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New Study Reports Cinnamon
May Improve Blood Sugar Levels...
Consumption of Three Grams of Cinnamon a Day
May Improve People's Control of Blood Glucose Levels,
Scandinavian Scientists Have Reported
Ingesting
the spice led to reductions in blood insulin levels, the hormone
responsible for controlling blood sugar levels, and increased levels of
a
peptide reported to work by delaying the emptying of the stomach
(gastric
emptying), according to results of a recent study.
Despite
the increases in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), no effects on
gastric
emptying, feelings of satiety, or changes in blood sugar levels were
reported. The results are published in the new issue of the American
Journal
of Clinical Nutrition.
"Our finding that cinnamon
decreases the insulin demand, despite the lack
of change in blood
glucose concentrations, was probably due to enhanced
glucose uptake via
stimulation of the insulin receptor," reported the
researchers from
Malmo University Hospital.
The study adds to a growing body of
research reporting that active compounds
in cinnamon may improve
parameters associated with diabetes. Indeed, the
same researchers
reported in the same journal in 2007 that consumption of
300 g rice
pudding plus 6 g cinnamon led to a decreased rate of gastric emptying.
Taking
into account the earlier studies, higher doses of cinnamon are
apparently
required to influence GER and postprandial blood glucose
concentrations. The
researchers measured the rate of stomach emptying
(gastric emptying rate) in
14 healthy subjects with normal fasting
blood glucose levels after consuming
300 grams of rice pudding or 300
grams of rice pudding plus 6 grams of cinnamon.
The
Scandinavian researchers recruited 15 health subjects (nine men) with
an
average age of 24.6, an average BMI of 22.5 kg/m2, and with no
history of diabetes,
and assigned them to randomly consume 300 grams of
rice pudding with zero, one
or three grams of cinnamon (Cinnamomum
cassia) added. All of the participants
consumed all the meals in a
random order, with one week between each.
No significant effects
on the rate of gastric emptying, levels of satiety, and blood
glucose
levels were reported. However, the insulin response one and two hours
after the meal with three grams of the spice was significantly lower
than levels after
consuming the control meal.
Furthermore, the
change in GLP-1 response was significantly higher after
ingestion of
the pudding with three grams of cinnamon, compared to the
control meal,
said the researchers.
"There seems to be a relation between the
amount of cinnamon consumed,
the delay in gastric emptying, and the
reduction in postprandial blood glucose
concentrations," wrote the
researchers.
"The previously described reduction in postprandial
blood glucose concentrations
after the ingestion of six grams of
cinnamon was much more noticeable than was
the lowering of GER. Gastric
emptying, as well as other factors, regulates the
postprandial blood
glucose response, and a delay in gastric emptying leads to
a lower
postprandial blood glucose concentration." they added.
The
Scandinavian researchers make reference to the potential in diabetes,
while
also acknowledging the meta-analysis results. "Clearly, a
long-term clinical trial
involving a larger number of diabetes patients
is needed to evaluate the effects
of cinnamon supplementation in type 2
diabetes," wrote the researchers.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, Volume 89, Pages 815-821
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