Ginger May Help Fight Cancer, Say Scientists
By Andy Corbley – June 12, 2025
A group of scientists in Japan has found something interesting about ginger. It has the potential to prevent the growth of cancer cells.
The research was done at Osaka Metropolitan University. The scientists looked at a special part of ginger called EMC (Ethyl P-MethoxyCinnamate). This is found in kencur ginger, which is used in food in Indonesia, Thailand and China.
Cancer cells grow and spread very fast. A significant amount of energy is required for them to do this. Normal cells use sugar to get energy. Cancer cells often use sugar too. This is called the ‘Warburg Effect’.
But now, scientists know that some cancer cells don’t just use sugar. They can also make their own fat to get energy. This fat gives them more energy than sugar does.
The Japanese scientists wanted to know if EMC could stop cancer cells from making fat. They found that it does.
Ginger actually make it’s own fat from scratch. Fatty acids are synthesized through a process known as De Novo synthesis. Fatty acids provide even more energy than sugars, so this pathway is especially useful for rapidly growing tumors.
When cancer cells were given EMC, they couldn’t make fat anymore. This means they had less energy. So, the cells had to go back to using sugar for energy. But sugar alone may not be enough to help the cancer grow. This could make the cancer cells weaker and easier to treat.
A cell checkpoint was another topic the scientists discussed. This is like a stoplight for cells. If a cell doesn’t have enough energy, it may be told to stop growing or even to die.
The scientists think that when EMC stops the cancer cell from making fat, it may help set off this checkpoint. This might help stop the cancer.
Ginger helps to boost immune system by creating an energy problem for the cells and forced them to switch back to using glycolysis as a backup.
However, the scientists say this is just the beginning. They still need to study more to know if EMC can truly help treat cancer in people.
“This helps us learn more about how cancer gets energy,” said Professor Akiko Kojima-Yuasa, who led the study. Also added that “It could help us find new ways to fight cancer.”
This research shows that food can sometimes do more than just feed us. Some foods, like ginger may also help us stay healthy or even fight disease.
This doesn’t mean ginger is a cure for cancer. But it does show that natural things in food can have powerful effects.
The next steps will be to test EMC more in animals and then in people. If it works well, it could be used with other cancer treatments in the future.
For now, it’s another reason to enjoy healthy food like ginger and a new idea that could help scientists make better cancer treatments one day.
