Despite being made of cookies, your festive gingerbread house might have some surprising health benefits.
Gingerbread, which has been made into little men and built into Christmassy shapes for hundreds of years, contains a number of ingredients that are actually great for you, nutritionist Hazel Flight said in an essay for the Conversation. Flight is the head of the Nutrition and Health program at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England.
Ginger is the most obvious ingredient in gingerbread, with the cookies also containing molasses, cinnamon and nutmeg, all of which give the treat its signature warming flavor.
Ginger
Ginger has long been used in traditional medicine, aiding with digestion and helping to alleviate nausea in cases of illness and travel sickness.
"Ginger has been effective in a majority of studies, including those that examined the alleviation of NVP [nausea and vomiting], digestive function, improvement in the expression level of markers for colorectal cancer risk, and anti-inflammatory functions," wrote the authors of a 2020 paper in the journal Nutrients that analyzed the health benefits of ginger.
Other research has suggested that ginger may also help fight off cold and flu symptoms, as well as ease arthritis and even menstrual pain.
"Small amounts can reduce nausea and morning sickness very effectively," Evangeline Mantzioris, the program director of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of South Australia, and an accredited practicing dietitian, told Newsweek. "[Some studies found] other outcomes and showed effectiveness with 1g /per day–but taken as supplements not baked in food."
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Molasses
Gingerbread also contains molasses, which is a dark, thick syrup made during the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet. Naturally sweet, molasses is also rich is vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium and antioxidants.
These vitamins and minerals are important in bone and hair health, as well as preventing anemia, and antioxidants protect the body's cells against damaging free radicals, which can lead to genetic mutations.
However, molasses is ultimately mostly sugar.
"It is interesting that molasses, a type of unprocessed sugar that is claimed to have antioxidant properties, although these have only been shown in the laboratory and in our bodies, they are mainly going to act like a sugar and as such not have any positive effects on health," Duane Mellor, the lead for Evidence-Based Medicine and Nutrition at Aston University, told Newsweek. "Although it might contain some minerals and vitamin B6, these are likely not be be in high enough quantities, it is far better to get our vitamins and minerals from vegetables, fruits, nuts seeds or lean meat."
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, another major ingredient of gingerbread, is derived from the bark and leaves of cinnamon trees. It contains a number of chemicals, such as cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid and cinnamate, that have a wide variety of benefits to the human body.
"In addition to being an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-disease-lowering compound, cinnamon has also been reported to have activities against neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases," the authors of a 2014 paper in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine wrote in the study.
Other studies have found that it can help to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and even improve dental hygiene.
"Cinnamon has been linked to health benefits including reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although there is some evidence to suggest that this might be the case," Mellor said. "These are mainly in laboratory studies with very little data in humans. This needs to be considered as some types of cinnamon can contain harmful compounds, so it is hard to consume enough safely to have an effect on risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fortunately the amount of cinnamon in gingerbread is not enough to cause harm, but it is not enough to have a benefit."
Nutmeg
Nutmeg, another spice used in small amounts when baking gingerbread, has been found to be linked to reduced inflammation and heart health benefits.
Nutmeg contains "biomolecules of high medicinal properties that can be harnessed for development of new therapeutics, especially against drug-resistant bacterial infections," according to a 2023 paper in the journal Scientific African.
So, all in all, despite gingerbread's high levels of sugar and butter, it might end up helping you in ways you didn't realize this Christmas.
However, don't go too wild, Mellor advises.
"So, gingerbread should not be considered to be a health food, it is a biscuit and should be eaten in moderation and enjoyed and not to seek any health benefits, as most of those claimed have only been demonstrated in the test tube," Mellor said.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about gingerbread? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Update 12/13/23, 11:49 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Mellor and Mantzioris.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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