Ginger may diminish risk of colon cancer

A new study finds that ginger may decrease the risk of colon cancer through diminishing the inflammation in the gut, according to media reports Thursday. Prior researches have found that chronicle inflammation in the gut is related to colon cancer, suggesting easing inflammation in intestines might reduce the risk of the cancer, said Suzanna M. Zick, lead author of the study published online in Cancer Prevention Research. Zick, also a naturopathic physician and research associate professor at University of Michigan Medical Center, and her colleagues, assigned 30 volunteers to take pills containing two grams of either placebo powder or ginger root extract, equivalent to about two tablespoons of ground-up raw ginger root. And they recorded the inflammations in the participants' intestines before and after the test period. The researchers found that participants taking ginger pills had 28 percent less inflammation in their intestines after the test. But no difference was found in those who took placebo. The findings are promising, but the researchers are not yet recommending people start taking more ginger at meal times. The study only involved 30 participants, so it is just a preliminary study. Zick said they hope to launch a larger study in the future, according to USA Today.