Insulin is a hormone that takes sugar from your blood and puts it into your body's cells for fuel. People with diabetes don't properly produce or use insulin, so that sugar is not taken into cells and builds up in the bloodstream. According to the American Diabetes Association, lowering high blood sugar is a top priority for avoiding serious diabetes complications such as glaucoma, cataracts, foot numbness, skin infections, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Types of Diabetes and Treatments
Type 1 diabetics are usually diagnosed as children or young adults. They don't produce insulin and are typically treated with insulin shots, according to the American Diabetes Association. Ninety to 95 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetics either don't produce enough insulin or are resistant to insulin. Although insulin and other medications are sometimes prescribed, type 2 diabetes treatment emphasizes healthy eating and exercise to control blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Type 1 Unresponsive
As cited by a 2007 study in Diabetes Care, earlier studies suggested that taking cinnamon resulted in lowered blood sugar levels. Treatment with 1g per day of cinnamon for 90 days, however, showed no significant blood sugar decreases in adolescent subjects diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. If cinnamon stimulates insulin production, it would not be expected to affect type 1 diabetics because their insulin production is disabled.
Possible Type 2 Response
Much of the published research suggests that cinnamon sensitizes insulin reception, and most studies have focused on type 2 diabetes. A 2009 study published in the "Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine," or JABFM found that 1g per day of cinnamon did lower blood sugar levels in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. This suggests that there is a further difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in how the body uses insulin.
Inconclusive Type 2 Results
Studies overall, however, remain inconclusive about the effectiveness of cinnamon in lowering blood sugar levels. A 2008 meta-analysis in Diabetes Care of five previously published studies concluded that cinnamon did not appear to improve blood sugar or lipid levels in type 1 or type 2 diabetic subjects. It remains unknown whether cinnamon can prevent diabetes in people who have pre-diabetes or are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Caution
The Mayo Clinic website says that the results of the JABFM study suggest that cinnamon might be helpful if you have poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, but shouldn't replace your comprehensive diabetes treatment plan, including regularly monitoring your blood sugar, eating a healthy diet, exercising and taking insulin or other medications as prescribed. As always, you should consult your doctor with questions or concerns about your treatment plan.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Basics
- Diabetes Care: The Effect of Cinnamon on A1C Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes
- Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: Effectiveness of Cinnamon for Lowering Hemoglobin A1C in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
- Diabetes Care: Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose Control and Lipid Parameters
- Mayo Clinic: Diabetes treatment: Can cinnamon lower blood sugar?
