Botanical Helps Balance Blood Sugar

By CP Staff

A recently published clinical trial evaluated the effect of supplementation with cinnamon in patients with elevated blood sugar. Hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose) results from insufficient insulin production or the inability of the body to utilize the insulin available. Hyperglycemia is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million Americans have diabetes while another 57 million are at risk. Blood sugar disorders increase with increasing age, affecting 10.7 percent of Americans age 20 and older and 23.1 percent of adults age 60 and older.

This new study evaluated cinnamon (CinSulin®) supplementation in subjects with hyperglycemia. The subjects in this study consisted of 137 adults with a mean age of 61.3 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.3 with elevated blood sugar. The subjects received either a 250 mg dried water-extract cinnamon capsule twice per day or a placebo for 2 months. The subjects were evaluated for blood pressure and levels of blood sugar, serum lipids and insulin at the beginning of the study and again after the 2-month treatment.

The results showed that at the beginning of the study, insulin resistance was associated with increased diastolic blood pressure, postprandial (after eating) blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides, body mass index and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The researchers also noted that insulin resistance was associated with Glycated Serum Protein (also known as Fructosamine), a measurement of blood glucose control over the previous 2-3 weeks.

After 2 months of supplementation, the results showed that the group receiving the cinnamon extract had reduced fasting blood glucose levels compared to the subjects in the placebo group. Two hours after eating a 75-gram carbohydrate load, glucose levels were also reduced in the group receiving the cinnamon extract. Furthermore, insulin concentrations showed a trend toward improvement, although this was statistically non-significant.

The study authors stated, “In summary, supplementation of a water extract of cinnamon had beneficial effects in subjects with hyperglycemia.”

Reference:

Barbara J Stoecker, Zhiwei Zhan, Rencai Luo, Xiaoqun Mu, Xiuhua Guo, Yingying Liu, Qing Guo, Jin Zhou, Jiang Kong, Zhenli Zhou, Baoyin Cui, and Richard A Anderson. Cinnamon extract lowers blood glucose in hyperglycemic subjects. FASEB J. 2010;24: 722.1. Published Online Ahead of Print.