Can Cinnamon Help Control Blood Sugar?

10/4/2010

Researchers at the USDA are investigating the insulin and blood glucose modulating properties of cinnamon.

Volunteers who took a cinnamon extract showed significant decreases in fasting blood glucose and small increases in lean muscle mass compared with the placebo group. Also, pre and post study analysis of the extract group revealed small but statistically significant decreases in body fat and blood pressure.

Source: Diabetes: Nutrition Research Tackles Widespread Disease

3 Comments

Jen Porrier

10/4/2010 03:35:08

Can this beneficial effect be accomplished by using the spice normally, or do you need the extract? And if you can do it with just the spice alone in a normal days intake, how much would you need to achieve these benefits?

spider veins link

9/27/2012 17:21:49

This blog impressed me and over exceeded my expectations. You know how to involve a reader and increase his curiosity to read more. Many congratulations!

Alissa link

10/4/2010 04:16:32

Yes, the benefits can be accomplished by using the spice normally. This study did use an extract, but many other studies found similar benefits even when the subjects were given small doses of cinnamon ranging from as little as a quarter teaspoon to less than 2 teaspoons a day.

Not only can the cinnamon reduce blood sugar levels and increase the natural production of insulin, it lowers blood cholesterol as well. Even as soon as 20 days after the addition of cinnamon, the patients continued to see beneficial effects.

This is good news for the more than 50 million Americans who suffer from diabetes and/or heart disease. This is also potentially good news for the many millions more of us who suffer from insulin resistance, sometimes known as “prediabetes,” or the “Metabolic Syndrome.” Lowering blood sugar levels, and improving cholesterol ratios can help reverse prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, and in fact may actually prevent the worsening of health to full diabetes.

In addition, addressing elevated blood sugar levels and helping to combat insulin resistance may be a successful factor in helping you lose weight. The fat cells in your abdomen are particularly sensitive to high insulin levels, and are very effective at storing energy – far more so that fat cells you’d find in other areas such as the lower body (i.e. hips, rear end, thighs). Because abdominal fat cells are so close to your digestive organs, and there is an extensive network of blood vessels circulating in the abdominal area, it’s even easier for fat cells to store excess glucose there.

Some people prefer to use cinnamon as a supplement, and this is certainly a safe and effective way to incorporate cinnamon into your diet. Be sure you pick a quality supplement.

Others would rather get their ½ to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day using the spice in their foods. The cinnamon you can pick up off any grocery shelf comes from the bark of the evergreen cinnamon tree, and was probably grown in China. You’ll find it in stick or ground form at most markets and health food stores.

There are many tasty and simple ways you can enjoy this aromatic spice.

-Steep your favorite herbal tea with a cinnamon stick adds flavor to the tea
-Add one-half teaspoon of cinnamon to unsweetened applesauce
-Add cinnamon to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal
-Sprinkle on toast
-Sprinkle cinnamon on your morning cup of coffee, cocoa or cappuccino

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Can Cinnamon Help Control Blood Sugar?

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories