Healthcare Articles

Cinnamon and Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease that if left uncontrolled can have devastating consequences. For this reason the medical community is constantly searching for additional means (other than weight management, exercise, and currently available drugs) to provide effective glucose control in diabetics and prevent the disease in non-diabetics.  In this quest nothing could be more tantalizing than the thought of a dietary supplement that is affordable, easily administered, safe, and tastes good.  Such is the hope behind recent research on cinnamon as a means of diabetes prevention and therapy.

Cinnamon has been reported in 2 studies on a small number of noninsulin-dependent diabetics to improve the amount of both glucose and a certain type of cholesterol called triglycerides in the blood. (1,2) These promising results are detailed in the tables below. Of note however, cinnamon is not affective in type I diabetics, and may not be helpful in some subsets of diabetes type 2 patients (3,4). Also high intake of cinnamon can adversely affect the liver, especially in sensitive patients. For these reasons, if you are diabetic, you should not stop or alter your diabetes management to include cinnamon without the input of your doctor.

Cinnamon does not replace the need for regular exercise and a healthy diet whether you have diabetes or are seeking to prevent it. Lifestyle modification should remain the focus of your personal and family health strategy.

TABLE 1 - Effects of cinnamon on glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes

Data are means ± SD.

* Ten individuals in each group; means followed by different superscript letters in the same row are significantly different at P < 0.05.

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Table 2— Effects of cinnamon on triglyceride levels in people with type 2 diabetes

Data are means ± SD.

* Ten individuals in each group; means followed by different superscript letters in the same row are significantly different at P < 0.05

Oligosaccharide

If you’ve not heard of glyconutrients, understandably, the name may sound more off-putting than promising. That’s because most people are now well aware of the potential deleterious effect of uncontrolled sugar consumption on personal health. However, as has been the case with dietary fat, sugars as a macronutrient class may not be rightly conceptualized as a monolith.

As it turns out there is some limited research supporting the role of specific types of sugars called oligosaccharides in optimization of health. (1,2)  The sugars of potential benefit occur naturally in brans (the outer husks of grains), milk, certain mushrooms,  pectins, and even the aloe vera plant. One human study reported in the journal Phytomedicine found improvement in blood glucose levels in patients taking an aloe vera preparation in addition to the diabetic drug glibenclamide compared to those patients taking drug alone.  These sugars or oligosaccharides may impact diabetes and glucose control by currently unknown mechanisms. 

However, this fledgling research should be viewed in the proper context.  First of all, the studies on these sugars have been few in number and limited in scope. Secondly, most of the studies have been carried out in animals such as mice and rats, not humans.  Even then, not all animal studies support a positive role for oligosaccharides in the control of diabetes.

For example one study involving aloe vera gel (a rich source of the oligosaccharide mannose) given to diabetic rats resulted in significant worsening of glucose control. (3)  Therefore you should not employ any of the oligosaccharides discussed here as an attempt at therapeutic control without the support of your primary care physician or endocrinologist/diabetologist.  Diabetes is a serious illness requiring vigilant surveillance from both you and your doctor. Never stop or alter your diabetes management without the assistance of your healthcare provider.

PLEASE NOTE: Content of this website is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of content found on this Website.

References:

CINNAMON

1.Khan A, Safdar M, Khan MMA, Khattak KN, Anderson RA. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:3215–3218.

2.Mang B, Wolters M, Schmitt B, Kelb K, Lichtinghagen R, Sctichtenoth DO, Hahn A. Effects of cinnamon extract on plasma glucose, HbA1c, and serum lipids in diabetes mellitus type 2. European Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2006;36(5):340-344.

3.Altschuler JA, Casella SJ, MacKenzie TA, Curtis KM. The effect of cinnamon on A1C among adolescents with type I diabetes. Diabetes Care.2007;30:813-816.

4. Vanschoonbeek K, Thamassen BJ, Senden JM, Wodzig W, van Loon L. Cinnamon supplementation does not improve glycemic control in postmenopausal type 2 diabetes patients. Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136:977-980.

OLIGOSACCHARIDE

1.Yongchaiyudha S, Rungpitarangsi V, Bunyapraphatsara N, et al. Antidiabetic activity of Aloe vera L. juice. I. Clinical trial in new cases of diabetes mellitus. Phytomedicine. 1996; 3:241-243.

2.Bunyapraphatsara N, Yongchaiyudha S, Rungpitarangsi V, et al. Antidiabetic activity of Aloe vera L. juice II. Clinical trial in diabetes mellitus patients in combination with glibenclamide. Phytomedicine. 1996; 3:245-248.

3. Koo, M. W. L. "Aloe vera: Antiulcer and Antidiabetic Effects.'' Phytotherapy Research 8(1994): 461 - 464.

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