Abstract
Background: Although many menopausal Asian women use herbal remedies for joint pain, there are no studies evaluating the efficacy of Korean red ginseng on osteoarthritis symptoms in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study is to analyze antioxidant enzyme activity, oxidative stress markers, and pain scores before and after red ginseng consumption, to assess its effect in postmenopausal women. Methods. This prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial enrolled 52 postmenopausal women who presented with hand edema and/or pain and were diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the hand. Patients were randomly assigned to the red ginseng (RG) group (supplemented with 3 g/d of RG for 12 weeks) or the placebo group. Changes in pain and Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores, antioxidant enzyme, oxidative stress markers, serum estradiol levels, and endometrial thickness were analyzed. Results. The pain score and DASH score were significantly improved in the RG group (both p < 0.05). The improvement of pain score at rest, during work or sport, and DASH score was significant compared to that of the placebo group. The superoxide dismutase level increased (p < 0.05) and the malondialdehyde level decreased (p < 0.05) significantly in the RG group, while none of the antioxidative factors showed a significant change in the placebo group. Serum estradiol levels and endometrial thickness were not affected by RG supplementation. Conclusion. RG may be an effective dietary supplement for postmenopausal women with degenerative osteoarthritis of the hand. It may relieve pain and improve antioxidative activity without the risk of endometrial thickening.
Highlights
Many women experience vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats during the perimenopausal period
There is evidence that the prevalence of menopausal symptoms is different in Asian women compared to that in Western
Patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthritis, or other orthopedic diseases such as rotator cuff tear, frozen shoulder, trauma, tenosynovitis, or peripheral neuritis were excluded because these diseases could affect the pain and function of the hand
Summary
Many women experience vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats during the perimenopausal period. Post hoc analyses of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized controlled trial (RCT) have shown that the use of estrogen alone significantly reduced joint pain in postmenopausal women (Chlebowski et al, 2018). Based on such results, hormone therapy may help alleviate joint pain. Many menopausal Asian women use herbal remedies for joint pain, there are no studies evaluating the efficacy of Korean red ginseng on osteoarthritis symptoms in postmenopausal women. RG may be an effective dietary supplement for postmenopausal women with degenerative osteoarthritis of the hand It may relieve pain and improve antioxidative activity without the risk of endometrial thickening
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