The Effects of Unemployment Rate and Inflation on Economic Growth

The Effects of Unemployment Rate and Inflation on Economic Growth

Introduction

The economic growth of a country is desirable since it leads to improved standards of livings. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indicates a countries economic growth. A higher GDP indicates higher economic growth. Several factors affect the GDP of a country. Some of the factors that influence the growth of the economy include inflation and the unemployment rate (Alisa 90). Inflation is the increase in the prices of goods and services of a country. Inflation is as a result of the decrease in the value of the currency hence an increase in inflation leads to a decrease in the economic growth. An increase in the unemployment rate leads to a decrease in the economic growth of a country. The unemployment rate decreases the purchasing power of individuals hence shrink the economy. This paper investigates the correlation between economic growth and inflation and the unemployment rate of the United States. A linear regression analysis will be used to analyze the data with GDP as the response variable and unemployment rate and inflation as the explanatory variables.

Method of Data Collection

The data used in the analysis involves the GDP, the unemployment rate, and the inflation of the population of interest which is the United States from the year 1985 to 2018 (Amadeo para 3). The data was obtained from the website The Balance. The website provides reliable data concerning the economic status of the United States. It provides the economic statistics and analyzes the performance with respect to the previous status.

Data Analysis

Scatter plot diagrams were used to show the graphical representation of the relationship between the response variable and the explanatory variables. The scatter plot diagram of GDP against unemployment shows a negative relationship between the variables. The scatterplot indicates a decrease in economic growth with the increase in the unemployment rate. The StatKey analysis also indicates the coefficient of correlation between the two variables. The coefficient of correlation indicates the direction and strength of the relationship. The coefficient of correlation of the relation between GDP and inflation is -0.576. The negative sign indicates a negative direction of the relationship. The figure also indicates a relationship of moderate strength. The coefficient of determination can be obtained by finding the square of the coefficient of correlation. The coefficient of determination is 0.332. This means that the regression model represents 33.2% of the sample. The regression model is obtained in the summary statistics of the StatKey analysis. The following is the regression model of the graph of GDP against unemployment:

y = -0.588x + 6.139

Where,

y = predicted value of GDP

-0.588 = slope of the linear relationship

X = the value of unemployment rate

6.139 = y-intercept

The second scatterplot diagram gives the graphical representation of the relationship between GDP and inflation. The diagram shows a slightly inclined slope which indicates an increase in inflation leads to an increase in GDP. The coefficient of correlation of the relationship is 0.186. This shows that there is a weak or no relationship between the variables. The coefficient of determination is 0.035. This indicates that the regression model represents only 3.5% of the sample. The following is the regression model of the relationship:

y = 0.225x + 2.08

The null hypothesis of the relationship between GDP and unemployment is that changes in the rate of unemployment have no significant effect on the GDP of the United States. The randomized test in StatKey is used to test the null hypothesis. The p-value of the test is indicated as 0. This shows that there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. We can, therefore, conclude that changes in the unemployment rate have a significant effect on the GDP of the United States. This means that an increase in the rate of unemployment leads to a significant decrease in the growth of the economy.

Conclusion

The purpose of the study was to determine how the response variable GDP relates to the explanatory variables inflation and unemployment rate. The population of interest was the United States. Data of the three variables was collected from 1985 to 2018. The first step of data analysis involved the creation of scatterplot diagrams followed by regression analysis. It was determined that there exists a negative and moderate relationship between GDP and unemployment rate. This means that an increase in the unemployment rate leads to a significant reduction in the GDP. It was also determined that there exists a weak relationship between inflation and GDP. This means that an increase in inflation does not bring about a significant change in GDP. The final analysis involved a randomized test for correlation to measure the null hypothesis of the relationship between unemployment and GDP. The null hypothesis was rejected since the p-value of the test was 0. This means that the changes in the rate of unemployment bring about a significant effect on the GDP. In conclusion, the unemployment rate should be as low as possible for the United States to realize Economic growth.

Works Cited

Alisa, Maximova. "The Relationship between Inflation and Unemployment: A Theoretical Discussion about the Phillips Curve." Journal of International Business and Economics, 3.2, 2015, 89-97.

Amadeo, Kimberly. “US real GDP growth rate by year compared to inflation and unemployment.” The Balance, 2019, www.thebalance.com/u-s-gdp-growth-3306008

Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea

Japanese Imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea

Japan had a period where it attempted to grow a great nation-state with immense power as a way to increase its dominance of the Asian continent. The period is often regarded as an era of Japanese imperialism. Imperialism “presupposes the will and the ability of an imperial centre to define its own national interests and enforce them worldwide in the anarchy of the international system (Ryan, 2000). In the case of Japan, its approach to imperialism can be viewed as having taken different forms depending on the region that it was exercising the powers. For example, Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo is said to have concentrated on two areas: military conquest and mass migration (Young, 1998). On the other hand, the imperialism of Japan in Korea was marked by mostly by assimilation (Kang, 2001). As a result, the form of imperialism that China exercised depended on the country that it colonized. The goal of this essay is to show that Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea took very different forms through an examination of the actions of the Japanese in the two territories.

Differences of Japanese Imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea

The domination of Manchukuo by the Japanese started with the mass movement of people from Japan to the Chinese territory. According to Young (1998), the Japanese undertook a carefully designed process where the lowest stratum of the village society in Japan immigrated to the region as part of a colonization plan. They were encouraged to move to the new territory and received huge parcels of land for agreeing to relocate. The lands in the Manchukuo territories were occupied by the Chinese, but the Japanese managed to dispossess them of the titles through coerced sales, price manipulations, and forced evictions. In this regard, the Japanese established the first step towards the occupation of Manchukuo, and they founded Japanese imperialism in the territory. Thus, the Japanese approach to colonization in Manchukuo shows that the Japanese were interested in the territory as opposed to the people. They sought to capture the land to gain control over the people.

On the other hand, the creation of Japanese imperialism in Korea had a different approach. According to Kang (2001), Governor-General Minami Jiro, who was the ruler of Korea from the year 1936 to 1942, held the belief that it was his calling to unite Japan and Korea. As a result, he developed and implemented several regulations that aimed to assimilate the Koreans into Japanese society. For instance, the governor-general required them to recite the Pledge of Imperial Subjects, worship at Shinto shrines, change their names to Japanese, and speak only the Japanese language (Kang, 2001). The intention of the ruler was to ensure the full assimilation of the Koreans by enforcing Japanese ideologies and beliefs in the region. In this regard, the Japanese were interested not only in the lands but also the cultural domination of the Koreans. The requirement that the Koreans alter their names and adopt the Japanese language is an indication of the emphasis that Japan laid on controlling the people and their lands. The situation in China differed significantly because Japan was more interested in the land and saw the economic subjugation of the Chinese as a way to control them.

Apart from taking away the lands of the Chinese in Manchukuo, the Japanese also exploited the labor power of Chinese farmers. Before the Japanese farmers moved to the region, they undertook a survey of the territory (Young, 1998). Their conclusions showed that the Chinese would not be happy with being dispossessed of their lands. As a result, the Japanese needed ways to ensure that they had the ability to control the Chinese. One of the ways they achieved the goal was by ensuring that the Chinese were completely dependent on the Japanese settlers for their economic progression. In this regard, the Japanese used the Chinese to provide labor to the farms that they established. The Japanese also ensured the importation of more labor from Korea to give them control over the Chinese. They could determine the payments and avoid shortages should the Chinese refuse to work for them. Thus, the Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo denied the Chinese any form of economic power.

However, the method of Japanese imperialism in Korea was different. The Japanese aimed to ensure the religious domination of Korea through forced worship at Shinto shrines that had a Japanese background. According to Kang (2001), the Japanese had to appear for religious worship at the Shinto shrines at least once a week for them to get food rations. The Japanese who immigrated to Korea had established shrines on the highest points in the region that they lived, and they made it compulsory for the Koreans to attend religious events and bow to the gods of Shinto. Some villagers tried to resist the requirements placed on them by the Japanese, but they suffered considerable persecution of their actions. For instance, they would be denied food at a time when the majority of the people could not provide for themselves. As a result, the Japanese managed to control the Koreans through the imposition of their religious values. The goal was to modify the thinking and attitudes of the Koreans through cultural and religious domination, which differed from the economic control of the Chinese in the Manchukuo region. The varied approaches in Manchukuo and Korea show the difference in Japanese imperialism in the two territories.

The need to assimilate the Koreans drove the Japanese to introduce their religious practices in Korea marking another difference in Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea. The Japanese were not interested in the assimilation of the Chinese. As a result, the Manchukuo region retained their religious and cultural traditions. The Chinese retained the beliefs and practices that they had exercised before the arrival of the Japanese in their territories and the subsequent colonization. Thus, Japanese imperialism did not have a considerable effect on the traditions of Manchukuo. The major impact of the occupation was felt in the economic and military fronts due to the land acquisition and involvement of the Kwantung Army.

However, Japanese imperialism in Korea had a significant influence on the religious and cultural traditions of the people. According to Henry (2014), the Japanese introduced the Shinto shrines into the public life of the Koreans, and they were forced to observe the religious holidays that the Japanese brought to the territory. Kang (2001) asserts that the villagers who did not participate in the religious activities suffered considerable persecution from the Japanese settlers and government officials. Thus, the people of Korea had to participate in the events. The extent that they adopted the beliefs imposed by the Japanese is debatable. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the Koreans were involved in the religious and cultural festivities of the Japanese settlers.

Another way that the Japanese managed to control the Chinese in Manchukuo was through the power they had over the instruments of violence. The Japanese brought the Kwantung Army into the Manchukuo region, and the battalion was given the responsibility of disarming the locals. As a result, the Chinese people were not allowed to hold any weapons that they could use to defend themselves against the Japanese. However, the Japanese settlers did not suffer the same fate. The Japanese government allowed them to own weapons that they saw as necessary for the settlers to use to protect themselves against the local population. Furthermore, the Japanese government established military training centers that would teach the settlers to use a variety of weapons. The centers went ahead to indoctrinate the settlers and military men to view the Chinese as insurgents and potential bandits who were interested in the downfall of the Japanese Empire. In this regard, Japanese imperialism aimed to portray the Chinese as an enemy that had to be controlled through any means.

In Korea, the approach of the Chinese differed considerably. Following the introduction of the Shinto shrines in the territory, the governor organized public celebrations that were meant to continue assimilating the Koreans into the Japanese Empire. According to Henry (2014), the Koreans were involved in the Keijo that were part of the assimilation projects introduced by the Japanese. The Keijo had a special relationship with the yearly Shinto festivals that had been created to promote feelings of loyalty towards the imperial house. However, the outcomes of the assimilation efforts differed considerably depending on the class of people. The rich Koreans who benefitted from the presence of the Japanese showed considerable loyalty towards the Japanese as seen by their attendance of the Keijo and Shinto celebrations. On the other hand, the poor masses attended the festivities, but their attendance was marked by a form of rebellion that involved pickpocketing and other illegal activities (Henry, 2014). In this regard, Japanese imperialism in Korea differed from the technique used in the Manchukuo territory. The strategy in Korea involved assimilation through the imposition of Japanese beliefs.

The Japanese settlers in the Manchukuo territory routinely treated the Chinese who lived in their territory with brutal hostility (Young, 1998). The police received numerous reports of occurrences where the attempts of the Chinese to make their issues and fears known were met with violence. Sometimes the incidents did not require provocation from the Chinese to elicit violence from the Japanese settlers. According to Young (1998), one case involving two colonists who saw a 50-year-old man walking near their settlements led to suspicion about the intentions of the old man, and they started chasing him only to shoot and kill the old man for failing to stop. In another incident, three men from the Youth Brigade killed a Chinese man who was in a group that was trying to cross through their land to another section of the territory (Young, 1998). Such incidents are an indication of the way Japanese imperialism in the Manchukuo territory worked. The Japanese exercised significant brutality and violence towards their subjects in the area.

However, the opposite approach was used in Korea where the Japanese were keen on assimilating the people. As stated, the poor people in the Korean region started to express dissatisfaction with the Japanese in a variety of ways. For instance, they would sabotage the Japanese public festivals by pickpocketing the people who attended the events (Henry, 2014). They would also refuse to attend the Shinto religious activities despite the mandatory requirement placed by the Governor-general Minami Jiro (Kang, 2001). Although the Koreans were showing signs of rebellion and disloyalty to the Japanese Empire, the Japanese did not show any signs of violent actions against them. According to Minichello (1998), the Koreans had shown minimal effort at self-determination. As a result, one can contend that the Japanese had a softer stance towards the Koreans compared to the Chinese in Manchukuo due to the unassertiveness of the Koreans. The Chinese suffered severe violence and brutality for minor issues compared to the Koreans because of the fear among the Japanese settlers.

The difference in Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Japan is also visible during the Pacific War. The outbreak of the war led to the diversion of government financial and human resources towards the war efforts. As a result, the Japanese Empire started to lose its position in Asia. The settlers in Manchukuo were the first to experience the problems caused by the war. The Japanese immigrants were heavily taxed, and the demands of the government for human, financial, and material requirements grew significantly (Young, 1998). Instead of abandoning the resettlement policy that it had started, the Japanese government continued to push for the occupation of Manchukuo. However, the policy led to increased pressure on the material, human, and financial resources of the territory. Young (1998) notes that the settlers in the Manchukuo region had been promised a better life, but the outbreak of the Pacific War made them the first line of defense for the Japanese Empire.

However, the Japanese people who had migrated to the Korean region did not face so many hardships. The government made human, material, and financial demands from them, but they had an easier time because they got the support of the Korean people, especially the rich who had benefitted from Japanese imperialism. The Japanese wanted the support of the Korean people in the Pacific War, and they did not wish to stop the assimilation method that they had employed for several years as a way to build a relationship with the subjects in this part of the Japanese Empire. Therefore, the government took a softer approach in the region. The Japanese settlers in Korea were also at an advantage. The potential of an invasion from this side of the empire was small, and they did not have to act as a buffer for the empire compared to their counterparts in the Manchukuo territory. Therefore, the group continued to have a better time as the Japanese government pushed with its immigration policy despite the beginning of the Pacific War. In this case, the situation of the Japanese settlers was helped by the geopolitical position of Korea.

The conditions of the settlers in the Manchukuo region were made worse by the inexperience of the Kwantung Army. Young (1998) observes that the pressure that arose from the Pacific War forced the government to recruit young people especially the men of the Youth Brigade into the Kwangtung Army. The individuals who entered the army were inexperienced in military affairs. Despite the knowledge that the men did not have a sufficient understanding of war, the Japanese government continued to recruit these people. The group became an easy target for the Soviet army that would take them as prisoners. As a result, they experienced considerable suffering. The settlers also became prone to the attacks of the Soviets because they did not have the ability to defend the territory effectively. Although the Japanese government was still sending more settlers to the Manchukuo territory, they often became prisoners due to their lack of war experience.

The Japanese control of Korea was less strict compared to their grip over the Manchukuo territory. The Japanese settlers in this part of the empire had an easier time. The Koreans had been allowed to maintain an army that was disbanded by Ito Hirobumi when he took over as the Governor-general of the territory (Davidann, 1996). The situation is quite different from the Manchukuo region where the Japanese government did not allow the locals to possess weapons going as far as allowing the Kwantung Army to disarm them. The presence of an army in the Korean part of the Japanese Empire provided the settlers with an easier time since they did not have to spend time defending it against external aggression. They could concentrate on the economic activities that made it easier for them to pay taxes to the government. Therefore, Japanese imperialism in Korea provided a better environment for the people in the region.

Similarities in Japanese Imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea

Although the Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea differed considerably, there were some aspects of the Japanese rule of these territories that have significant resemblances. The issue of violence towards those colonized was a common factor in both Korea and Manchukuo as resistance towards the Japanese in both territories grew, but the amount and regularity of violence were greater in Manchukuo. Young (1998) asserts that "Chinese and Koreans protested vigorously against their treatment at the hands of Japanese settlers, and these protests were often met with more violence" (p.405). In this case, both the Chinese and Koreans received similar treatment, but an argument can be made regarding this situation. The onset of violence in the Korean territory arose from the realization that Japanese imperialism was losing its hold in the region. As a result, the settlers tried to maintain that control by dealing with the resistance using violence. Thus, the growth of violence in Manchukuo and Korean territory demonstrates a variation in Japanese imperialism in the two regions. While the people in the Manchukuo region experienced the brutal force of the Japanese from the beginning, the individuals in the Korean territory came to understand the violence of oppression in the period that marked the decline of the Japanese empire.

The second element of Japanese imperialism that was common in both Manchukuo and Japan was the dispossession of land. The Japanese government had to remove the people of Manchukuo and Korea from their lands to get places that the new settlers would occupy. In the case of Manchukuo, the Japanese used a variety of techniques to remove the original owners from their land. For example, they were forced to sell the land or forcefully evicted from it. In other instances, the Japanese manipulated the price of land to buy it from its owners. In the case of Korea, the Japanese had a softer approach, but it worked as effectively in removing the Koreans from their land. According to King (n.d),

Between 1911 to 1918, a series of regulations and ordinances on land-holding were issued to establish a new and better-defined concept of land ownership which corrected the complicated agricultural structure in Yi-Dynasty Korea. They provided the legal basis for land ownership, made available a land market, and allowed foreigners to buy lands in Korea. The Japanese colonial government then nationalized the royal and Buddhist lands and also the private lands for which ownership by the yangban elite was not identified owing to inadequate documentary certificates (p.5).

The method employed by the Japanese ensured that they continued to gain control of more land in Korea. As a result, a common aspect of Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea was the dispossession of the local people of their lands. However, the techniques used in the territories differed because the Japanese had a more forceful approach in Manchukuo compared to Korea.

Another similarity in Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea is visible in the effect on the economy of the two regions. The occupation of the Japanese was followed by the Koreans and Chinese losing their lands. The effect of the dispossession was a slow rate of economic growth as the people lacked a critical factor of production. The situation was worse in Manchukuo compared to Korea. According to Mizoguchi (1979), the Japanese rulers in Korea established some industries that allowed the people to have the means to earn a living. On its part, Manchukuo was not given the same privilege. The Japanese settlers seemed to understand that their time in the region was limited, and they did not show any interest in establishing industries in that part. For this reason, it can be argued that Japanese imperialism in Korea and Manchukuo significantly slowed down the economic development of the two regions.

Conclusion

Japanese imperialism in Korea and Manchukuo differed significantly. In Manchukuo, the Japanese were mainly interested in exploiting the land and people and did not appear interested in their inclusion in the Japanese society. The issue is visible in the way the Japanese treated the Chinese in this region focusing on military conquest and mass migration. The Japanese managed to dispossess the Chinese in Manchukuo of the titles to their land through coerced sales, price manipulations, and forced evictions. On the other hand, they employed a different strategy in Korea preferring to take over land through legislation and policies that affected land ownership. In this case, the goal was to maintain good relations with the Koreans whom they wanted to assimilate into the Japanese culture as seen in the exportation of Japanese religions and traditions to Korea. Although the Japanese imperialism in Korea and Manchukuo had some similarities, the differences were more substantial. Thus, Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo and Korea took very different forms.  

References

Davidann, J. (1996). Japanese YMCA cultural imperialism in Korea and Manchuria after the Russo-Japanese War. The Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 5 (3/4): 255-276.

Henry, T. A. (2014). Assimilating Seoul: Japanese rule and the politics of public space in colonial Korea, 1910-1945. Berkeley, CA: University of California.

Kang, H. (2001). Under the umbrella: Voices from colonial Korea, 1910-1945. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

King, L. B. (n.d). Japanese colonialism and Korean economic development. Retrieved from https://asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-13-03-1975/king-japanese-colonialism-korean-economic-development.pdf

Minichello, S. (1998). Japan’s competing modernities: Issues in culture and democracy, 1900-1930. Manoa: University of Hawaii.

Mizoguchi, T. (1979). Economic growth of Korea under the Japanese occupation – Background of industrialization of Korea: 1911-1940. Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, 20 (1): 1-19.

Ryan, D. (2000). US foreign policy in world history. New York, NY: Routledge.

Young, L. (1998). Japan’s total empire: Manchuria and the culture of wartime imperialism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

The Role of Ginger in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

The Role of Ginger in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

The change in people’s living environment and lifestyle is the main primary factor that causes health conditions such as diabetes. The number of diabetic patients globally has been increasing steadily, and adults are expected to suffer more from the condition in the future. The increased rate of the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is among the adults is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a significant risk factor for the health condition. A metabolic disorder causes type 2 diabetes mellitus. Notably, the disease is associated with variation in blood glucose level as well as resistance to insulin and has no known cure. However, individuals suffering from the condition can manage it effectively and live a fulfilling life. Nevertheless, management of the disease is expensive since it is chronic. Therefore, the healthcare sector has turned to food supplements that have a potential enhancing response to insulin and lowering the level of blood sugar to reduce the financial burden of managing the condition. One of the food supplements with therapeutic value on T2DM is ginger. The paper evaluates the benefits of ginger in treatment and management of T2DM in patients.   

Ginger is among the most popular medicinal herb used in traditional Indian and Chinese communities for many years. The Asian communities used the herb to treat conditions such as primary dysmenorrhea as well as arthritis among others. Ginger has been a promising remedy for T2DM and metabolic syndrome through various pathways and targets (Zhu, Chen, Song, Wang & Sun, 2018) revealed that ginger reduces the level of blood glucose and enhances insulin sensitivity with negligible side effects on patients, making it a promising therapy for T2DM. The findings are supported by the previous study by Daily, Yang, Kim and Park (2015), who indicate that combination of ginger root supplementation with lifestyle and dietary interventions can be useful in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus. They indicate that the herb lowers levels of HbA1c and concentrations of fasting blood glucose.

Patients with T2DM usually experience low-grade inflammation. The inflammations have the potential of causing chronic complications to the patients. Therefore, reduction of the inflammations can significantly reduce the risks of persistent health conditions associated with diabetes. Mahluji, Ostadrahimi, Mobasseri, Attari & Payahoo (2013) studied how ginger affects pro-inflammatory cytokines in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Their findings indicate that oral administration of ginger supplementation reduces inflammation in T2DM patients. The anti-inflammatory effect also reduces pain associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid. The anti-inflammatory effect of ginger prevents arachidonic acid metabolism after lipooxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathway inhibition. Therefore, ginger consumption reduces lipid peroxidation as well as oxidation stress.

The cause of lasting health complications in patients with diabetes is the glycemic as well as the lipid abnormalities. Medication for T2DM focuses on regulating levels of the two compounds to prevent complications in patients suffering from the condition. Consequently, scientists have considered the consumption of safe and natural food as the best alternative for managing T2DM instead of conventional medicines. Makhdoomi Arzati et al. (2017) researched the effect of ginger on glucose and lipid levels in persons with T2DM. Their findings indicated that consumption of ginger as a food supplement reduces levels of LDL/HDL ration, HbA1c, as well as FBS in patients with T2DM. The evidence from the study shows the importance of dietary change and food factors in managing diabetes. The study supports findings by Mahluji et al. (2013), who reported a considerable reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride in individuals suffering from T2DM and consuming 2 grams of ginger for two months.  However, Mahluji et al. (2013) had conflicting finding on the issues of HbA1c and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Consumption of ginger did not affect the two components in patients with T2DM.

Lipid abnormalities due to insulin resistance and uncontrolled hyperglycemia in patients who have diabetes are critical risk factors for health conditions such as peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and coronary artery illness. Ginger has been a focus of numerous studies as alternative therapy instead of conventional anti-diabetic treatment. Khandouzi et al. (2015) investigated how ginger can help in regulating Hemoglobin A1c, fasting blood sugar, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B in individuals with T2DM. Their finding indicates that oral ginger supplementation considerably reduces levels of fasting blood sugar, Apo B/Apo A-I, HbA1c in patients with T2DM. Notably, the level of HbA1c level increases during diabetes. Ginger promotes clearance of glucose in the insulin-responsive peripheral tissues facilitating maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels (Fritsche, Larbig, Owens & Häring, 2010). Consumption of ginger supplementation increases the activity of serum PON-1 which is considered to have a beneficial impact on patients with T2DM by reducing risks for cardiovascular disease complications (Shidfar et al., 2015). Besides being useful to T2DM patients, increased serum PON-1 reduces glucose concentration, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Azimi, Ghiasvand, Feizi, Hariri and Abbasi (2015) point out that inflammation, hyperglycemia, and elevated oxidative stress are possible causes of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These factors lead to insulin resistance, which characterizes the T2DM. Unlike other studies that focused solely on ginger, Azimi, Ghiasvand, Feizi, Hariri and Abbasi (2015) included other herbs such as saffron, cinnamon, and cardamom in their research to investigate their effects on patients with T2DM. Contrary to Makhdoomi Arzati et al. (2017), Ghiasvand, Feizi, Hariri and Abbasi (2015) findings never indicate any considerable effects of the herbal therapy on fasting blood sugar and insulin concentration besides HbA1c in T2DM patients. Nevertheless, the study concurs with other researches that ginger has a positive effect on measures of oxidative stress, inflammation, and glycemic control in diabetes patients reducing risks for other complications.

Overweight is another risk factor for T2DM and other chronic metabolic illnesses that may comprise cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Notably, obesity and overweight are associated with resistance to insulin, and that may lead to lipid abnormalities, arterial hypertension, oxidative stress, and hyperglycemia. Therefore, controlling weight can reduce the risk of diabetes. Taghizadeh et al. (2017) indicate that dietary supplement containing ginger extracts, capsaicin, and green tea on overweight women can have a beneficial effect on their weight, body mass index, and insulin metabolism markers.

Conclusion

The increased rate of the type 2 diabetes mellitus is among the adults is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a significant risk factor for the health condition. A metabolic disorder causes type 2 diabetes mellitus. Notably, the condition is associated with variation in blood glucose level as well as resistance to insulin. Ginger has been a promising treatment for metabolic syndrome and T2DM. Ginger supplement benefits include promoting clearance of glucose in the insulin-responsive peripheral tissues facilitating maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis and reducing levels of LDL/HDL ration, HbA1c, as well as FBS in patients with T2DM. Therefore, people should be encouraged to take ginger supplement irrespective of their health condition in relation to T2DM to not only manage the condition without any side effect but also to prevent the illness and other complications associated with diabetes such as stroke and cardiovascular disease.

References

Azimi, P., Ghiasvand, R., Feizi, A., Hariri, M., & Abbasi, B. (2015). Effects of Cinnamon, Cardamom, Saffron, and Ginger Consumption on Markers of Glycemic Control, Lipid Profile, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes Patients. The Review Of Diabetic Studies, 11(3-4), 258-266. doi: 10.1900/rds.2014.11.258

Daily, J., Yang, M., Kim, D., & Park, S. (2015). Efficacy of ginger for treating Type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal Of Ethnic Foods, 2(1), 36-43. doi: 10.1016/j.jef.2015.02.007

Fritsche, A., Larbig, M., Owens, D., & Häring, H. (2010). Comparison between a basal-bolus and a premixed insulin regimen in individuals with type 2 diabetes-results of the GINGER study. Diabetes, Obesity And Metabolism, 12(2), 115-123. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01165.x

Khandouzi, N., Shidfar, F., Rajab, A., Rahideh, T., Hosseini, P., & Taheri, M. (2015). The Effects of Ginger on Fasting Blood Sugar, Hemoglobin A1c, Apolipoprotein B, Apolipoprotein A-I and Malondialdehyde in Type 2 Diabetic Patients. Iranian Journal Of Pharmaceutical Research, 14(1), 131-140.

Mahluji, S., Attari, V., Mobasseri, M., Payahoo, L., Ostadrahimi, A., & Golzari, S. (2013). Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on plasma glucose level, HbA1c and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. International Journal Of Food Sciences And Nutrition, 64(6), 682-686. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2013.775223

Mahluji, S., Ostadrahimi, A., Mobasseri, M., Attari, V., & Payahoo, L. (2013). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Zingiber Officinale in Type 2 Diabetic Patients. Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 3(2), 273-276.

Makhdoomi Arzati, M., Mohammadzadeh Honarvar, N., Saedisomeolia, A., Anvari, S., Effatpanah, M., & Makhdoomi Arzati, R. et al. (2017). The Effects of Ginger on Fasting Blood Sugar, Hemoglobin A1c, and Lipid Profiles in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. International Journal Of Endocrinology And Metabolism, 15(4). doi: 10.5812/ijem.57927

Shidfar, F., Rajab, A., Rahideh, T., Khandouzi, N., Hosseini, S., & Shidfar, S. (2015). The effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on glycemic markers in patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal Of Complementary And Integrative Medicine, 12(2). doi: 10.1515/jcim-2014-0021

Taghizadeh, M., Farzin, N., Taheri, S., Mahlouji, M., Akbari, H., Karamali, F., & Asemi, Z. (2017). The Effect of Dietary Supplements Containing Green Tea, Capsaicin and Ginger Extracts on Weight Loss and Metabolic Profiles in Overweight Women: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Annals Of Nutrition And Metabolism, 70(4), 277-285. doi: 10.1159/000471889

Zhu, J., Chen, H., Song, Z., Wang, X., & Sun, Z. (2018). Effects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Components of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, 1-11. doi: 10.1155/2018/5692962