Cinnamon and Diabetes

By Dr. Fred Raleigh
Plus Magazine
Date: 8/04

Question.
Recently I have been reading in the paper about the reported value of cinnamon for managing diabetes. Is this real or just another one of those over blown health food type claims?

HR Running Springs, CA

Answer.

No, this does not appear to be an over blown health food type claim. In fact there is a growing body of information and knowledge about the value of Cinnamomum cassia...the most common form of cinnamon used in this country, having value in not only the management of serum blood sugar levels but also triglycerides, LDL lipoprotein and total cholesterol. In addition the data indicates that the cinnamon only has value in Type 2 Diabetes and not for those cases of diabetes that are insulin dependent or Type 1 Diabetes.

A controlled trial comparing a placebo against cinnamon was recently reported in Diabetes Care 2003;26:3215-8 . In this trial doses of cassia cinnamomum ranging from 1-6 grams a day provided in divided daily doses all produced some significant reductions in blood sugar levels, total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and finally even lower levels of LDL lipoproteins.

There did not seem to be a dose response with the use of the cinnamon, in that any of the doses employed in the study worked to lower the serum levels of the blood sugar and certain lipoproteins. The higher dose of cinnamon did work faster but did not seem to improve the actual reduction in the various serum levels mentioned above when compared to the lower doses of cinnamon.

The only type of cinnamon evaluated in this study was the Chinese form of cinnamon or Cinnamomum cassia. No other type of cinnamon was evaluated.

How much cinnamon does this represent should you want to try this approach? Well it seems it is 1/4 teaspoonful 2-3 times a day. You can add the cinnamon to your coffee, tea, cereal or just about anything you eat.

If you try this approach it may take up to 40 days before noticeable results are obtained. And if you decide to use cinnamon and are diabetic I would advise notifying your physician and monitoring your blood sugar levels. If the cinnamon is effective you may have to have the dose any medication you may be taking for this problem modified.

Lastly, there are numerous forms of cinnamon on the market and health food store shelves. You want to make sure you only use the Cinnamomun cassia form of cinnamon.

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