CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
Preload time-dependent effects of Panax ginseng on postprandial glucose tolerance. A randomized controlled study in healthy middle-aged participants
Provisionally accepted
- Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Objectives: Panax ginseng (P. ginseng, C.A. Meyer) is suggested to improve blood glucose regulation, but evidence remains inconsistent. We examined whether consuming P. ginseng as a preload before a carbohydrate-rich meal modulates postprandial glucose and insulin responses. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, 22 healthy middle-aged adults consumed P. ginseng tablets containing 32 mg total ginsenosides (32 mg ginsenosidesprimarily Rg1, Re, Rf, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd) or an identical placebo without ginsenosides at three time points prior to a standardized breakfast: 90 min, 45 min, and immediately before meal initiation. Results: Compared with placebo, P. ginseng ingested 90 minutes prior to the meal reduced 0-150 min postprandial blood glucose incremental areas under the curves (iAUC) by 29% (P < 0.001) and maximum individual glucose peaks (iPeak) by 26% (P < 0.001). When P. ginseng was ingested 45 minutes prior to the meal, postprandial iPeaks were reduced by 15% (P < 0.01). Postprandial insulin iAUCs decreased by 24% (P < 0.001) and 23% (P < 0.01) when ginseng was consumed 90 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively, before the meal. Similarly, compared with placebo, the insulin iPeaks were significantly lower after ginseng intake at 0 min or 45 min prior to the meal (-23%, P < 0.001 and -15%, P < 0.01, respectively). No effects on blood glucose or insulin responses were observed when ginseng was taken immediately before the meal (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Preload timing is critical for optimizing ginseng's glucoregulatory effects, supporting its potential role in dietary strategies for glycemic management. Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02392819). URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02392819
Keywords: Dietary prevention, Functional Foods, Metabolic health, Panax ginseng, Postprandial Glucose toleranceregulation, Postprandial glycaemia, Postprandial insulinaemia, Preload timing
Received: 02 Dec 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Nilsson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Anne Nilsson
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