (meaning there is a good chance the article is about ginger, but I can't say for certain as I haven't read all of them... stranger things exist and there could actually be some about that Hollywood movie star castaway). If you widen the search to include anywhere in the abstract as well, it's at least 665 articles.
Anyways, originally I dared anyone willing to try a little experiment and chew on some ginger root next time they were out riding in cool, wet weather. If you were brave enough to try it, either you got what I was talking about, or you quickly spit that piquant stuff out. Either way, if you thought the warm fuzzy feeling was just in your head (or mouth), now here is some science to back it up:
Iwasaki Y, Morita A, Iwasawa T, Kobata K, Sekiwa Y, Morimitsu Y, Kubota K and Watanabe T. A nonpungent component of steamed ginger--[10]-shogaol--increases adrenaline secretion via the activation of TRPV1.
Nutr Neurosci 9: 169-178, 2006.
Abstract: We investigated the components of ginger that are involved in increasing body temperature. Gingerols ([6,8,10]-gingerols) and shogaols ([6,8,10]-shogaols) having different alkyl carbon chain lengths were targeted. All the gingerols and shogaols increased intracellular calcium concentration in rat transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1)-expressing HEK293 cells via TRPV1. In this regard, the shogaols were more potent than the gingerols. Aversive responses were induced by [6]-, [10]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol (5 mmol/l) in rats when these compounds were applied to the eye; however, no response was observed in response to [10]-shogaol (5 and 10 mmol/l). [10]-Shogaol induced nociceptive responses via TRPV1 in rats following its subcutaneous injection into the hindpaw; the pungent compound capsaicin (CAP) and [6]-shogaol were observed to have similar effects. Moreover, adrenal catecholamine secretion, which influences energy consumption, was promoted in rats in response to [6]- and [10]-gingerols and [6]- and [10]-shogaols (1.6 micromol/kg, i.v.). [10]-Shogaol-induced adrenaline secretion was inhibited by administration of capsazepine, a TRPV1 antagonist. In conclusion, gingerols and shogaols activated TRPV1 and increased adrenaline secretion. Interestingly, [10]-shogaol is the only nonpungent compound among the gingerols and shogaols, suggesting its usefulness as a functional ingredient in food.
And one more, seeing as this is also the time of the healthy weight loss challenge:
Ahmed RS and Sharma SB.
Biochemical studies on combined effects of garlic (Allium sativum Linn) and ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) in albino rats.
Indian J Exp Biol 35: 841-843, 1997.
Abstract: Adult male rats of wistar strain were fed diets containing (w/w) 2% garlic (group II), 0.5% ginger (group III) and a combination of garlic plus ginger (group IV) for 4 weeks to study their effects on serum biochemical parameters. A significant increase in body weight was observed in all groups except that fed ginger (group III). A significant decrease in blood glucose, serum total cholesterol and serum alkaline phosphatase were found in all groups, whereas serum triglycerides were decreased significantly only in group IV. Serum HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased only in groups III and IV. However, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index were significantly decreased in animals fed with combination of the two, compared to garlic/ginger alone. Hence, a combination of garlic and ginger is much more effective in reducing blood glucose and serum lipids
Just don't ask me how much ginger you have to eat for it to be equivalent to 0.5% of your diet... :eek:
In hopes to avoid dissapointing those of you who wanted to hear more about ginger (the root, not the Gilligan's Island playmate), I did a little digging. Believe it or not, there are actually at least 264 scholarly scientifc articles published having "ginger" in the title (meaning there is a good chance the article is about ginger, but I can't say for certain as I haven't read all of them... stranger things exist and there could actually be some about that Hollywood movie star castaway). If you widen the search to include anywhere in the abstract as well, it's at least 665 articles.
Anyways, originally I dared anyone willing to try a little experiment and chew on some ginger root next time they were out riding in cool, wet weather. If you were brave enough to try it, either you got what I was talking about, or you quickly spit that piquant stuff out. Either way, if you thought the warm fuzzy feeling was just in your head (or mouth), now here is some science to back it up:
Iwasaki Y, Morita A, Iwasawa T, Kobata K, Sekiwa Y, Morimitsu Y, Kubota K and Watanabe T. A nonpungent component of steamed ginger--[10]-shogaol--increases adrenaline secretion via the activation of TRPV1.
Nutr Neurosci 9: 169-178, 2006.
Abstract: We investigated the components of ginger that are involved in increasing body temperature. Gingerols ([6,8,10]-gingerols) and shogaols ([6,8,10]-shogaols) having different alkyl carbon chain lengths were targeted. All the gingerols and shogaols increased intracellular calcium concentration in rat transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1)-expressing HEK293 cells via TRPV1. In this regard, the shogaols were more potent than the gingerols. Aversive responses were induced by [6]-, [10]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol (5 mmol/l) in rats when these compounds were applied to the eye; however, no response was observed in response to [10]-shogaol (5 and 10 mmol/l). [10]-Shogaol induced nociceptive responses via TRPV1 in rats following its subcutaneous injection into the hindpaw; the pungent compound capsaicin (CAP) and [6]-shogaol were observed to have similar effects. Moreover, adrenal catecholamine secretion, which influences energy consumption, was promoted in rats in response to [6]- and [10]-gingerols and [6]- and [10]-shogaols (1.6 micromol/kg, i.v.). [10]-Shogaol-induced adrenaline secretion was inhibited by administration of capsazepine, a TRPV1 antagonist. In conclusion, gingerols and shogaols activated TRPV1 and increased adrenaline secretion. Interestingly, [10]-shogaol is the only nonpungent compound among the gingerols and shogaols, suggesting its usefulness as a functional ingredient in food.
And one more, seeing as this is also the time of the healthy weight loss challenge:
Ahmed RS and Sharma SB.
Biochemical studies on combined effects of garlic (Allium sativum Linn) and ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) in albino rats.
Indian J Exp Biol 35: 841-843, 1997.
Abstract: Adult male rats of wistar strain were fed diets containing (w/w) 2% garlic (group II), 0.5% ginger (group III) and a combination of garlic plus ginger (group IV) for 4 weeks to study their effects on serum biochemical parameters. A significant increase in body weight was observed in all groups except that fed ginger (group III). A significant decrease in blood glucose, serum total cholesterol and serum alkaline phosphatase were found in all groups, whereas serum triglycerides were decreased significantly only in group IV. Serum HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased only in groups III and IV. However, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index were significantly decreased in animals fed with combination of the two, compared to garlic/ginger alone. Hence, a combination of garlic and ginger is much more effective in reducing blood glucose and serum lipids
Just don't ask me how much ginger you have to eat for it to be equivalent to 0.5% of your diet... :eek: