Is it True That Cinnamon Can Lower Blood Sugar in People With Diabetes?

A quick look in the vitamin aisle at your local pharmacy or supermarket will reveal a number of cinnamon supplements for people with diabetes. Cinnamon did lower glucose levels in a study done in 2003 in Pakistan on 60 people with Type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon appears to increase insulin sensitivity, which helps lower blood sugar in people with diabetes.

Cinnamon Study

• The study published in 2003 in Diabetes Care Magazine showed promising results for using cinnamon as a tool for lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes. Not only was cinnamon able to lower fasting glucose levels, other benefits were noted as well. Namely, average triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels were lowered.
  Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, whereas people with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin endogenously and must inject insulin on a daily basis. The 60 men and women who participated in the Pakistani study had an average age of 52 and had been diagnosed with diabetes for over six years. All the individuals were taking sulfonylurea medications to treat their diabetes. Half the group received ground cinnamon in pill form to take daily while the other half received a placebo. The study took place for 60 days, and the subjects were tested at 20 days, 40 days and at the end of the study.
  All the test subjects followed their normal diets and medication dose during the study. For 40 days they either consumed cinnamon or the placebo, but nobody took either for the last 20 days of the study. Improvements in lowering glucose levels were seen after only 20 days and continued to drop at the 40-day tests. Glucose levels in the individuals who took cinnamon dropped by 18 percent to 29 percent. The group that received the placebo had no significant change in their levels.

Implications for People With Diabetes

• Diabetes often is accompanied by high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In the above mentioned study, those who consumed cinnamon also experienced a drop in their triglyceride levels by 23 percent to 30 percent. LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 10 percent in the group that took 3 grams of cinnamon per day. The researchers concluded that the cinnamon worked to lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity. Improved insulin sensitivity for a person with diabetes means that their cells can use glucose more efficiently, thereby reducing glucose levels circulating in the blood. Since cinnamon also reduced LDL cholesterol levels, the researchers concluded that any individual with elevated blood glucose or cholesterol levels would do well to add a cinnamon supplement to their diet.