Red ginseng improves digestive health, quality of life in post-surgical cancer patients: study

A recent study conducted by Professor Kwon In-gyu of the Department of Stomach at Gangnam Severance Hospital revealed significant health benefits of red ginseng consumption for cancer patients following surgery.

The research focused on patients with gastrointestinal cancers, such as stomach and pancreatic cancer, who often suffer from postoperative digestive disorders and changes in bowel habits due to the surgical removal of digestive tissues.

The study included 60 patients, split into two groups -- 40 with stomach cancer and 20 with pancreatic cancer.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 2 grams of red ginseng or a placebo daily for two months, starting one month after their surgery.

The effects of red ginseng intake were monitored using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and various health indicators, including gastrointestinal function, bowel habits, nutritional status, and gut microbiota.

The results showed that the red ginseng group experienced a 43 percent improvement in the frequency of gas discharge per day, reducing from an average of 11.8 times in the control group to 6.7 times.

Quality of life assessments showed that while the placebo group reported a 15 percent decline in overall health satisfaction post-surgery, the ginseng group maintained similar satisfaction levels to those before surgery.

The study also highlighted an increase in beneficial gut bacteria, with levels of Lactobacillus and Akkermansia doubling in the ginseng group compared to the control group. Lactobacillus percentages rose from 12.3 percent to 23.9 percent, and Akkermansia from 0.63 percent to 1.47 percent.

"These findings confirm that red ginseng not only improves postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms and uncomfortable bowel habits, which significantly reduce the quality of life of digestive cancer patients, but also increases the level of beneficial bacteria in the gut,” Professor Kwon said. “The lack of adverse events during the study in cancer patients and the effective improvement in symptoms are significant, confirming that red ginseng can be used as a safe adjunctive treatment for cancer patients as well as other surgical patients.”