Spice of life

The study randomised 30 men and women to take two grams of a ginger root supplement or a placebo for 28 days. At the end of the study, inflammation levels in those taking the ginger had fallen, on average, by 28 per cent, while remaining about the same in the placebo group.

The authors plan more research to examine whether ginger supplements actually reduce colon cancer risk. “Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective way,” says lead author Suzanna Zick.