Cinnamon and Diabetes

Cinnamon is a small plant widely grown in Sri Lanka. The leaves have a delicate aroma because of the presence of certain aromatic oils. There are several species of the cinnamon plant all of which are grown in Sri Lanka and neighboring countries. The bark of the plant has been used as a flavoring agent in cooking for centuries. Besides cooking, cinnamon is also used as a flavoring agent in desserts, candies, tea, coffee and liqueurs. Asian typically use cinnamon to flavor foods.

In medicine, cinnamon has gained a reputation as a giant disease killer. It is said to cure the common cold, diminish diarrhea, relieve toothache and can help fight bad breath. In cyberspace, there is nothing that cinnamon can’t cure.

In the last decade, the alternative health food industry has been marketing cinnamon as a treatment for diabetes. What is so surprising is that there is not a single scientific study in North America which has demonstrated that cinnamon can lower blood sugars. All the reports, save for one study, are anecdotal.

The one and only large study from Pakistan indicated that cinnamon was quite effective in lowering blood glucose levels in diabetics. The study also revealed that within a span of a month, both cholesterol and sugar levels dropped significantly. Cinnamon was consumed as capsules containing anywhere from 1-3 grs per day.

However, the study was of a short duration and other researchers have not been able to replicate these results.

According to the FDA there are two basic types of cinnamon sold in the USA- c zeylanicum and c cassia. Only C. cassia is sold in stores. In the study from Pakistan, the type of cinnamon used was not listed.

There have been numerous studies on cinnamon-some show that it does lower blood glucose and others show that it does not. For the moment, cinnamon should be used as a food flavoring agent. It is known to be safe. For diabetics, cinnamon is not yet the panacea for control of blood sugar and more controlled trials are needed to see whether it does anything.

For more information on diabetic supplies, please visit www.medexsupply.com