There is no proof that prolonged usage of mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, laptops, desktop computers, video display units and other such devices causes any long-term damage to the eyes. However regular screen time can lead to eye strain and stiff shoulders.
Not to worry, scientists from Hiroshima University, in a report, stated that ginger supplementation may reduce eye fatigue and shoulder stiffness associated with prolonged screen use. Its benefit is linked to improved blood flow.
Prolonged use of screens or VDTs (visual display terminals), such as computers, smartphones, and tablets, can lead to various health issues, including VDT syndrome. It could result in dry eyes, eye fatigue, and stiffness of the neck and shoulders. This condition significantly impacts an individual’s quality of life and has become a critical social issue that must be addressed.
In a new study from Japan, they reported that eight weeks of supplementation with 100 mg per day of ginger extract powder E (Ikeda Food Research) led to significant improvements in eye fatigue and shoulder stiffness for younger women.
The researchers, according to a new paper published in Nutrients, had investigated if daily supplements of a ginger extract could exert any benefits on people with VDTs based on ginger’s potential to boost blood flow.
The study had recruited 100 healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 73 with eye fatigue and shoulder pain to participate in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel trial.
They were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or the ginger extract (100 mg, of which 2 mg was 6-shogaol and 0.5 mg was 6-gingerol).
The results showed that self-reported eye fatigue (VAS) after eight weeks was reduced in both groups, but the ginger group experienced significantly greater reductions than placebo. Likewise for shoulder stiffness, both groups experienced improvements, but the improvements were significantly greater in the ginger group.
Addition sub-group analysis revealed that these effects were driven by significant improvements for women aged 51 and younger, with the improvements not reaching statistical significance for men.
Peripheral blood flow was found to be enhanced by ginger, but this was also limited to the younger women.
According to the researchers, the effect of ginger on blood flow in young females suggests the involvement of female hormones, and other studies have revealed that ginger may elevate oestrogen and glutathione levels, with oestrogen having been shown to boost nitrogen oxide production, drive blood vessel dilation, and increase blood flow.
“Based on the evidence mentioned above, the increase in blood flow in young females in this study could be driven by blood vessel dilation from enhanced oestrogen levels due to ginger consumption,” they added.
Interestingly, ginger is also a safe complementary therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients with gastrointestinal (GI) complications. It can alleviate constipation, nausea, bloating and abdominal pain in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS).
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological illness that causes persistent impairment and a lower quality of life due to poor communication between the brain and the body. This disease manifests in four clinical course patterns, RRMS being the most prevalent.
Evidence suggests that over 80 percent of individuals with MS experience gastrointestinal symptoms, stemming from disease complications, oral disease-modifying therapies, or a combination of both.
Ginger supplementation has demonstrated positive effects on various GI-related symptoms, promoting increased GI mobility and reducing food transit time, potentially easing issues like constipation.
In the light of this, a 12-week double-blind, parallel randomised placebo-controlled trial involving 52 participants was conducted to look at the impact of ginger supplementation on the frequency and severity of common GI symptoms in RRMS patients.
The study, in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, revealed that a daily dosage of 1500 milligrammes of ginger over 12 weeks significantly reduced the frequency and severity of nausea and constipation, along with a significant reduction in bloating severity.
Additionally, ginger supplementation showed a statistically near-significant impact on reducing bloating frequency and abdominal pain severity in RRMS patients.
However, no significant effects were observed on the frequency and severity of dysphagia, diarrhoea, belching, flatulence, heartburn, and anorexia, as well as the frequency of abdominal pain.
Interestingly, in this trial, the most substantial alleviation of gastrointestinal symptoms through ginger supplementation was observed in cases of constipation. Among RRMS patients, constipation stands out as the most prevalent GI issue.
It is noteworthy that the trial’s observed improvements in constipation, nausea, and bloating exceeded the minimum clinically important difference, set at 10 mm for the VAS of gastrointestinal symptoms. However, the improvement in the degree of stomach pain was not clinically significant.
Researchers did, however, caution that because this study only included RRMS patients, its findings cannot be applied to a larger MS community. The mild to moderate frequency and severity of GI symptoms in this study also make it difficult to determine whether the results apply to cases with greater severity.
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