Cinnamon May Improve Insulin Response

By VRP Staff

Blood sugar control may be improved in people who consume cinnamon supplements, according to the results of a new study.

Past studies have shown that cinnamon can improve fasting glucose in humans. However, data on how cinnamon affects insulin sensitivity is limited. Insulin resistance occurs when cells lose their sensitivity to insulin. When this occurs, sugar is unable to enter the cells. The cells are unable to respond to the message that insulin is trying to send, and in an attempt to compensate, the pancreas produces higher and higher amounts of insulin. During insulin resistance, sugar builds up in the blood to elevated levels.

In the current study, researchers sought to determine how cinnamon can affect insulin sensitivity. Eight male volunteers in their 20s underwent two, 14-day interventions involving cinnamon or placebo supplementation. Placebo supplementation was continued for 5 days following this 14-day period. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on days 0, 1, 14, 16, 18, and 20.

Cinnamon ingestion reduced the glucose response to the oral glucose tolerance test on day 1 and day 14. Cinnamon ingestion also reduced insulin responses to the oral glucose tolerance test on day 14 as well as improving insulin sensitivity on day 14. The improvements were lost after the subjects stopped taking the cinnamon supplements.

The researchers concluded that cinnamon may improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity and that the effects are no longer observed after cinnamon is stopped.

Reference:

Solomon TP, Blannin AK. Changes in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity following 2 weeks of daily cinnamon ingestion in healthy humans. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2009 Jan 22. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2009 Jan 22. Published Online Ahead of Print.