Diabetes is a serious chronic illness whose incidence is exploding worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which attributes 13 million deaths a year to the disease. Diabetes is usually treated with insulin injections or oral medication. Cinnamon, a respected herbal remedy in China and India, may act chemically to lower blood sugar levels. Before attempting to treat diabetes with cinnamon, talk with your physician.
Botanical Facts
Much of the ground cinnamon and the cinnamon in sticks imported into the United States for culinary purposes is derived from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree, also called "true cinnamon," an indigenous Sri Lankan plant, states the Ethnobotanical Leaflets website. A lower-quality cinnamon called cassia, or Cinnamomi cassiae, is the kind used in research studies and in many supplements.
Chemical Components
Cinnamon bark contains constituents such as essential oils, eugenol, methyl eugenol and tannins. Its principal therapeutic phytochemical is cinnamaldehyde. According to biochemist and professor of cancer research Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D., author of the 2011 book "Healing Spices," cinnamaldehyde can boost production of the hormone insulin and decrease blood glucose levels. Ground cinnamon also contains calcium, iron, zinc and manganese, along with amino acids, vitamin C and folic acid.
Scientific Research
Exciting research studies on cinnamon are highlighting its benefits for those with diabetes and hypoglycemia, or high blood sugar levels. For example, a study published in a 2010 issue of "Archives of Pharmaceutical Research" noted that cinnamon appears to lower hypoglycemia in rats with type 2 diabetes by adjusting or modulating sugar metabolism. A human clinical trial demonstrated that cinnamon, whether whole or in extract form, was able to significantly cut fasting glucose levels in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes patients. This study was reported in a 2011 issue of "Journal of Medicinal Food." According to Aggarwal, however, no study of cinnamon shows an improvement in fasting glucose levels for type 1 diabetics.
Cautions and Considerations
Consumption of cinnamon as a coveted spice for thousands of years has shown that it is safe when used in cooking. The German Federal Bureau of Health Assessment published a 2006 monograph outlining health concerns with high daily doses of cinnamon. One concern was cinnamaldehyde and its potential to cause birth defects. One type of cinnamon often used in supplement production is cassia cinnamon, which is high in coumadin, a blood-thinning chemical. Potentially, cassia cinnamon supplements could adversely interact with blood-thinning medications. Another concern of the bureau was the lack of long-term studies on medicinal cinnamon use in humans.
References
- German Federal Bureau of Health Assessment; High Daily Intakes of Cinnamon: Health Risk Cannot Be Ruled Out; August 2006
- Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Cinnamon; Sarah Pittman; 2000
- World Health Organization: Diabetes Facts & Figures
- "Archives of Pharmaceutical Research"; Antihyperglycemic and Antihyperlipidemic Action of Cinnamomi Cassiae (Cinnamon Bark) Extract in C57bl/Ks Db/Db Mice; S.H. Kim and S.Y. Choung; February 2010
- "Journal of Medicinal Food"; Cinnamon Intake Lowers Fasting Blood Glucose: Meta-Analysis; P.A. Davis and W. Yokoyama; April 2011
- "Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices . . . "; Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D.; 2011
