Abstract
Postmenopausal women are vulnerable to aging and oxidative stress due to reduced estrogen. Previous studies have shown that Korean red ginseng (KRG) has beneficial effects on aging and antioxidant capacity. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of KRG on biological aging and antioxidant capacity in postmenopausal women. This study conducted a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants were randomly administered KRG or a placebo, and the following metrics were measured: mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) copy number as an indicator of biological aging and, total antioxidant status (TAS) as a marker of antioxidant capacity. Clinical symptoms of fatigue, as measured by the fatigue severity scale, were assessed before and after KRG administration. There were 63 participants, of whom 33 received KRG and 30 received a placebo. The mtDNA copy number (KRG group: 1.58 ± 2.05, placebo group: 0.28 ± 2.36, p = 0.023) and TAS (KRG group: 0.11 ± 0.25 mmol/L, placebo group: −0.04 ± 0.16 mmol/L, p = 0.011) increased and the fatigue severity scale (KRG group: −7 ± 12, placebo group: −1 ± 11, p = 0.033) decreased significantly more in the KRG group than the placebo group. KRG significantly increased the mtDNA copy number, total antioxidant status, and improved symptoms of fatigue in postmenopausal women.
Highlights
Ginseng was traditionally used in East Asian countries, including Korea, China, andJapan, as a functional health food and natural therapeutic medicine, but it is increasingly being recognized as a natural health food internationally [1,2]
Participants had to have no physical restrictions on movement. Those who were excluded were current smokers; those who consumed more than 3 standard alcoholic drinks more than two days per week; who had uncontrolled hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 100 mmHg; who had uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, defined as having fasting plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL; who had been diagnosed with liver disease and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels more than three times the upper limit; who had been diagnosed with kidney, cardiovascular, or cerebral vascular disease; who had any form of cancer or were undergoing cancer treatment; or who were taking other health supplements or female hormones
There were no significant differences between the two groups’ results in terms of SBP, DBP, waist circumference, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose levels, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, AST, ALT, gamma-GT level, mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) copy number, total antioxidant status (TAS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), alcohol consumption rates, physical activity rate, or prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia
Summary
Ginseng was traditionally used in East Asian countries, including Korea, China, andJapan, as a functional health food and natural therapeutic medicine, but it is increasingly being recognized as a natural health food internationally [1,2]. KRG has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties and consuming it improves immune system activity, fatigue symptoms, blood circulation, and memory function [2]. No exact mechanism has been identified for the aging process in women after menopause, several epidemiological studies have shown that there are many diseases related to aging in postmenopausal women. In a prospective study of 12,134 Dutch women, age-adjusted mortality increased by 2% in women who began menopause more than a year earlier [3]. A large cohort study on women, including postmenopausal women, showed that various metabolic parameters associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates, both of which are closely linked to oxidative stress and chronic low-grade inflammation, dramatically increased after menopause began [5]
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