Effect of ginger supplementation on the fecal microbiome in subjects with prior colorectal adenoma

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 2988 - 9
• Main Authors: Prakash, Ajay, Rubin, Nathan, Staley, Christopher, Onyeaghala, Guillaume, Wen, Ya-Feng, Shaukat, Aasma, Milne, Ginger, Straka, Robert J., Church, Timothy R., Prizment, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.02.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/67/1504/1885; 631/67/2195; 692/4020/2741; 692/4028/67; 692/700/478; Adenoma; Adenoma - drug therapy; Adult; Akkermansia; Bacteroides; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Community structure; Dietary Supplements; Feces; Feces - chemistry; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Inflammation; Intestinal microflora; Microbiomes; Microbiota; multidisciplinary; Placebos; Relative abundance; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Supplements; Taxa; Tumors; Zingiber officinale
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52658-4

Ginger has been associated with a decreased incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) through reduction in inflammatory pathways and inhibition of tumor growth. Recent pre-clinical models have implicated changes in the gut microbiome as a possible mediator of the ginger effect on CRC. We hypothesized that, in adults previously diagnosed with a colorectal adenoma, ginger supplementation would alter the fecal microbiome in the direction consistent with its CRC-inhibitory effect. Sixty-eight adults were randomized to take either ginger or placebo daily for 6 weeks, with a 6-week washout and longitudinal stool collection throughout. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing and evaluated changes in overall microbial diversity and the relative abundances of pre-specified CRC-associated taxa using mixed-effects logistic regression. Ginger supplementation showed no significant effect on microbial community structure through alpha or beta diversity. Of 10 pre-specified CRC-associated taxa, there were significant decreases in the relative abundances of the genera Akkermansia (p < 0.001), Bacteroides (p = 0.018), and Ruminococcus (p = 0.013) after 6-week treatment with ginger compared to placebo. Ginger supplementation led to decreased abundances of Akkermansia and Bacteroides , which suggests that ginger may have an inhibitory effect on CRC-associated taxa. Overall, ginger supplementation appears to have a limited effect on gut microbiome in patients with colorectal adenomas.