Does ginger help with obesity? What the research does and doesn't show

A 2019 meta-analysis pooling 14 randomized trials in overweight and obese adults found body weight was, on average, lower in ginger groups than placebo groups — a small but statistically significant difference. The same analysis found no significant difference in BMI between the two groups. A separate, larger 2026 review found average improvements in blood sugar and related metabolic markers, but it didn't measure body weight as an outcome.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support ginger, ginger tea or a ginger supplement as a weight-loss method on its own — every trial pooled below gave ginger alongside participants' usual diet, not as a replacement for one, and none tested ginger against diet, exercise or a prescribed weight-loss medication. It doesn't support BMI as a measure that moved with ginger: the same meta-analysis that found a small drop in body weight found no significant BMI difference. And it doesn't support one specific amount or preparation (tea, capsule or powder) as "the" dose, since the pooled trials varied widely and the result is reported as a pooled average, not a per-dose breakdown.

What the trials found

A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 14 randomized controlled trials (473 people total) testing ginger supplementation in overweight and obese adults. On average, body weight was lower in the ginger groups than the placebo groups — a small effect (standardized mean difference -0.66) that reached statistical significance. Waist-to-hip ratio and hip ratio were also lower on average with ginger. Fasting glucose and HOMA-IR (an insulin-resistance marker) fell too, and HDL cholesterol was higher. BMI, however, showed no significant difference between groups, and neither did insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol or LDL. The review's authors describe this as a mixed result: some markers moved with ginger and others didn't, even within the same pooled group of trials.

A separate 2026 systematic review pooled 41 randomized trials testing ginger against cardiovascular and metabolic biomarkers, finding average improvements in fasting blood sugar, insulin, HbA1c, triglycerides and LDL, among other markers. That review didn't report body weight, BMI or waist measurements as an outcome at all — it's evidence about blood markers, not about weight change, and it isn't a substitute for the weight-specific data above. See does ginger help with diabetes? for that review's full findings.

Neither review reports what happens with ginger alone, without also eating normally; none of the pooled trials used a calorie-restricted or exercise-controlled protocol as part of the intervention being tested.

Review	Trials pooled	Population	Key finding
2019 meta-analysis	14 RCTs, n=473	Overweight and obese adults	Body weight and waist-to-hip ratio lower on average; BMI not significantly different
2026 systematic review	41 RCTs	Mixed, larger effects with existing metabolic conditions	Fasting glucose, insulin and related markers lower on average; body weight not measured

Questions people ask

Will ginger root help you lose weight?

A 2019 meta-analysis of 14 trials found a small, statistically significant drop in average body weight in ginger groups compared with placebo — but the same analysis found no significant change in BMI, and every trial gave ginger alongside participants' regular diet rather than testing it as a stand-alone method.

Is ginger root good for weight loss?

The trial evidence is mixed even within the same pooled analysis: body weight and waist-to-hip ratio moved lower on average, BMI didn't move significantly, and no trial tested ginger against diet, exercise or a weight-loss medication.

How much ginger should I take for weight loss?

No review has established one specific amount for this outcome — the 14 pooled trials behind the body-weight finding used a wide range of doses and durations. See how much ginger should you take a day for the doses individual trials have used for other outcomes.

Does ginger root tea help you lose weight?

None of the trials behind this research used tea; they used capsules or powder in a supplement form. A cup of ginger tea's actual ginger content isn't measured or standardized the way a trial dose is, so the research above doesn't transfer directly to tea. See ginger tea for more on how tea compares to a measured dose.

When to talk to a doctor

Obesity and being overweight are medical conditions with established treatment approaches, and ginger has not been tested as one of them — every trial above added ginger to participants' usual diet rather than testing it as a replacement for diet, exercise or a prescribed treatment. Anyone considering a weight-management plan is better served talking to a doctor about options with a larger, more consistent evidence base than treating a supplement as a starting point.

Related reading: does ginger help with diabetes?, ginger benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, and how much ginger should you take a day.