Effect of Ginseng Extracts on the Improvement of Osteopathic and Arthritis Symptoms in Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Ginsenosides are active compounds that are beneficial to bone metabolism and have anti-osteoporosis properties. However, very few clinical investigations have investigated the effect of ginseng extract (GE) on bone metabolism. This study aims to determine the effect of GE on improving bone metabolism and arthritis symptoms in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. A total of 90 subjects were randomly divided into a placebo group, GE 1 g group, and GE 3 g group for 12 weeks based on the random 1:1:1 assignment to these three groups. The primary outcome is represented by bone metabolism indices consisting of serum osteocalcin (OC), urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and DPD/OC measurements. Secondary outcomes were serum CTX, NTX, Ca, P, BsALP, P1NP, OC/CTX ratio, and WOMAC index. The GE 3 g group had a significantly increased serum OC concentration. Similarly, the GE 3 g group showed a significant decrease in the DPD/OC ratio, representing bone resorption and bone formation. Moreover, among all the groups, the GE 3 g group demonstrated appreciable improvements in the WOMAC index scores. In women with osteopenia, intake of 3 g of GE per day over 12 weeks notably improved the knee arthritis symptoms with improvements in the OC concentration and ratios of bone formation indices like DPD/OC.

Keywords: WOMAC; arthritis symptoms; bone metabolism; ginseng extract; osteopenia.

Figure 1

HPLC chromatogram of the freeze-dried hot-water extracts (GE) from Panax ginseng (4 years old).

Figure 2

Flow diagram showing the subject recruitment process in the study.

Figure 3

Changes in OC, DPD, DPD/OC ratio, and OC/CTX ratio of the subjects. There was a difference in the changes of the OC and DPD levels between the GE 1 g (low dose) and placebo groups. The DPD/OC and OC/CTX ratio was significantly decreased in the GE 3 g group (high dose) after 12 weeks. * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001. Abbreviations: OC, Osteocalcin; DPD, deoxypyridinoline; CTX, C-terminal telopeptide.