Monitoring your blood sugar, or blood glucose, levels is essential if you have Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes. Glucose is the primary energy source for all cells throughout your body. A hormone called insulin helps regulate how much glucose absorbs into cells. If insulin isn't working properly or if your body doesn't produce adequate amounts of insulin, your blood sugar may climb or drop to unsafe levels. Cinnamon is a spice, taken orally in capsules or added to food, that is continuously being studied for its effects on blood sugar. While some research shows that adding cinnamon to your diet or taking supplements may benefit your blood sugar levels, talk with your physician ahead of time to avoid any adverse effects.
Normal Blood Sugar Levels
Your blood sugar levels vary throughout the day. Normally, your blood sugar should fall somewhere between 90 and 130 mg/dL. Before you eat, your preprandial blood sugar may be 70 mg/dL or lower, meaning you must quickly eat a meal to get it back up. After a meal, or postprandial, your blood sugar may stay as high as 180 mg/dL for a couple hours, explains MayoClinic.com. Having out-of-control blood sugar levels that are constantly outside of these ranges may benefit from cinnamon.
Cinnamon Capsules
One study conducted at the NWFP Agricultural University in Pakistan and published in the "Diabetes Care" journal in 2003 looked into links between cinnamon capsules and blood glucose in research participants diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Some of the research participants consumed capsules with 1, 3 or 6 g of cinnamon while others ingested a placebo pill. At the end of the 40-day study, researchers observed that all participants consuming cinnamon capsules had improved glucose levels, as well as improved triglyceride and cholesterol levels. While researchers in this study did not specify which type or dose worked best, they noted that any of the three given doses can reduce blood sugar if you have Type 2 diabetes.
Cinnamomum cassia
Cinnamomum cassia, a type of Chinese cinnamon, was evaluated by researchers at the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital and published in "The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine" in 2009. Researchers evaluated whether this type of cinnamon affects A1C levels, which checks hemoglobin in your blood and can measure the amount of glucose in your system over several months. Research participants were given 180 500-mg capsules and instructed to take them twice daily over a period of 90 days. Researchers observed a beneficial decrease in A1C of 0.83 percent, versus 0.37 percent in participants who did not receive the cinnamon supplement. Taking Cinnamomum cassia capsules may be a cost-effective method for stabilizing your blood sugar levels over an extended period of time.
Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Researchers at the People's Institute of Pharmacy & Research Centre in India published a study in the "People's Journal of Scientific Research" in 2008 looking into the benefits of Cinnamomum zeylanicum on blood sugar levels. In the study, diabetic rats were given 100, 150 or 200 mg, per kg of body weight, of an alcoholic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum leaves. Blood glucose was significantly improved in rats receiving the 150 and 200 mg per kg of body weight dosage. Researchers concluded that Cinnamomum zeylanicum in ethanol extract form, has superior anti-diabetic properties.
References
- "Diabetes Care"; Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People with Type 2 Diabetes; A. Khan, et al; December 2003
- "People's Journal of Scientific Research"; Antidiabetic Activity of Alcoholic Extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Leaves inAlloxon Induced Diabetic Rats; Mukul Tailang, et al.; July 2008
- "The 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; Paul Crawford; 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Blood Sugar Testing: Why, When and How; March 2010
