Yell, no.
Experts have warned that ginger ale, long touted as a cure for stomach upsets, not only has no significant health benefits but could make stomach upsets worse. .
The problem dates back to when real ginger, which has been used since ancient times as a treatment for tummy troubles and whose benefits have been proven in the latest research, was removed from the fizzy drinks that bear the holy spice’s name. In most cases, cost-cutting executives replaced the real product with a ginger flavor that did nothing.
“Ginger root contains a special compound called gingerol, which has been shown to support gastrointestinal motility, or the rate at which food moves through the digestive tract,” says Dr. Stephanie Sassos, director of nutrition and fitness at the Good Housekeeping Institute. He told HuffPost US..
“This reduces nausea for a variety of symptoms. This is basically because it prevents food from staying in the digestive tract for as long.”
“Most commercial ginger ales contain little or no actual ginger,” she said.
In fact, the company that makes the Canada Dry brand in the U.S. and Canada has been repeatedly accused of false advertising, or claims that the soda is “made with real ginger,” as once promised on American packaging. It’s here. (There have since been multiple class action lawsuits, and the company reportedly removed the language).
So most of the time, when people seeking relief head to the soda aisle at their local supermarket, they’re likely pinning their hopes on another sweet soda. Some experts argue that it can cause even more discomfort.
That’s because many ginger ales and other carbonated drinks have too much sugar, Dr. Lukasz Kwapisz, a gastroenterologist at Gastro Health in Miami, told HuffPost.
“Too much sugar can cause inflammation, increase bloating and gas, and make an upset stomach even worse,” he warned.
Switching to diet ginger ale can also be problematic, Sassos notes. Sugar alcohols, found in some artificial sweeteners, “may just make symptoms worse.”
Carbonic acid is not a panacea to settle your stomach. For some people, bubbles may be soothing, while for others they may just be irritating.
You don’t have to be afraid to touch that thing again, just be realistic.
“If you are looking for a therapeutic effect, [ginger ale], it’s most likely a placebo,” said Maya Ferrer, R.D., of Maya Ferrer Nutrition in Brooklyn. “That’s fine, because you feel better, right? Soda at the end of the day. So I encourage people to interact with this the same way they interact with soda.”
And if you’re interested in getting back to ginger’s roots as a natural healer, skip the middleman and go straight to the source, Kwapishu said.
“Chop, grind, peel or slice and put in boiling water or put in capsules with 250 to 500 mg of powdered ginger,” he said. “All of these will have the greatest effect on relieving an upset stomach.”
