Tips from gaining health

Update on Cinnamon for BG Control

Cinnamon has received good press recently owing to USDA-sponsored research, some results of which appeared in the December 2003 issue of Diabetes Care. That study found that intakes of as little as 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon/day improved measures of blood glucose and blood lipids in people with type 2 diabetes. We reported those results here.

Results of 2 recent studies are at odds concerning the benefits of cinnamon.
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The first study appeared in the April 2006 issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

Methods

• Participants - 25 postmenopausal patients with type 2 diabetes
  
• Length - 6-week intervention
  
• Type - Double-blind, placebo-controlled
  
• Dose - 1.5g cinnamon/day

Findings
Cinnamon did not improve measures of insulin sensitivity, oral glucose tolerance, or blood lipids.
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The second study appeared in the May 2006 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Methods

• Participants - 79 patients with type 2 diabetes
  
• Length - 4-month intervention
  
• Type - Double-blind, placebo-controlled
  
• Dose - Water soluble cinnamon extract (equivalent to 3g of cinnamon/day)

Findings
Cinnamon extract led to a reduction in fasting glucose levels (down 10.3%, compared to the placebo groups 3.4%). Cinnamon did not improve HbA1c levels nor measures of blood lipids.
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Neither of these studies is the final word on use of this spice for BG control. If youd like to try adding cinnamon to your diet, keep in mind that long-term safety of ingestion of powdered cinnamon bark has not been determined. Researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service note that:

"Table cinnamon made from cinnamon bark contains [potentially toxic] fat-soluble compounds. Those compounds may accumulate in the body if ingested consistently as more than a spice over long periods of time."
- Rosalie Marion Bliss, April 2004, Beneficial Compounds in Cinnamon Spice Up Insulin Sensitivity

If benefits of cinnamon supplementation prevail, a water soluble cinnamon extract - similar to that used in the second study above - may be the best bet.

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For the April 2006 Journal of Nutrition study:
Cinnamon Supplementation Does Not Improve Glycemic Control in Postmenopausal Type 2 Diabetes Patients

For the May 2006 European Journal of Clinical Investigation study:
Effects of a Cinnamon Extract on Plasma Glucose, HbA1c, and Serum Lipids in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

For a news summary of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation study:
New Study Shows Cinnamon Extract Lowers Blood Sugar Levels In People With Type 2 Diabetes

For the 2003 Diabetes Care study:
Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes