by Alison McCook, Dec 11, 2003.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with diabetes can help
keep their bodies healthy by simply adding a dash of spice to
their diet, new research reports.
In a study, diabetics who incorporated
one gram -- equivalent to less than one-quarter teaspoon -- of
cinnamon per day for 40 days into their normal diets
experienced a decrease in levels of blood sugar, cholesterol
and blood fats.
And for people with diabetes, the less of those substances
in the body, the better.
Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses sensitivity to
insulin, a hormone that shuttles the sugars from food into
body cells to be used for energy. As a result, the amount of
sugar, or glucose, in the blood remains high, leading to
fatigue and blurred vision. Over the long term, excess blood
glucose can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney failure
and blindness.
The current findings suggest that a small amount of
cinnamon can help protect diabetics from these and other
potential complications of their condition, study author Dr.
Richard A. Anderson of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research
Center in Maryland told Reuters Health.
Diabetics could add a dash of cinnamon to their morning
servings of coffee, orange juice or cereal, Anderson noted.
"You can also make a cinnamon tea by simply boiling water with
stick cinnamon," he suggested.
Anderson noted that cinnamon may also help stave off the
onset of type 2 diabetes in people at risk of the
condition.
During the study, Anderson and his colleagues asked 60
people with type 2 diabetes to consume 1, 3, or 6 grams of
cinnamon each day for 40 days, or the equivalent amount of
wheat flour, as a placebo.
Reporting in the journal Diabetes Care, Anderson and
his team found that all cinnamon-takers experienced a drop in
blood levels of glucose, fats and cholesterol by up to 30
percent. No change was seen in the people taking placebo.
Anderson explained that cinnamon contains compounds
that help make insulin more efficient, improving the hormone's
ability to bring glucose to the cells that need
it.
As an added bonus, cinnamon contains virtually no calories,
Anderson said, allowing diabetics to add zest to their meals
without adding to their waistlines.
Previous research has shown that cinnamon appears to help
fat cells recognize and respond to insulin. In recent studies,
the spice increased glucose metabolism by about 20 times.
Learn more about
why you should choose Watkins Cinnamon over other
brands!
