Does Ginger Ale Actually Help An Upset Stomach?
If you had an upset stomach when you were a kid, there was one home remedy that parents, grandparents and other caregivers seemed to recommend time and time again: ginger ale. In fact, I was still turning to ginger ale for its supposed stomach-soothing properties well into adulthood, including when I was dealing with morning sickness while pregnant with my son. But does ginger ale actually have health benefits? Or is it a myth that many of us have been buying into for way too long? We talked to dietitians and a gastroenterologist to set the record straight. Here’s how the whole thing started. Ginger ale likely became known as a stomach settler due to its association with ginger. Since ancient times, ginger root has been used as an herbal remedy to treat different gastrointestinal ailments, including nausea, diarrhoea and indigestion. And there are some studies to back this up. “Ginger root contains a special compound called gingerol that has been shown to support gastrointestinal motility, or the rate that food moves through the digestive …