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Have You Had Your Cinnamon Today?

Recent headlines about cinnamon are the result of an accidental finding in a Maryland USDA research center. Incredibly, the catalyst was as American as good old apple pie, flavored with — what else — cinnamon. Scientists were testing the effects of various foods on blood sugar (glucose) levels. They expected the classic pie to have an adverse effect, but instead they found it actually helped lower blood glucose levels!

Next came a study in Pakistan made up of 60 people with Type 2 diabetes who were divided into 6 groups of 10. Three groups received cinnamon in the form of capsules totaling 1, 3 or 6 grams of cinnamon a day. The other three groups received placebo capsules. The capsules were taken three times a day, after meals. All three levels of cinnamon showed results, leading researchers to believe that as little as 1 gram a day of cinnamon may benefit people who have Type 2.

The fact that studies so far have involved a small amount of people and have not yet explored the long term benefits of cinnamon, would lead to the conclusion that there may not be enough evidence gathered yet, to support cinnamon as a major player against Type 2. But adding more cinnamon to already healthy lifestyle changes probably wouldn’t hurt either.

Cinnamon…

* can have favorable effects on brain function and memory

* soothes the stomach, and may help prevent ulcers

* reduces cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering bad cholesterol while leaving

good cholesterol the same

Of particular interest is cinnamon’s ability to reduce blood sugar, and increase insulin levels, results which were documented in a respected diabetes journal.

It is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar that makes it a potential help in the war against obesity, insulin resistance, sometimes known as “prediabetes,” and the “Metabolic Syndrome.”

In addition to ground cinnamon consumed directly, one can also make a cinnamon tea and let the solids settle to the bottom or use cinnamon sticks, which make for a nice clear tea. Cinnamon can also be added to orange juice, oatmeal, coffee before brewing, salads, meats etc. It is interesting to note that the active components are not destroyed by heat.


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This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 3:03 pm and is filed under diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Have You Had Your Cinnamon Today?”

  1. [...] Have You Had Your Cinnamon Today? | Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally [...]

  2. [...] Have You Had Your Cinnamon Today? | Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally [...]

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