Q. Some time ago a person wrote to you asking about cinnamon and its use for lowering blood sugar. I have a friend who is diabetic but not on insulin yet.
I’d like to tell her about cinnamon, but I would need more information to back this up. Otherwise she may think it’s just a folk remedy, like putting a potato on a wart.
A. Folk wisdom lauds many herbs and spices as helpful for diabetes, but researchers have actually tested ordinary cinnamon and certain other plant products using live tissue in a test tube. (J. Agric. Food Chem., March, 2000) Cinnamon was the most effective at getting sugar into cells. It also improves the cell’s response to insulin. It’s good news that the inexpensive cinnamon in your spice rack (cassia cinnamon) can be helpful.
More recently, researchers have found that cinnamon can help keep blood sugar from rising too quickly after a meal. In a three-month placebo-controlled trial, cinnamon capsules significantly reduced HbA1c in type 2 diabetics (Diabetic Medicine, Oct., 2010). This is a measure of blood sugar over several weeks, not just at one point in time.
We caution that using cinnamon in high doses or regularly over a period of time might expose your friend to excess coumarin. This compound found in cinnamon can damage the liver. It isn’t water soluble, though, so filtering the spice and using the cinnamon-flavored solution that results in one safe way to approach this.
Visitors to this website have offered the following stories:
“I add cinnamon to my coffee all the time. It is a great replacement for sugar. I have a love of sugar in my cappuccinos and I’ve been trying to kick the sugar habit. It really helps make your taste buds forget the sugar. :)”
Smoothie Diva
“I tried a concentrated form of cinnamon called Cinnulin (purchased from Swanson Vitamin Co.) for lowering my glucose level. It helped with that and surprisingly it lowered my triglycerides from 61 down to 51. I got a double benefit.”
J.L.B.
“My oldest brother takes cinnamon for diabetes prevention and it seems to work well for him — just don’t overdo it with too big of a dosage. Tony Pantalleresco (‘The Remedy’ program on The Micro Effect) recommends and uses bitter melon. And prickly pear (a cactus also known as Opuntia) is another good option. Any kind of squash (like zucchini) is also supposed to be good for diabetes.”
Brent
“For several years, I have been a diabetic, controlled on diet & exercise. I also drink 2 tablespoons of vinegar in an 8 oz glass of water at lunch and at dinner. I put 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon in my dry coffee grounds before perking the coffee and take a cinnamon capsule twice a day. My A1C has never been up to 7 and in fact was 6.4 last time it was checked. I got used to drinking the vinegar by putting it in low sodium V-8 juice. Now it does not bother me to drink it in water.”
J.B.
To learn more about cinnamon and diabetes, as well as other natural approaches to blood sugar control we offer our new Guide to Managing Diabetes. You will find details about drugs, diet and spices like cinnamon.
Redirected to https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-to-use-cinnamon-to-lower-your-cholesterol/
on 4/10/17
