Ginger May Root Out Nausea
Ginger May Relieve Chemotherapy-Associated Nausea in People With Cancer
May 14, 2009 -- Moms who give their kids ginger ale to soothe upset tummies may find this as no surprise: Ginger may help relieve the nausea of cancerchemotherapy.
In the largest study to date evaluating the benefits of ginger for patients undergoing chemotherapy, as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger cut symptoms of nausea by 40%.
Despite the use of traditional anti-nausea drugs, about 70% of people who undergo chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting, according to researcher Julie Ryan, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and radiation oncology at the University of Rochester.
Ryan discussed the findings today at a news briefing sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
“Patients undergoing chemotherapy often ask if there is anything more they can do,” says ASCO incoming President Douglas Blayney, MD, of the University of Michigan.
“Here’s a simple intervention that can be used along with standard [nausea drugs],” he tells WebMD. Blayney did not work on the study.
Previous, smaller studies assessing the benefit of ginger for chemotherapy-related nausea had inconsistent results. They also did not look at ginger supplementation before initiating chemotherapy, which allows for earlier absorption by the body, Ryan says.
The new National Cancer Institute-funded study involved 644 people who had experienced nausea after one cycle of chemotherapy and had at least three more cycles to go. Most were women, and two-thirds had breast cancer.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or 0.5 grams, 1.0 grams, or 1.5 grams of ginger in capsule form once a day for six days, starting three days before the first day of a chemotherapy cycle.
Everyone also took Zofran or Kytril, traditional drugs used to manage the nausea associated with chemotherapy.
Participants rated their nausea on a 7-point scale -- where 1 equals no nausea and 7 equals the worst possible nausea -- four times a day for the first four days of chemotherapy.
Ginger May Root Out Nausea
Ginger May Relieve Chemotherapy-Associated Nausea in People With Cancer
May 14, 2009 -- Moms who give their kids ginger ale to soothe upset tummies may find this as no surprise: Ginger may help relieve the nausea of cancerchemotherapy.
In the largest study to date evaluating the benefits of ginger for patients undergoing chemotherapy, as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger cut symptoms of nausea by 40%.
Despite the use of traditional anti-nausea drugs, about 70% of people who undergo chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting, according to researcher Julie Ryan, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and radiation oncology at the University of Rochester.
Ryan discussed the findings today at a news briefing sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
“Patients undergoing chemotherapy often ask if there is anything more they can do,” says ASCO incoming President Douglas Blayney, MD, of the University of Michigan.
“Here’s a simple intervention that can be used along with standard [nausea drugs],” he tells WebMD. Blayney did not work on the study.
Ginger Taken Before Chemo to Improve Absorption
Previous, smaller studies assessing the benefit of ginger for chemotherapy-related nausea had inconsistent results. They also did not look at ginger supplementation before initiating chemotherapy, which allows for earlier absorption by the body, Ryan says.
The new National Cancer Institute-funded study involved 644 people who had experienced nausea after one cycle of chemotherapy and had at least three more cycles to go. Most were women, and two-thirds had breast cancer.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or 0.5 grams, 1.0 grams, or 1.5 grams of ginger in capsule form once a day for six days, starting three days before the first day of a chemotherapy cycle.
Everyone also took Zofran or Kytril, traditional drugs used to manage the nausea associated with chemotherapy.
Participants rated their nausea on a 7-point scale -- where 1 equals no nausea and 7 equals the worst possible nausea -- four times a day for the first four days of chemotherapy.
Ginger Relieves Nausea
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