Ginger Can Reduce Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea
Elsevier Global Medical News. 2009 May 14, K Wachter
Ginger supplements can reduce chemotherapy-associated nausea when cancer patients take them along with anti-emetic drugs, according to the results of a placebo-controlled study of 644 patients.
Capsules containing 0.5 g and 1 g of ginger reduced the severity of nausea by 40% at the beginning of chemotherapy cycles, investigator Julie Ryan, Ph.D., reported during a press teleconference held May 14 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"We found that all doses of ginger significantly reduced nausea compared to placebo in both study cycles," said Dr. Ryan, who is an assistant professor of dermatology and radiation oncology at the University of Rochester (N.Y.). The largest reductions in nausea were seen in the 0.5 g and 1 g groups.
The study included chemotherapy patients who had experienced nausea during any treatment previous cycle and who were scheduled for at least three additional cycles. Patients were randomized to receive 0.5 g, 1 g, or 1.5 g ginger daily or placebo. Both placebo and ginger were given as capsules.
Nausea was assessed during a baseline chemotherapy cycle and at two subsequent cycles on treatment/placebo. Patients reported their nausea level in the morning, afternoon, evening, and at night using a seven-point scale (1 represented no nausea, 7 represented extreme nausea).
Patients started ginger or placebo 3 days before the start of each cycle and continued for 3 more days, for a total of 6 days. All patients received standard anti-emetic drugs - ondansetron (Zofran) or granisetron (Kytril) - on day 1 of each chemotherapy cycle.
A total of 644 patients were randomized - 90% female and 92% white, with a mean age of 53 years. The most common cancer types were breast (66%), alimentary (6.5%), and lung (6.1%).
"Most patients report the most severe nausea on day 1 of chemotherapy, so we examined the change in nausea in the four study arms on day 1" of each cycle, said Dr. Ryan.
The researchers also observed a statistically significant linear decrease in nausea over 24 hours. This trend was most easily seen on day 1 of cycle 3.
The findings are likely to generate significant interest among patients and oncologists, noted incoming ASCO president Dr. Douglas Blayney. "This will be an interesting abstract for a lot of patients, who often ask us as oncologists 'is there anything more that I can do to deal with my chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting?'," said Dr. Blayney, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Michigan.
Reporters asked whether patients could do as well consuming gingersnaps or ginger ale, but it's unclear how the findings will translate into the use of ginger-containing products. Dr. Ryan noted that 1 g of ginger is roughly equivalent to ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.
Dr. Ryan is scheduled to present data from the trial May 30 at the annual meeting of ASCO in Orlando. As for why ginger would protect against nausea, Dr. Ryan said investigators do not know the exact mechanism but other research suggests it may be "a potent anti-inflammatory agent in the gut."
The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute.

编译

生姜可以减少化疗引起的呕吐

一项664例病人的有安慰剂对照的研究表明，与止吐剂一起服用时，姜补充剂能够减低化疗引起的恶心呕吐。研究结果对病人和医生对都十分有意义，可以减轻化疗副反应对病人的困扰，提高癌症化疗患者的生活质量。

研究挑选了在之前的治疗中都有呕吐副反应出现，并还需进行至少3个月的化疗的664名癌症病人并随机分为4组，分别接受0.5g，1g和1.5g剂量的姜制剂或安慰剂，均以胶囊给药。在基础化疗期以及随后的两个治疗周期，采用7点评分法评估副反应的程度（1代表没有呕吐，而7代表非常严重呕吐）。
病人在每个治疗周期开始前3天开始服用姜制剂或安慰剂，连续服用3天以上，一共服用6天，另外，病人在治疗周期的第一天服用标准的抗呕吐药物ondansetron (Zofran) 或granisetron (Kytril)。随机选取的644名病人中，90%为女性，92%是白色人种，平均年龄为53岁。最常见的癌症是乳腺癌（66%）消化道癌症（6.5%）和肺癌（6.1%），因为大部分病人在化疗第一天都会经历比较严重的恶心呕吐，在每个化疗周期的第一天检查4组病人在呕吐副反应程度上的不同。1天以后研究者也观察到可以显著呈线性的减低呕吐程度，但这个趋势在第三期化疗的第一天最为明显。与安慰剂比较，不同剂量的姜制剂都可显著减少呕吐副反应，比例最高达40%。 其中含有0.5和1克姜的胶囊效果最为明显。

对于食用含有姜的食物或饮料，如姜汁小甜饼或姜汁酒等，并不明确是否也有同样的作用，研究者指出1克的姜是指大约是二分之一茶匙分量的姜的粉末。对于姜制剂能止呕的原因，研究人员并不了解确切的机制，但是有一些研究表明这种机制可能与肠道的一种潜在的抗炎物质有关。