Cinnamon for Diabetes, is it true? Would it bring my blood sugars down?

6 Comments

1. rxmaman says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   Diabetes
   Taking cassia cinnamon orally seems to improve type 2 diabetes. Some research suggests that taking cassia cinnamon 1 to 6 grams for 40 days can lower fasting serum glucose by 18-29%, triglycerides by 23-30%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 7-27%, and total cholesterol by 12-26%
2. miczie says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   I heard that it is effective for diabetes.
3. Mite says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   good question. interested to know, lets see the responses!
4. lil_redbird_86 says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   Cinnamon Helps Type 2 Diabetes

   Cinnamon can improve glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood. For people with type 2 diabetes, and those fighting high cholesterol.Botanicals such as cinnamon can improve glucose metabolism and the overall condition of individuals with diabetes — improving cholesterol metabolism, removing artery-damaging free radicals from the blood, and improving function of small blood vessels, he explains. Onions, garlic, Korean ginseng, and flaxseed have the same effect.
5. sad_sdq says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   I have heard about this too.
   But cinnamon powder to be mixed with honey!
6. Foxy Goddess says:

   November 30, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   Yes – but it’s not safe to stop using medication.

   Cinnamon can help with blood sugar levels by helping the body’s own insulin to work more effectively, but it would be dangerous for someone with diabetes to rely on it as an alternative to medication. My grandfather tried this due to his concerns about the safety of diabetic medications and it failed. I also tried it, and it was insufficient. If your doctor agrees to it, you could try it yourself by using cinnamon as an alternative – and then test your sugars as usual and see the results (or lack thereof) for yourself.

   With Type 2 diabetes (Adult Onset), the body’s insulin doesn’t work properly. Without insulin, sugars can’t get into the bloodstream to provide energy. Medication such as Metformin enables the insulin to do its job better. The amount of cinnamon you’d need to consume in order for it to be effective would be huge. While adding cinnamon to your diet shouldn’t hurt, failing to take diabetic medication has the potential be leathal.

   Ultimately, the best way to keep your blood sugars where they should be, is to increase your protein intake, and reduce the amount of empty and starchy carbs you consume. In other words, the darker the bread, the better – white bread is not good; no bread at all is even better. Brown or basmati rice instead of white rice; and only eat pasta that cooks in under six minutes (such as fresh, filled pasta, and the extremely thin "angel hair" pasta). If it takes longer than that, the carbohydrates (sugars) in the pasta swell – meaning more sugar is absorbed when you eat it. There’s an old trick of throwing pasta at the wall to see if it sticks, so that you can tell if it’s cooked. The reason this works is that the sugars have swollen, making it sticky – which is why it sticks to the wall. The same applies to regular rice: if it sticks together, it’s no good for a diabetic. This is why brown rice and basmati rice are good alternatives.

   Look for foods that have a low glycemic index. These are "slow-burning" foods that don’t cause a surge in blood sugar – and as a result, they don’t trigger the insulin spike. Check out http://www.glycemicindex.com to find out the GI values of various foods. I also recommend the book "Low Carb Made Easy" by Dr. John Ratcliffe (ISBN 1741218985). It is an Australian publication, so I don’t know whether it would be available overseas or not. If you can’t get hold of it, contact me and I’ll see if I can help you out.