A meta-analysis of the effects of Zingiber officinale on metabolic indices among patients with type 2 diabetes

The metabolic effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on type 2 diabetes have been increasingly assessed in clinical trials, but the results remain inconsistent. In this updated meta-analysis, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from the inception to November 12, 2025, to find randomised controlled trials comparing the effect of ginger and placebo on the metabolic indexes of patients with type 2 diabetes. Pooling data from 13 articles with 837 participants indicated that treatment with ginger significantly decreased fasting blood sugar (FBS) (weighted mean difference (WMD) –16.22 mg per 100 mL, 95 % confidence interval (CI) (–25.49, –6.95), I² = 85.67 %), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD –0.49 %, 95 % CI (–0.86, –0.12), I² = 98.14 %), triglyceride level (WMD –17.04 mg per 100 mL, 95 % CI (–28.61, –5.47), I² = 71.30 %), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD –5.5 mg per 100 mL, 95 % CI (–10.98, –0.01), I² = 83.99 %). However, the beneficial effects of ginger on body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol, high-density lipo-protein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not meet the threshold of statistical significance. Ginger was more effective at a daily dose of less than 2000 mg (powdered rhizome of Zingiber officinale administered orally) and in males, individuals younger than 54 years, and individuals with a baseline HbA1c of more than 8 %.