Cinnamon lowers cholesterol and triglycerides

Written by Kevin Flatt

Cinnamon has been demonstrated to improve blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol in a number of studies. Although these studies have involved volunteers with type 2 diabetes, the focus of this article is on the effects of cinnamon on cholesterol and triglycerides.

Researchers have sought out nutrients that can simultaneously improve glucose metabolism and lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides). Cinnamon has proved to be such a dual-action agent.

Agricultural Research Service chemist Richard A. Anderson and co-workers at the Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center, analyzed plants and spices used in folk medicine and 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. (Judy McBride, Agricultural Research July 2000).

“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).

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, 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 groups taking cinnamon, 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). LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels continued to decline throughout the following 20 days after cinnamon use was stopped. (Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8).

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).

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 blood insulin levels and HDL (good) cholesterol levels were significantly higher. Triglycerides and total cholesterol were also significantly lower. (Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006 Mar 8;104(1-2):119-23. Epub 2005 Oct 5).

Anderson has cautioned, however, that consumers should not simply start dousing their food with 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).

Remember that 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.

References

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.


Copyright 2007 Kevin Flatt. 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.