Cinnamon spice helps prevent diabetes

Monday, October 05, 2009 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: cinnamon, diabetes, health news

(NaturalNews) When it comes to health care reform in America, if we hope to make real progress, we've got to consider safe, affordable solutions that really work to prevent disease. There's hardly a better example of this than cinnamon and its ability to help regulate blood sugar and prevent diabetes.

Here, you'll find an amazing compilation of expert quotations and testimonials about cinnamon, as published in some of the best natural health books ever written. Perhaps this information should be read by someone in Congress, huh? Enjoy this collection of research... (and pass it on)...

About 5 years ago, we heard from a reader that cinnamon might help lower blood sugar in someone with type 2 diabetes. That was news to us, but a little sleuthing did turn up some interesting animal cell research. Studies showed that cinnamon made cells more responsive to insulin, which theoretically would lead to better glucose control. Since then we have heard from many readers that a little cinnamon does indeed help them keep their blood sugar in check.
- Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy by Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.

Cinnamon lowers blood sugar and cholesterol. People usually enjoy the taste of cinnamon when it's added to apple cider or baked goods. Putting a small amount of cinnamon in foods or taking cinnamon in capsules can significantly improve blood-sugar levels. Be warned, though: eating a Cinnabon, which has 144 grams of sugars and carbs and 730 calories, won't do anything good for you. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and their counterparts from Pakistan tested the effects of cinnamon-containing capsules on 60 people with diabetes.
- Stop Prediabetes Now: The Ultimate Plan to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes by Jack Challem

Cinnamon has been shown to reduce lipids and have anti-inflammatory and platelet-adhesion properties. The results of a study demonstrated that intake of small amounts of cinnamon per day (no more than six grams or one-fifth of an ounce) reduced serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. In an animal study, male rats who were given an extract of cinnamon had lower blood glucose levels. A human study found that giving cinnamon extract to type 2 diabetics significantly reduced their blood sugar levels.
- 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life! by David W. Grotto, RD, LDN

Cinnamon is an insulin substitute in Type II diabetes. Cinnamon itself has insulin-like activity, increasing the effectiveness of insulin. Cinnamon also has a bio-active component that has the potential to prevent or overcome diabetes. It also increases vitality, balances energy, improves the digestion of fruits, milk, and other dairy products and helps reduce bloating and gas. Where to buy it: At the grocery store. If you have access to purchasing on line, you can purchase cinnamon in bulk very inexpensively. My favorite is www.mountainroseherbs.com.
- Get Balanced-the Natural Way to Better Health with Superfoods by Jan Lovejoy

You can get a pound of cinnamon for less than $5, and save yourself dreadful side effects. According to research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cinnamon helps to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics. Ground cinnamon helps stimulate the production of glucose-burning enzymes and boosts insulin's effectiveness. In one study, cinnamon made insulin 20 times more capable of breaking down blood sugars.
- Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You by Andreas Moritz

For hundreds of years, the ancient Greeks and Romans used cinnamon for better digestion. Although scientists can't tell you how it works, it might have to do with the way cinnamon heats up your stomach. Whatever the reason, adding some cinnamon to your meal could help relieve your discomfort if you have trouble with frequent indigestion. If you have adult-onset diabetes, talk with your doctor about using cinnamon in your diet. Test tube studies showed that a pinch of cinnamon can make insulin work better.
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

Although most showed no effect, three spices and one herb tripled insulin activity: cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and bay leaves. Cinnamon was the most potent. Only a little cinnamon, such as the small amounts sprinkled on toast, can stimulate insulin activity, he says. A dash of cinnamon on any number of appropriate foods may help keep blood sugar in check. Eat high carbohydrate, high-fiber foods, like legumes, to keep diabetes away and under control. That's mainstay advice for anyone concerned about diabetes, according to experts such as James Anderson, M.D.
- Food Your Miracle Medicine by Jean Carper

Drink 1 quart of cinnamon water every day. Cinnamon contains a phytochemical that helps those with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes utilize blood sugar, says Dr. Broadhurst. In the past 10 years, researchers at the USDA Beltsville Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory in Maryland have tested 60 other medicinal and food plants looking for the same anti-diabetes effect. "Nothing has come close to the consistently excellent results of cinnamon," says Dr. Broadhurst.
- The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II: Over 1,200 New Doctor-Tested Tips and Techniques Anyone Can Use to Heal Hundreds of Everyday Health Problems by the Editors of PREVENTION

George Washington University studies show that cinnamon may lower blood pressure. Tufts University researchers have found that cinnamon more than doubles insulin's ability to metabolize blood sugar, which helps protect against diabetes. Doses of cinnamon tincture taken every fifteen minutes may help stop uterine bleeding. The propanoic acid in cinnamon stops the formation of stomach ulcers without interfering with the production of gastric acid. Sprinkle powered cinnamon on toast, add it to cookie batter, or stir it into hot apple cider.
- Prescription for Dietary Wellness: Using Foods to Heal by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Cinnamon helps regulate the amount of sugars extracted from carbohydrates in the bloodstream. Not only does cinnamon activate essential enzymes in the body thus stimulating the receptors in the cells so they will respond more efficiently to insulin, but it also inhibits the enzymes responsible for deactivating the insulin receptors, causing insulin resistance. Cinnamon bark actually contains calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, Bi, B2, and C, many of which are important for the prevention or treatment of diabetes.
- Prescription for Dietary Wellness: Using Foods to Heal by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Georgetown University Medical Center found that cinnamon reduced the systolic blood pressure of rats with high blood pressure. Interestingly, in these particular experiments the cinnamon didn't reduce the rodents' blood sugar, but it did reduce their insulin levels.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

According to Broadhurst's excellent book on diabetes, the best way to use cinnamon to help lower blood sugar and improve type 2 diabetes is to put 3 rounded tablespoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda (less if sodium is a problem for you) in a 32-ounce (quart) canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water and let it steep at room temperature till it's cool. Strain or decant the liquid, discard the grounds, put a lid on the jar, and stick it in the fridge.
- The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Consuming small amounts of cinnamon, in foods or supplements, can greatly improve blood sugar levels. In one study, researchers gave cinnamon to 60 overweight people with type 2 diabetes. The dosages were 1, 3, or 6 grams daily for 40 days. People taking cinnamon had decreases in blood sugar ranging from 18 to 29 percent. Although you can buy cinnamon in capsules, it is far less expensive to purchase the ground spice and sprinkle it on oatmeal or fruit, such as apples, cantaloupe, or berries. Take 1 to 6 grams daily.
- The Food-Mood Solution: All-Natural Ways to Banish Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Stress, Overeating, and Alcohol and Drug Problems--and Feel Good Again by Jack Challem

Cinnamon, a spice third only to pepper and mustard in popularity, may be a possible and pleasant treatment for diabetes. In a small study, taking 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls a day in capsule form was shown to lower blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Mostly associated with pastry products, cinnamon is also an excellent spice for teas, meats, and vegetables, as well as fruits such as apples, bananas, and peaches. The continuous ingestion of table cinnamon is, however, probably not advisable due to the potential toxic buildup of certain cinnamon compounds.
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Diabetic mice given a cinnamon extract had lower blood sugar, higher HDL cholesterol, and lower triglyceride levels. Some of the research in humans corroborates the blood sugar-lowering effects of cinnamon. Cinnamon off the spice rack may be contaminated with coumarin, which can damage the liver. Water-extracted capsules are not. If you take cinnamon, you must be under medical supervision and constantly monitor blood glucose to keep it at the right level. Alternative approaches should never be substituted for medically supervised diabetes management!
- Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy by Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.