Ginger Ale: Remedy for Sickness?

make-ginger-ale-step-26Honestly, ginger ale has always been one of my favorite carbonated drinks, and it has been deemed one of the greatest cures for certain illnesses. In my family, ginger ale has always been the first thing to drink when sick, aside from water and orange juice. Does ginger ale actually improve health? Is it a good remedy for various illnesses, or is it just a myth?

Ginger ale can be made with natural ginger or artificial ginger-flavoring, carbonated water, and other ingredients. However, ginger ale’s health benefits can depend on the brand of the drink. While most researchers side with ginger ale as a remedy for health, but others oppose this argument. Specifically, according to Samantha Olson of Medical Daily, ginger ale is similar to other carbonated drinks, like cola. In a study, it concluded that ginger ale is not a great cure for sicknesses because it lacks electrolytes needed to improve health. However, other studies have shown that ginger ale is a great remedy for stomach aches and nausea. The belief that ginger ale improves health has a history. Ginger, according to Whfoods, relieves gastrointestinal issues, It contributes to ending illnesses, such as motion sickness and nausea as well. 

Null hypothesis: Ginger ale makes no improvement on health.

Alternate hypothesis: Ginger ale improves health and cures illnesses.

x-variable: Consuming ginger ale; y-variable: Health improved

Reverse Causation: Ruled out

Third variables: Medicine, other recommended fluids for sickness, etc.

Chance? Possibly

Here’s the thing about ginger ale. There isn’t enough evidence, or studies to prove that ginger ale is an effective remedy for sicknesses. It is likely that ginger ale’s effects could be due to chance alone. However, because of the lack of evidence, it does not conclude that ginger ale does not improve health and cures illnesses.  Therefore, we can’t reject the null hypothesis, nor can we accept the alternate hypothesis unless evidence proves that ginger ale is as beneficial as people claim. Because there are many different brands of ginger ale, most of the drinks may not have a great effect on the body, unless the carbonated drink is made of real ginger, according to LIVESTRONG.

We should also take other confounding variables in consideration. Ginger ale can’t exactly have a magic touch on people. So, variables such as medicine consumption and drinking other fluids (like water and sports drinks) are possible causes to relief from sicknesses.

Overall, I believe more observational or experimental studies should be composed to determine if ginger ale’s effect on health is valid. However, this shouldn’t stop people from drinking ginger ale when sick, especially if it actually helps you!

SOURCES:

<http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72>

<https://www.bustle.com/articles/109419-does-ginger-ale-really-help-relieve-stomach-aches-mental-floss-investigates-the-truth-about-the-classic>

<http://www.livestrong.com/article/390637-ginger-ale-cold-remedies/>

 

4 thoughts on “Ginger Ale: Remedy for Sickness?

  1. Sarah Elizabeth Read

    This post caught my attention because I get car-sick really easily. It wasn’t until this year that someone suggested to me that I drink ginger ale or eat ginger before I get into the car for a road trip. I haven’t noticed a significant difference in my car sickness when I do drink ginger ale but I was really glad to read in your post that this is in fact a remedy. Going along the lines of sickness (car sickness in particular), my sister informed me that drinking anything carbonated would act as a remedy. Here’s a link list of other benefit that come along with ginger: https://draxe.com/10-medicinal-ginger-health-benefits/

  2. Candace Burke

    Whenever I was sick my dad would run to the ginger ale to get me a glass. I do think it has some effect on a person’s health. I believe that the bubbles in it help with stomach aches because it helps get rid of some acid in the stomach. If that isn’t true and I just made that up maybe it’s the placebo effect where we think it will make us feel better so it does.

  3. Kate Billings

    This post interested me because my mom always gives me ginger ale when I’m sick and I just associate it with something I drink when I’m sick. Although like you said, there are not enough studies to prove that it is an effective remedy for sickness, I think many people still feel that it is and will continue to use it as such. I do also think that there could be third variable that play into making people think that the ginger ale is an effective remedy. Like you mentioned, people could be taking medicine already for their sickness and that could be whats making them feel better, not the ginger ale. Regardless, I don’t think that people will stop drinking ginger ale.

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