November 18, 2004 -People with diabetes who add one to six grams (about ¼ to 1 teaspoon) of cinnamon to their diet daily may reduce complications associated with diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease, according to a team of nutrition researchers from Pakistan1.
The Dr Alam Khan and his colleagues observed, in 60 people with diabetes, a significant decrease in blood sugar, triglycerides, bad cholesterol as well as total cholesterol, after 40 days of consumption of various doses of cinnamon.
Thirty men and thirty women with a median age of 52, with type II diabetes but not taking insulin, were randomly assigned to six groups. Three of them took either one, three or six grams of cinnamon capsules per day. The other three groups took the same doses, but the capsules contained a placebo made from wheat flour. After 40 days, the fasting blood sugar levels of the three groups that took cinnamon had decreased (reduction from 18% to 29%), as well as their triglyceride (23% to 30%) and cholesterol levels (from 13% to 26%). ). The decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL) was significant only in the group who consumed six grams of cinnamon per day.
In addition, it appears that the beneficial effect of cinnamon is prolonged over time since measurements, taken 20 days after the end of the study, revealed that fasting blood sugar levels, triglycerides, total cholesterol and bad cholesterol remained lower than those of individuals in the placebo groups.
The mechanism responsible for this beneficial effect remains to be clearly identified. However, the authors maintain that previous studies tend to show that cinnamon extract stimulates the action of insulin, allowing it to play its role better. This benefit leads researchers to conclude that adding cinnamon to the diet of people with diabetes may reduce some of the complications associated with diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease.
According to Diabète Québec, 70% to 80% of people with diabetes will die of cardiovascular disease or a stroke, a rate twice as high as what is observed in the non-diabetic population. November is Diabetes Awareness Month; it also signals the start of the cold season when all the excuses can be good to treat yourself to a cinnamon tea! It could be a way to improve your lipid profile without ingesting additional calories.
Marie france Coutu – PasseportSanté.net
1. Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA, Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes, Diabetes Care, December 2003, Vol. 26, No 12, 3215-8.