Bringing out the Big Guns


Hey folks its the Power Nutrition Guru coming at you once again with the third installment on my ginger series. I have gotten tons of positive response on this series so far and I am sure after this issue there will be plenty more chiming in. In this part I wanted to touch in on some of the more serious diseases and ailments that ginger can help prevent and manage. I am going to give you some insight on how ginger can shed some positive light on two of the biggest killers in the world. That is cardiovascular disease and Cancer. Since these are such sensitive topics and most likely have hit home to just about everyone reading this, I am sure you will take interest in all that ginger has to offer for these two very destructive diseases.




#5 Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

• Now cardiovascular disease is something that all powerlifters should be concerned about
  

• You see not only does it affect the general sedentary population, but it also is one of the top three issues many powerlifters deal with in large numbers
  

• Yes its true that powerlifters are not sedentary couch potatoes, but the fact remains that many still do not live the ideal health model when it comes to food and lifestyle choices
  

• This is why you all need to listen up to the many health benefits ginger can have on your heart
  

• In the Journal of Nutrition May 2000 issue, they published a study that brought many of ginger's cardiovascular benefits to the mainstream public
  

• Israeli researchers wanted to look into the effects of ginger extract and its relation to atherosclerosis
  

• They divided mice into three categories. The first group received a placebo. The second received 25mcg of ginger extract daily. The third group received 250mcg of ginger daily
  

• The study showed that the mice in the third group who received 250mcg of ginger extract daily, had the most positive health benefits over the placebo group.
  
  
  
• Let's take a look at the results because the proof is in the pudding
  

• Their reduction in LDL or “Bad Cholesterol” was down by 33%
  

• Their reduction in VLDL cholesterol was down by a whopping 53%
  

• Their plasma triglycerides went down by 27%
  

• Their aortic atherosclerotic lesion areas were reduced by 44%
  

• But the most important factor researchers were excited about was the fact that they found the mice had reduced LDL aggregation and oxidation
  

• The reason why this is so important even though it may just sound like some scientific mumbo jumbo to you, is the fact that oxidative damage of your LDL cholesterol contributes significantly to the creation of atherosclerosis
  
  
  
• These researchers concluded that the phenolic antioxidants that are contained in ginger can actually slow down the process of developing atherosclerosis in the first place
  

• In another study rats were given ginger in different doses over a 4 week period
  

• One group was given 50mg/kg and the other a significantly higher dose of 500mg/kg
  

• The rats that were fed the higher dose of ginger daily had a major reduction in their cholesterol level and blood clotting abilities
  

• Even better was the fact that they had a decrease in inflammation blood markers.
  

• These results proved that ginger when taken in proper amounts, can help reduce bad cholesterol levels
  
  
  
• They also found that ginger helps thin the blood to help prevent clotting issues as well as reduce inflammation in the body
  

• We all know studies done on rats are beneficial but at the same time it is much better when you can see what actually goes on in a human setting
  

• One study that took place consisted of 40 people with mixed health variables. They took 20 of them who were healthy, and the other 20 were known for having cardiovascular disease
  
  
  
• They were then divided into equal groups to see how this would actually play out for both sectors
  

• One group was given a placebo, while the other consumed five grams of ginger powder on a daily basis
  

• Once again at the end of the month long study, ginger seems to shine and prove its worth
  

• The healthy people who consumed the ginger had close to a 20% decrease in lipoprotein oxidation, and those with a history of heart disease even fared better with close to a 25% decrease
  

• This goes to show you that no matter if you are in a healthy state or in a diseased state, ginger can work wonders on preventing disease from taking hold in the first place
  

#6 Anti-Cancer Benefits

• Now like I mentioned earlier I was going to bring out the big guns in this issue because heart disease and Cancer are two of the biggest killers
  

• So now that you know ginger can have some really good benefits for your heart health now is the time to look at what it can do to fight off Cancer
  

Prostate Cancer

• Now for all the aging male powerlifters out there listen up. Prostate Cancer is something we all need to worry about after the age of 40
  

• In 2016 it is estimated that more than 180,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate Cancer
  

• More than 26,000 of these cases will result in death
  

• The good news is that ginger helps to provide some hope in this area
  

• In the British Journal of Nutrition an interesting study was published in reference to prostate Cancer and gingers abilities to fight against it
  

• They gave men 100mg of ginger extract per kilogram of weight.
  

• They found that the ginger extract destroyed these human prostate Cancer cells while leaving the healthy prostate cells untouched
  

• In this 8 week study, those who took the ginger extract had their prostate tumor growth reduced by 50%
  
  
  
• After reading this it makes me want to go and make myself a nice hot cup of ginger tea
  

Ovarian Cancer

• Now for all my Power Vixens reading this listen up I have some good news for you also
  

• Ovarian Cancer is one of those killers that all women should be concerned with since more than 20,000 women every year in America are diagnosed with this condition
  
  
  
• The sad part is that 15,000 of those diagnosed will die from this condition
  

• A mind blowing study performed by researchers from the University of Michigan Cancer Center has shown more positive info on ginger and its abilities to fight ovarian Cancer
  

• When they applied a solution of standardized ginger powder and water to ovarian Cancer cells something amazing happened
  

• After numerous tests they found that Cancer cells died every time as result of being in contact with the ginger solution
  

• This death of the Cancer cells was by Autophagy (the cells attack themselves) or by Apoptosis (where they commit suicide)
  
  
  
• The researchers concluded that ginger not only can destroy Cancer cells, but also prevents these same nasty cells from building up a resistance to different forms of Cancer treatments
  

Breast Cancer

• Ok Power Vixens there is even more good news in terms of ginger and Cancer so pay attention
  

• It is estimated that in 2016 close to 250,000 new cases of breast Cancer will be discovered in the United States
  

• Close to 41,000 of these new cases diagnosed will die from this condition
  

• A new study conducted at the Biological Sciences Department at the King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia has shown some very interesting things that all women should take note of
  

• Researchers exposed breast Cancer cells in the lab to ginger extract and they found it caused selective cytotoxicity
  
  
  
• What this means in meat head lingo is that the ginger inhibited the reproduction of the Cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells untouched
  

• Another study took place that backs up these same findings as the one performed in Saudi Arabia
  

• In the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, researchers found that the ginger extract stopped the proliferation of Cancer cells, without attacking normal cells
  

• It is believed that ginger may inhibit breast tumorigenesis as well as tumor growth
  

• In 2015 a mind blowing study published in the journal PLOS ONE showed just how powerful ginger is in the fight against breast Cancer and some of the reasons why it does it so effectively
  

• They found that one compound in ginger known as “6-Shogaol” has potent anti Cancer stem cell properties
  

• The reason why this is so important is the fact that Cancer stem cells are one of the main issues in producing effective therapies as well as their ability to promote tumor relapse
  

• To make things even worse is the fact that many chemotherapy drugs have a hard time destroying these Cancer stem cells
  

• In fact these Cancer stem cells are resistant to several of the main chemotherapy drugs including Paclitaxel, 5-Fluorouracil, and Doxorubicin
  

• This is why the researchers were up in arms when they found that ginger shows promise in relation to destroying these Cancer stem cells
  

• At the end of the study the researchers came to many important conclusions in relation to why ginger's isolated compounds can strategically work magic at nipping Cancer in the bud
  

• So let's take a look at what they discovered
  

• First off “6-Shagoal” disrupts the cell cycle leading to Cancer cell death
  

• It causes this cell death mostly due to autophagy (the cells attack themselves), and second in line would be due to apoptosis (where they commit suicide)
  

• It also reduces the expression of CD44/CD24 Cancer stem cell surface markers in breast cancer spheroids
  

• I know this is getting a little over the top for many so let me explain. Spheroids (not steroids...lol) are tumor cells growing in a 3-dimensional structure
  

• To make this even better “6-Shagoal” has been found to inhibit these spheroid formations by changing Notch signaling pathway through Y-Secretase inhibition
  

• Lastly its cytoxicity (its ability to kill Cancerous cells) against both monolayer (1-Dimensional) and spheroid (3-Dimensional) Cancer models
  
  
  
• With these latest findings you can see that ginger has a lot to offer for many forms of Cancer that affect women
  

Colon Cancer

• Now another form of Cancer that affects both men and women in abundance is that of the colon
  

• It is the third most common form of Cancer and the second most deadly so its no joke
  

• In the United States close to 145,000 people are diagnosed each year with colorectal Cancer
  

• Approximately 90% of those diagnosed are over the age of 50
  

• In fact one favorite mantra of nutritionists all over the world is, “All Disease Starts in the Colon”
  

• In the Journal of Clinical Oncology they published some key info on ginger and its role in fighting colon Cancer
  

• They found that subjects that consumed ginger had a decrease in harmful inflammatory prostaglandins in the colon with no toxic effects
  

• They were given 2 grams of ginger extract daily for 28 days
  

• They concluded that ginger's Gingerols and Shogaol's powerful antioxidant and anti inflammatory activities are the main reason behind these benefits
  

• In another study conducted at the University of Minnesota's Hormel Institute, researchers found similar results
  

• They concluded that 6-Gingerol was responsible for the slower rates of Cancer growth in mice that were injected with human colorectal tumor cells into their flanks
  

• The mice were given 0.5-20mg of 6-Gingerol, three times per week
  

• They found those that were supplemented with this compound had reduced number of tumors as well reduced in size when compared to the control group
  

• This study showed that this amazing compound can slow the growth of Cancer tumors in the colon or even prevent them
  

Conclusion


When it comes to all forms of Cancer, someone you love or care about has or will be affected by this horrible disease. If you were to just go through your friends and family and count on your hand how many people that have suffered from Cancer, you will see just how common it is. As I have mentioned time and time again in my columns, prevention is the best medicine. This is why I have always recommended that you consume nutrient dense super foods as well as those that have anti-Cancer properties in abundance.


We live in a society where everything is polluted with carcinogenic compounds. No matter if it is the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the soaps and cosmetics we rub on our skin, or the many lifestyle choices we make on a daily basis, they can all contribute to being diagnosed with Cancer in our lifetime. This is why we must do our best to prevent it on as many different levels as we possibly can. So with the closing of this third installment, I hope that I will motivate you to start including more ginger into your health regiment in both food or supplement forms. As you can see ginger has way too many health benefits to simply leave it out of your cart the next time you hit the grocery store. Until next time train hard, eat clean, and warm your body up from this cold winter day with a nice hot cup of ginger tea.




References


Ridker, PM et al. “Comparison of C-reactive protein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the prediction of first cardiovascular events.” N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 14;347(20):1557-65.
Thomson, M et al. “The use of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) as a potential anti- inflammatory and antithrombotic agent.” Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2002 Dec;67(6):475-8.
Fuhrman, B et al. “Ginger extract consumption reduces plasma cholesterol, inhibits LDL cholesterol oxidation and attenuates development of atherosclerosis in artherosclerotic, apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.” J Nutr. 2000 May;130(5):1124-31.
Verma, SK et al. “Antioxidant property of ginger in patients with coronary artery disease.” South Asian J Prev Cardiology. 2004;8(4).
Cancer Research 1999 Mar 15;59(6):1225-30.


Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2007;99:754-64.


GreenMedInfo.com


Mercola.com

Ken , how old are you anyway?

I just turned 77.

You're a very large distributor of powerlifting gear. How did you come to be involved in powerlifting and end up having it be a business?


I started working out and training my brother Johnny's son, who is my nephew. I was working out but not doing any serious training but I got stronger than he was and entered my first. Bench meet shortly after. My family has always been involved in sports – my sister was a triathlete, Johnny was Mr. Texas in bodybuilding and also trained powerlifting. I went in the Army for two years. I got drafted when I was 20 years old while I was living near Muscle Beach in California but was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. I trained a little bit, but after I left the army I was doing construction work. I finally moved to Dallas and in my thirties I got in the real estate business.


When you say the real estate business, what do you mean exactly?


I started buying and selling houses, simple as that. I got married and together we built up a pretty sizable portfolio of rental houses. I was a broker and and mainly bought houses and rented them. Some we improved and then sold them. Today they call that fix and flip but at one time we had over 200 rental houses. We did that for 15 or 20 years and then we divorced, and she got many of the good ones.


Were you powerlifting (benching) about this time?


I was training and went in my first meet shortly after. I was benching 400 raw and was always a pretty good bencher. I could drop and do 100 pushups like it was nothing and in my first meet, a WABDL bench press meet, I got 450 in a blast shirt at 198. That was a WABDL world record at the time.


How did you go from being a real estate mogul to to being a powerlifting distributor?


I went through a couple of real estate crashes and got divorced, and I just wanted to get into something where I had total control and enjoyed it. I was using Inzer gear when I first started, but when Titan came out with their bench shirt I started using it and got better results. I knew Pete Alaniz, the owner of Titan, and said that I thought I could sell them. Armed with an inventory of a dozen shirts in different sizes, I started going around to gyms and high schools with a powerlifting team and showed people how to use a shirt to get a bigger bench.. All I sold at that time was bench shirts – no squat or deadlift suits or wraps, just bench shirts because that was what I knew. People started asking for squat and deadlift suits so I got that going. This was in 2002.


Titan didn't mind you basically competing against them?


No, because no one had ever done what I was offering, going to the high schools (Texas high school powerlifting is BIG!), and showing the coaches and kids how to use the shirts. I offered a value added service, not just selling the gear, but also how to use it properly. I traveled all over Texas to over 200 schools, wore out two brand new cars in over 300,000 miles but I was competing against Inzer. I'd go to a meet and it would be all Inzer shirts so I would go to the schools and guarantee that the shirts that I sold would outperform theirs. I could do that because I would fit and size the shirt for the best results. I found a tailor in Dallas that would do the alterations and I still use him 20 years later. It's not always the shirt but how it fits. I offered that additional service and that's how I built my business. Nobody offered that service and everyone thought I was crazy, traveling all over Texas going to the lifter. If you get results, you'll get business.


When did the business start growing enough to hire staff and get a website?


I lived in a small efficiency apartment and had 12 shirts as samples. I had no website and couldn't take credit cards. I didn't even have a smart phone or computer! Six years ago I hired Carol and she was making more money than I was. I had been doing the selling, the shipping - everything. With her handling the administrative side, I could start going to non high school meets. Since I had been lifting in WABDL I started going to their meets. APF and USPF were big then and I went to their meets too.


So your business started growing because of your sincere desire to help the lifter get bigger lifts using gear?


I started coming out with some of my own products in the KLA line, offering knee wraps and wrist wraps in addition to the Titan line. We were selling tons of those KLA products because they were great items at a very competitive price. I had lots of really strong friends that would test them and I listened when I designed them. They continue to be a large part of our business, the whole KLA line. Titan has made a big investment in IPF and I wanted to offer equipment to the other federations without directly competing against Titan in that area.


How did you come to be the US SBD knee sleeve distributor?


Mike Tuscherer had just competed in an IPF competition overseas and most of the lifters were wearing SBD's. He said I should contact the SBD owner so we got together and I wanted to know who had tested the product. He said the Russian team had tested them and thought they were the best, so that was good enough for me! He gave me a quota to sell in a year and I sold about ten times that amount. I did it by going to the lifters at big meets and showing them how to size the sleeves and get them on for optimum results.


You're the hardest working guy in powerlifting that I know and at 77 you're still going strong, attending meets almost every weekend. Any thoughts of slowing down?


Heck no, it's a privilege to work and I love it.


Even though you're the President and CEO of Anderson Powerlifting you still work the booth almost every weekend and help people get the right gear that helps them lift more.


We just came back from the LA Fit Expo and sold out the second day. My brother Johnny helps me tremendously as does Jim Snodgrass and I've just got great people working with me. I sponsor some of the best lifters in the world and I'll always love this business and powerlifting.


Be sure to visit Anderson Powerlifting by clicking on the links on this page.

Ginger is Back!


In the first part of this series I wanted to go over the many health benefits ginger has on the digestive system. Now if you were impressed on all it has to offer your “Little Tummy” hold on to see what other things it has in store. Ginger is without a doubt one of my favorite herbs because it has such a wide range of uses. When it comes to consuming super foods or herbs I try to find ones that have a broad range of health properties all present in one place. In this installment I will touch on ginger's benefits for joint pain, its Testosterone raising abilities, it effects at making you a better lover, and how it can help control your blood sugar.




Why Ginger is Critical for Powerlifters


One thing that all powerlifters will like to hear is the benefits ginger can have on painful joints. Let's face it, powerlifting especially when pushed to its limits is not so friendly on your joints. In fact powerlifters bodies take a beating and joints like the knees, shoulders, and elbows are known sore spots for most. This is why as a lifter you should look for natural remedies to keep them in tip top shape. When it comes to increasing Testosterone levels powerlifters are always looking to maximize this from all angles either from natural or pharmaceutical means. Jacked Testosterone levels and powerlifters is as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly. You can't have one without the other. Lastly optimizing your blood sugar levels should be something all lifters look to do. Not only because many do suffer from Type II Diabetes, but also because even more are suffering from varying degrees of Insulin Resistance which if kept unchecked will put you in the former category. So let's get down to business and see what I have in store for this issue.




# 2 Joint Health Benefits

• In Traditional Chinese Medicine ginger has been used for thousands of years for dispelling wind and cold from the joints
  

• In Western scientific understanding this would be for forms of Osteoarthritis that gets worse in the cold weather
  

• The Chinese have understood ginger's positive effects on joint health, but only as of late has western scientific studies proved that they have been right all along
  

• A recent study by the University of Miami on ginger has shown some interesting facts
  

• It took close to 250 test subjects who suffer from Osteoarthritis of the knee
  

• They used a highly concentrated form of ginger extract for some subjects and a placebo for others
  

• The good news is that those that consumed the ginger found a remarkable 40% reduction in joint pain and stiffness when compared to the placebo group
  

• In a study published in the Journal of Arthritis, ginger was compared head on against powerful drugs like Cortisone and Ibuprofen to see how they would fare for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
  

• This study showed some very interesting facts in regards to these drugs as well as gingers powerful abilities
  

• We all know ibuprofen is one of the most popular pain relievers that tens of thousands of Americans reach for on a daily basis
  

• Even though ibuprofen can help reduce pain, it does not have any effect on cytokine production
  

• Ok so let me break this down into meathead lingo for all my powerlifters
  

• Cytokines are immune regulating substances. They are linked to pain and posses inflammatory effects in the human body. So more inflammation equals your joints screaming at you like your ex wife looking for her alimony check
  

• Now here is where the juicy part comes in. Both Cortisone and ginger reduced cytokines in similar amounts.
  

• This means that the ginger was just as effective as an anti-inflammatory compound when compared with this powerful drug
  

• The thing that you should note is that Cortisone has numerous side effects. This includes weight gain, seizures, depression, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, pancreatitis, chest pains, headaches, anxiety attacks, heart arrhythmia, acne, sleeping problems and more
  

• Wow this sounds like a fun mix of side effects eh?
  
  
  
• One other well know side effect of Cortisone acetate is Tendon ruptures. Now as powerlifters we have enough problems with this on our own trying to lift heavy stuff that we really should not be even trying...lol.
  

• So adding this drug into the mix of your heavy lifting, an aging body, some issues in the past with tendonitis, and not listening to your body to back off when you should which is a common powerlifting trait, can all add up to a massive patella tendon rupture.
  

• One leading researcher when it comes to gingers numerous joint benefits is Dr. Krishna Srivastava from the University of Denmark
  

• In one study he gave arthritic test subjects ginger for a three month period. The large majority of these pain sufferers had major improvements in their reduction in pain, swelling, and stiffness.
  

• Dr. Srivastava believes that ginger is superior to NSAID drugs like Tylenol because they only work to block inflammatory compounds.
  
  
  
• But ginger has been found to block the formation of the inflammatory compounds that are causing pain
  

• These nasty compounds are leukotrienes and prostaglandins and are the main culprit in this regard, but don't stress because this is were ginger goes to work
  

• He also believes it is ginger's powerful antioxidant qualities that breaks down current inflammation and the acidic fluid that is contained in the joints
  

• Another study was published in the Journal of Pain and some positive effects were also noted.
  

• Researchers found that ginger possessed powerful anti-inflammatory effects that helped reduce pain. They used both raw and heated forms of ginger in this study and the results were similar in its outcome
  

• Just when you thought you heard it all, hold on there is more. There is a unique species of ginger from Indonesia known as “Red Ginger” (Alpinia Purpurata) due to its red skin.
  

• Japanese researchers published a study in the Journal of Medicinal Food and found that “Red Ginger” is a powerful painkiller.
  

• It looks like ginger and its different forms even have the Japanese interested in all its health properties
  

• One last thing you can do to help joint pain is to make a ginger compress. There are many different ginger compress recipes available. By applying a ginger compress to joints it can really take down swelling and pain.
  

• This way you can take your ginger orally and even use it externally as well to get the most bang for your buck.
  

#3 Aphrodisiac and Testosterone Raising Benefits

• Oh wow it looks like I have your attention now don't I? Now all of a sudden you are so interested in ginger
  

• Ginger has been considered an aphrodisiac since 500 BC
  

• Chinese medical philosophers, as well as those from the Middle East, Rome, and Greece all agreed that ginger is good for improving your sexual desire and performance
  

• In fact it was King Louis XV's (1770's) royal mistress Madam du Barry who was known for serving up ginger to her boy toy Louis prior to getting down to business
  

• In fact she was such a big fan of ginger for its aphrodisiac qualities that she gave it to all her lovers and was known for this practise
  

• Ginger is mentioned in the Kama Sutra to help increase erections, improve sexual performance, and prevent premature ejaculation
  

• Now if you have never taken in a good dose of ginger you should be aware of what it does
  

• First off you will notice its spicy nature, then the total body heat sensation will kick in. Then the perspiration will start with a slight increase in heart rate. You may even notice an increase in blood flow. Many people find these sensations similar to those that occur during sexual relations
  

Since ginger increases blood circulation, you can look forward to more blood flow to your manhood.

• Now if the above info peaked your interest then listen up it gets even better
  

• One study on rats performed in Nigeria in 2008 also showed mind blowing facts.
  
  
  
• Healthy rats were given 1 gram of ginger tea per kilogram of weight. Their Testosterone levels doubled and this happened in only 28 days
  

• Another study was performed in Egypt in 2010 on rats over a 65 day process.
  
  
  
• It showed increases in Testosterone levels and sperm production. They also noted an increase in the weight of the rats testicles which relates to an increase in androgen production.
  
  
  
• I know what your thinking so say it. How heavy could rats testicles really be?
  

• Ok I know you are not a rat, so most likely you want to see some info from a human study and I agree
  

• One study that was published in the Tikrit Medical Journal was published in 2012 was conducted on humans
  
  
  
• It was a three month study conducted on 75 infertile men aged 19-45 years old, that were married but could not produce children.
  
  
  
• What they found was close to an 18% increase in Testosterone levels and more than a 43% increase in Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
  

• For those of you who are not familiar with why an increase in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) is so important, listen up
  
  
  
• LH is responsible for triggering Testosterone production in the Leydig cells in your testes
  

• The researchers came to the conclusion that ginger activated endogenous antioxidants therefore destroying harmful molecules in the testes which lead to the Testosterone increase.
  

• During this study they also noted that the toxic free radical known as Malondialdehyde was dramatically decreased
  

• This may not sound too important to the average lifter but it really is. You see Maloondialdehyde is a prime marker for free radical activity in the body.
  

• This goes back to prove that the researchers theory above is most likely correct as there is a direct correlation between the two
  

• On the flip side of the coin they also found that the powerful antioxidant Glutathione increased
  

• This is important due to the fact that Glutathione protects your Leydig cells from free radical damage
  

• This study also showed some other important facts in regards to male reproductive health as well
  

• The test subjects also had an increase in both their sperm count, as well as an increase in motility and viability
  
  
  
• This means in powerlifting terms that their were a lot more tadpole swimmers, that could swim like an Olympic gold medalist, and were in tip top health. I thought you'd like that one.
  

• In conclusion if you want a higher Testosterone level and have your boys swimming like Micheal Phelps then make sure ginger is part of your plan
  

#4 Blood Sugar Benefits

• Now ginger's effects on helping control blood sugar is a very important thing to consider especially since powerlifters have issues in this regard
  

• Type II Diabetes among powerlifters seems to be getting worse year after year
  

• The interesting thing about ginger is that it has positive effects not only on those that have Type II Diabetes, but also for those that are looking to not get it in the first place
  

• This means either way, ginger can help you not get it or help you control it if you are currently suffering from this problem
  

• It is believed that ginger affects Insulin release and subsequent action which is critical, but wait there is more
  

• Ginger can also play a role at altering carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in a positive direction as well.
  
  
  
• The combination of these two actions gives your blood sugar a one two punch to get it under control
  

• In one clinical trial, Type II Diabetic test subjects were given three grams of ginger powder for a 30 day period
  

• They found that they had a major reduction in blood glucose levels all across the board, but it even gets better
  

• These subjects also noticed changes in their LDL Cholesterol or what is known as the “Bad Cholesterol”, Total Cholesterol, and even Triglyceride levels
  

• In another study this time conducted by researchers from the Shahid Dadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd, Iran, ginger once again proves its worth in the fight against Type II Diabetes
  

• The study consisted of 88 Type II diabetics who were suffering from this condition for at least a ten year period
  

• They were broken down into two groups. The first were given three daily one gram dosed capsules containing ginger powder for 8 weeks. The other group was given a placebo. Both groups continued their current daily medications as usual
  

• They found that those in the ginger group had their values drop close to twenty points
  

• Some researchers believe that this major blood sugar drop could be due to ginger inhibiting the hepatic phosphorylase enzyme which is known to breakdown glycogen
  

• Your blood sugar increases when glycogen is broken down. So by cutting off this enzymes ability to do its job, may lower blood sugar levels for those with Insulin resistance issues
  

• In a 2012 study conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney, ginger once again was in the spotlight
  

• They found that ginger helps to dramatically increase your Insulin sensitivity
  

• This means that ginger can increase your cell's absorption of glucose even without Insulin being present
  
  
  
• There is a phenol in ginger known as Gingerols that can increase GLUT4 distribution
  

• For those unaware of this, GLUT4 allows muscle tissue to uptake glucose in greater quantities
  

• Researchers have known for years that an insufficiency of GLUT4 leads to Insulin resistance and uncontrollable blood sugar levels
  

• Another study that you may find interesting was published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in 2009.
  

• This study concluded that those subjects that consumed ginger had a reduction in blood sugar by 35% and a decrease in Insulin levels by 10%
  

• This is amazing news, and all those who are looking to improve their level of Insulin sensitivity and bring their blood sugar under control should look into how ginger can help them
  

Conclusion


So here you have it folks another installment in the ginger series. After this second part, you can see that ginger has a ton of valuable benefits for your health and well being. If you think ginger has some pretty amazing qualities, then wait until the third part because here is where I bring out the big guns. I know its hard to imagine that such a tiny little root can do so many good things but its true. I am hoping by the time this series is complete you will be as much of a ginger fan as I am. So until next, time train hard, eat clean, and make yourself a nice hot cup of ginger tea to warm up your winter blues.