HEALTH REPORT - Studies Show Ginger May Ease Stomach Sicknes

HEALTH REPORT - Studies Show Ginger¹ May Ease Stomach Sickness During Pregnancy²
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Wednesday, April 28, 2004

This is Phoebe Zimmermann with the VOA Special English Health Report.

Stomach sickness is common during the first three months of pregnancy. Experts say most pregnant women experience times when food will not stay down. Or they feel like they might be sick at any moment. Such vomiting³ and nausea⁴ often happen in the morning.

 
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Many pregnant women are afraid to take medicines. They worry about possible harm to their baby. So, instead, many women take ginger products as a treatment for stomach sickness. These products are made from the ginger plant. Ginger is a traditional treatment for stomach problems in many cultures. Yet research on the safety has been limited.

Now, a small study in Australia has added to recent evidence in support of ginger. Caroline Smith of the University of South Australia in Adelaide headed the research team. The findings appear in the publication Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The team compared ginger with a vitamin that doctors commonly tell pregnant women to take for stomach sickness. The vitamin is B-six. The team studied almost three-hundred women. These women had been pregnant less than sixteen weeks and had nausea and vomiting.

For the study, all the women took three pills a day. They did not know if these contained ginger or the vitamin. The women who took ginger received a total of one-point-zero-five grams per day. The other women took seventy-five milligrams of vitamin B-six per day.

At the end of three weeks, the researchers compared the results. About half the women in both groups reported reductions in nausea and vomiting. In other words, the ginger and the B-six were equally effective. And there was no evidence of bad effects from either one.

A small Canadian study reported in November showed similar results for ginger. Doctor Galina Portnoi of the University of Toronto in Ontario led that study. It compared pregnant women who had used ginger products with others who had not. The researchers reported that the ginger provided some help with nausea and vomiting.

These studies seem to support the popularity of ginger among pregnant women. But the scientists say they cannot guarantee the safety for the women or their babies without more research.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Phoebe Zimmermann.

1 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

2 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

3 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

4 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。

5 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。