title: Anti-inflammatory effects of zingiber officinale in type 2 diabetic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low-grade inflammation, a common feature in type 2 diabetes (DM2), causes some chronic complications in these patients. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and the acute phase protein hs-CRP in DM2 patients as a randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 64 DM2 patients randomly were assigned to ginger or placebo groups and received 2 tablets/day of each for 2 months. The concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α and hs-CRP in blood samples were analyzed before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ginger supplementation significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α (P = 0.006), IL-6 (P = 0.02) and hs-CRP (P = 0.012) in ginger group in comparison to baseline. Moreover, the analysis of covariance showed that the group received ginger supplementation significantly lowered TNF- α (15.3 ± 4.6 vs. 19.6 ± 5.2; P = 0.005) and hs-CRP (2.42 ± 1.7 vs. 2.56 ± 2.18; P = .016) concentrations in comparison to control group. While there were no significant changes in IL-6 (7.9 ± 2.1 vs. 7.8 ± 2.9; P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, ginger supplementation in oral administration reduced inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients. So it may be a good remedy to diminish the risk of some chronic complications of diabetes.
authors: Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran.
authors: Sepide
authors: S
authors: Mahluji
authors: Alireza
authors: A
authors: Ostadrahimi
authors: Majid
authors: M
authors: Mobasseri
authors: Vahide
authors: V
authors: Ebrahimzade Attari
authors: Laleh
authors: L
authors: Payahoo
keywords: Diabetes; Ginger; Inflammation; TNF-α