Cinnamon Improves Markers of Diabetes

A growing body of evidence suggests that active compounds in cinnamon may improve markers of diabetes.  Rajadurai Akilen, from Imperial College London  (United Kingdom), and colleagues studied 58 people, average age 55 years, with type-2 diabetes, randomly assigning each to receive either a daily supplement containing a daily two gram dose of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) or placebo, for 12 weeks.  At the end of the study, the team found that the cinnamon supplement decreased mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures, by 3.4 and 5.0 mmHg, respectively; no significant reductions were recorded in the placebo group.  Glycated hemoglobin (a marker of blood sugar levels) decreased over the 12-weeks study period, from 8.22 to 7.86% in the cinnamon group, as compared with an increase in the placebo group from 8.55 to 8.68% over the same timeframe.   Commenting that: “Intake of 2g of cinnamon for 12 weeks significantly reduces [glycated hemoglobin], [systolic blood pressure], and [diastolic blood pressure] among poorly controlled type 2 diabetes patients,” the researchers urge that: “Cinnamon supplementation could be considered as an additional dietary supplement option to regulate blood glucose and blood pressure levels along with conventional medications to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.”