Type 2 Diabetes: Cinnamon Improves Blood Sugar Levels and Insulin Function

Written by Kevin Flatt

Cinnamon has demonstrated its ability to boost insulin activity and thus control blood glucose levels in a number of studies involving volunteers with Type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon has demonstrated additional benefits in lowered blood levels of fats and “bad” cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin, with subjects with Type 2 diabetes.

People develop type 2 diabetes because the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly. Eventually, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin for the body’s needs. As a result, the amount of glucose in the blood increases while the cells are starved of energy. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and amputation. (NIDDK National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse).

Cinnamon has been used for several thousand years in traditional Ayurvedic and Greco-European medical systems. Native to tropical southern India and Sri Lanka, the bark of this evergreen tree is used to manage conditions such as nausea, bloating, flatulence, and anorexia. It is also one of the world’s most common spices, used to flavour everything from oatmeal and apple cider to cappuccino. Recent research has revealed, however, that regular use of cinnamon can promote healthy glucose metabolism. (Life Extension Foundation, LE Magazine December 2005).

Food chemists determined the most active compound in cinnamon and discovered a method to extract it. This product is called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer. Since no one can pronounce it, it’s called MHCP.

The search for a natural way to keep blood sugar levels normal began more than a decade ago when Agricultural Research Service chemist Richard A. Anderson and co-workers at the Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center assayed plants and spices used in folk medicine. They found that a few spices (especially cinnamon) made fat cells much more responsive to insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar metabolism (the process in which cells convert glucose to energy) and thus controls the level of glucose in the blood.

Anderson and colleagues found that cinnamon’s most active compound—methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP)—increased sugar metabolism roughly 20-fold in a test tube assay of fat cells. The researchers tested some 50 plant extracts and found that none of them came close to MHCP’s level of affecting glucose metabolism—a process in which cells convert glucose to energy. (Judy McBride, Agricultural Research July 2000).

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. People with diabetes have problems converting food to energy. After a meal, food is broken down into a sugar called glucose, which is carried by the blood to cells throughout the body. Cells use the hormone insulin, made in the pancreas, to help them process blood glucose into energy.

Anderson and his colleagues stumbled onto cinnamon's anti-diabetic properties in, of all things, apple pie.

During the early stages of testing a new chromium supplement, Agricultural Research Service chemist Richard A. Anderson, Ph.D. and his colleagues were attempting to disrupt some volunteers’ blood sugar control by feeding them a low chromium diet that included apple pie. Surprisingly, these volunteers’ blood sugar remained under control. Subsequent test-tube studies showed that cinnamon in the pie was boosting insulin activity, as chromium does, and thus controlling blood glucose. The spice turned out to be the “best thing we ever tested” for that purpose, Anderson says. (Science News Online 1/5/2004; Vol. 165, No. 18).

Dr Anderson and his colleagues have noted that MHCP closely mimics insulin activity and works synergistically with insulin (meaning they were more effective when used together than when either one was used on its own) in cells and further, MHCP can work alone without the presence of insulin. (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001;20(4): 327-336).

In the lab, Anderson and his team studied the effect of consuming one to six grams of cinnamon extract a day. One gram is the equivalent of about a half a teaspoon. They found that cinnamon increases levels of three important proteins crucial to promoting normal insulin-signaling processes, a healthy inflammatory response, and efficient glucose transportation throughout the body. (Alan Mozes, HealthDay News 5/4/2006).

Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them and in so doing significantly increases cells’ ability to use glucose.

Sugars and starches in food are broken down into glucose, which then circulates in the blood. The hormone insulin makes cells take in the glucose, to be used for energy or made into fat. But people with Type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin. Those with Type 2 diabetes produce it, but have lost sensitivity to it. Even apparently healthy people, especially if they are overweight, sedentary or over 25, lose sensitivity to insulin. Having too much glucose in the blood can cause serious long-term damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and other organs. (Debora MacKenzie, NewScientist.com news service 24/11/2003).

A study conducted at Nagoya University, Japan, and published in the December 2003 issue of Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice demonstrated cinnamon’s beneficial effects on insulin activity. In this study, when rats were given a daily dose of cinnamon (300 mg per kilogram of body weight) for a 3 week period, their skeletal muscle was able to absorb 17% more blood sugar per minute compared to that of control rats, which had not received cinnamon, an increase researchers attributed to cinnamon’s enhancement of the muscle cells’ insulin-signaling pathway, resulting in increased glucose uptake. (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 2003 Dec;62(3):139-48).

In a related finding published in another journal (Diabetes Care), members of Anderson’s research team reported that less than a half-teaspoon of cinnamon daily for 40 days significantly lowered blood sugar levels among 60 volunteers with Type 2 diabetes. (ScienceDaily 17/11/2005).

The study, published in the December 2003 issue of Diabetes Care, demonstrated that in people with type 2 diabetes, consuming as little as 1 gram of cinnamon per day was found to reduce blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol. One gram is the equivalent of about a half a teaspoon.

The study was conducted in Pakistan and was organised by Alam Khan, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Anderson’s lab. Sixty volunteers (30 men and 30 women) with type 2 diabetes were divided into six groups. The first three groups consumed 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon daily for 40 days, while the other three groups consumed equivalent numbers of placebo capsules (sugar pills). In the group taking cinnamon all participants responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than the groups taking a placebo. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Even the lowest amount of cinnamon, 1 gram per day (approximately ¼ to ½ teaspoon), produced an 18% drop in blood sugar while 6 grams per day reduced blood sugar by 29%.

The cinnamon demonstrated additional benefits. In the volunteers, it lowered blood levels of fats and “bad” cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. Triglycerides were lowered by 23-30%, LDL cholesterol 7-27% and total cholesterol 12-26% depending on the dose (i.e. 1, 3, or 6 grams per day). No significant changes were seen in those groups receiving a placebo (sugar pill).

Blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon but they remained below the levels recorded before cinnamon supplementation began. LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels continued to decline throughout the following 20 days after cinnamon use was stopped. The researchers’ conclusion: including cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. (Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8).

The incidence of heart disease and risk of a heart attack is increased up to fourfold in type 2 diabetics. Together with hypertension, imbalances in blood lipids (reduced HDL cholesterol, raised triglyceride levels), and insulin resistance (“pre-diabetes”), this collection of conditions constitutes what is now termed the “metabolic syndrome”. Preventing and treating these related health threats should be much more closely coordinated, rather than seeing them as separate problems.

For this reason, researchers have sought out nutrients that can simultaneously improve glucose metabolism and lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides). As the above study demonstrates cinnamon proved to be such a dual-action agent.

As he [Dr Richard Anderson] explained to renalwire, cinnamon appears to increase insulin efficiency such that less insulin is required. “This is important, since most people with type 2 diabetes do not have too little insulin but have elevated levels of insulin that is not efficient,” Anderson explained. “High levels of circulating insulin can lead to many of the secondary signs of diabetes such as nerve, kidney, and eye problems, as well as build up of plaque in the arteries.” (Medscape Medical News April 4, 2006).

“If you can improve insulin function the cholesterol goes down, triglycerides go down, glucose goes down, and all this goes towards the alleviation of type 2 diabetes,” said Richard A. Anderson, a research chemist with the nutrient requirements and functions laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md. (HealthDay News 5/4/06).

Only a little cinnamon was necessary, said Anderson, who helped conduct the study. He calls its medicinal properties the most significant nutritional discovery in 25 years. “I don’t know of anything else,” he said, other than drugs, “that can change glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels nearly so much.” (Medical News Today 30/1/2004).

Anderson has cautioned, however, that consumers should not simply start dousing their food with cloves and cinnamon [at high doses]. He noted, for example, that cinnamon in powder form is rendered ineffective by contact with saliva, and its lack of solubility in water can result in an unwanted build up of the spice in the body. (HealthDay News 5/4/06).

Some methods of using cinnamon are explained later in this article. You can also buy cinnamon capsules with the water-soluble extract in the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons twice a day.

Dr. Anderson’s personal 60-point decline in total cholesterol occurred only after he switched from sprinkling cinnamon on his breakfast cereal to taking it in a capsule. Saliva contains a chemical harmful to cinnamon rendering it ineffective. (Medical News Today 9/4/2006).

A study conducted in Korea and published in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology demonstrated that cinnamon extract fed to diabetic rats in different dosages (50, 100, 150 and 200 mg per kg) for 6 weeks significantly decreased blood glucose concentration in a dose-dependent manner with the greatest effect in the 200 mg per kg group compared with the rats not given cinnamon. In addition, blood insulin levels and HDL (good) cholesterol levels were significantly higher. Triglycerides and total cholesterol were also significantly lower.

The researchers concluded that cinnamon extract regulates blood glucose levels and lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) and may suppress blood glucose by improving insulin sensitivity or by slowing absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine. (Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006 Mar 8;104(1-2):119-23. Epub 2005 Oct 5).

Cinnamon makes muscle and liver cells more sensitive to signals from insulin, an important blood-sugar-controlling hormone, says study author Richard Anderson, PhD. Have a little (about 1/6 teaspoon) at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for a daily total of about 1/2 teaspoon, he recommends. Since cinnamon may reduce your need for diabetes or cholesterol medication, ask your doctor if you need to adjust your dose. (Sara Altshul, Prevention.com, May 27, 2004).

Another cinnamon study conducted at Nagoya University, Japan, and published in the 2004 issue of Hormone Metabolism Research, shows that by enhancing insulin signaling, cinnamon can prevent insulin resistance even in animals fed a high fructose diet, a simple sugar! The study showed that when rats fed a high fructose diet were also given cinnamon extract (300 mg per kilogram of body weight), their ability to respond to and utilize glucose (blood sugar) was improved so much that it was the same as that of rats on a normal diet. (Hormone Metabolism Research. 2004 Feb;36(2):119-25).

Cinnamon may help by playing the role of an insulin substitute in type II diabetes, according to cellular and molecular studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Cinnamon itself has insulin-like activity and also can potentiate (increase the effect of) the activity of insulin,” said Professor Don Graves of UCSB. “The latter could be quite important in treating those with type II diabetes. Cinnamon has a bio-active component that we believe has the potential to prevent or overcome diabetes.” (ScienceDaily 14/4/2004).

In May 2006 researchers at the University of Hannover, in Germany, reporting in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation conducted a study designed to determine the effect of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 79 patients with type 2 diabetes not on insulin therapy but treated with oral medication or diet therapy were divided into two groups, one of which was given a placebo capsule (sugar pill) while the other group took cinnamon extract capsules (equivalent of one gram of cinnamon powder) three times daily (the total equivalent to 3 grams of cinnamon powder per day) for four months. Neither group knew who was taking cinnamon or the placebo.

The cinnamon extract group experienced a significant reduction (10.3%) in fasting plasma glucose levels compared with the placebo group. The decrease in blood plasma glucose (sugar) was directly related to the participant’s levels at the start of the trial indicating that subjects with a higher initial blood plasma glucose level may benefit more from cinnamon intake. (European Journal of Clinical Investigation 2006 May;36(5):340-4).

This was the first study evaluating the effect of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on glycemic control and the lipid profile of Western patients with type 2 diabetes. The results further add to a growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating supplementation with a water-soluble cinnamon extract may play an important role in managing blood sugar levels and improving insulin function. (Medical News Today 30 Jun 2006).

Glycemic control is a medical term referring to the typical levels of blood sugar (glucose) in a person with diabetes type 2. Much evidence suggests that many of the long-term complications of diabetes, especially the microvascular complications, result from many years of hyperglycemia (elevated levels of glucose in the blood). Good glycemic control, in the sense of a “target” for treatment, has become an important goal of diabetes care. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Anderson cautioned, however, that consumers should not simply start dousing their food with cloves and cinnamon [at high doses]. He noted, for example, that cinnamon in powder form is rendered ineffective by contact with saliva, and its lack of solubility in water can result in an unwanted build up of the spice in the body. “But I certainly think there are things people can do,” he added. “We recommend you add cinnamon to your coffee before you grind it, as this eliminates, in essence, the toxic components of cinnamon. Or you can use cinnamon sticks to make tea in hot water, which does the same thing. Or you can buy the cinnamon capsules in the store with the water-soluble extract in the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons twice a day.” (HealthDay News 5/4/06).

“I don’t recommend eating more cinnamon buns, or even more apple pie – there’s too much fat and sugar,” says Anderson. “The key is to add cinnamon to what you would eat normally.” Anderson’s team was awarded patents related to MHCP in 2002. But the chemical is easily obtained. He notes that one of his colleagues tried soaking a cinnamon stick in tea. “He isn’t diabetic - but it lowered his blood sugar,” Anderson says. (Debora MacKenzie, NewScientist.com news service 24/11/2003).

Remember, as Dr Anderson has noted, saliva renders cinnamon ineffective, therefore it can be added to foods as the active components are not destroyed by heat. There is some evidence that high levels of the fat soluble fractions of cinnamon could be cause for concern. Researchers note that when consumed consistently or in high doses, whole cinnamon and fat-soluble extracts may be toxic. In addition, whole cinnamon contains volatile oils, which are well-known irritants that may trigger allergic reactions. This could very well scare a lot of people away from this beneficial therapy. If you’re worried about exceeding 1 gram a day add cinnamon to your coffee before you grind it, as this eliminates, in essence, the toxic components of cinnamon. Or you can use cinnamon sticks to make tea in hot water, which does the same thing. Or you can buy the cinnamon capsules in the store with the water-soluble extract in the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons twice a day.

He recommends that, to be safe, anyone using more than 1/4 to 1 teaspoonful of whole cinnamon daily first boil it in water, then pour off (or strain through a cheesecloth) the resulting watery solution for use, either drinking it as a tea, or using it in other foods and drinks, and discard the solid remainder, which would contain the fat and oil-soluble parts.

Using cinnamon or MHCP should postpone or even help prevent progression of type 2 diabetes and its complications. For those who are on medication it is wisest to work with their physician to monitor their progress and safely taper down their dose as the cinnamon starts working.

Professor Don Graves of the University of California, Santa Barbara said that other major diseases could possibly be helped by cinnamon. For example one prospect is pancreatic cancer, a disease in which abnormal amounts of insulin are produced by the pancreas in response to the cancer tumor causing insulin resistance in the cells of the body. The resistance prevents glucose availability to the cells. Graves believes that cinnamon might help overcome this resistance. “It’s speculative but exciting,” he said. Recent studies have shown that insulin resistance may also be involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, according to Graves. (Medical News Today 14/4/2004).

References

NIDDK What is type 2 diabetes

Karalee J. Jarvill-Taylor, Richard A. Anderson, Donald J. Graves. A Hydroxychalcone Derived from Cinnamon Functions as a Mimetic for Insulin in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 4,).

Qin B, Nagasaki M, Ren M, Bajotto G, Oshida Y, Sato Y. Cinnamon extract (traditional herb) potentiates in vivo insulin-regulated glucose utilization via enhancing insulin signaling in rats. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2003 Dec;62(3):139-48.

Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8.

Kim SH, Hyun SH, Choung SY. Anti-diabetic effect of cinnamon extract on blood glucose in db/db mice. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Mar 8;104(1-2):119-23. Epub 2005 Oct 5.

Qin B, Nagasaki M, Ren M, Bajotto G, Oshida Y, Sato Y. Cinnamon extract prevents the insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet. Horm Metab Res. 2004 Feb;36(2):119-25.

Mang B, Wolters M, Schmitt B, Kelb K, Lichtinghagen R, Stichtenoth DO, Hahn A. Effects of a cinnamon extract on plasma glucose, HbA, and serum lipids in diabetes mellitus type 2. Eur J Clin Invest. 2006 May;36(5):340-4.

Copyright 2007 KevinFlatt. Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is presented for information purposes only and is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. It cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment.