Cinnamon spice produces healthier blood

New Scientist ^ | November 24, 2003 | Debora MacKenzie

[taxcontrol]

Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a new study has found. The effect, which can be produced even by soaking a cinnamon stick your tea, could also benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it.

The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

"We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar," he told New Scientist. One was the American favourite, apple pie, which is usually spiced with cinnamon. "We expected it to be bad. But it helped," he says.

Sugars and starches in food are broken down into glucose, which then circulates in the blood. The hormone insulin makes cells take in the glucose, to be used for energy or made into fat.

But people with Type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin. Those with Type 2 diabetes produce it, but have lost sensitivity to it. Even apparently healthy people, especially if they are overweight, sedentary or over 25, lose sensitivity to insulin. Having too much glucose in the blood can cause serious long-term damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and other organs.

Molecular mimic

The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. In test tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and works synergistically with insulin in cells.

To see if it would work in people, Alam Khan, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Anderson's lab, organised a study in Pakistan. Volunteers with Type 2 diabetes were given one, three or six grams of cinnamon powder a day, in capsules after meals.

All responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than a control group. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Tellingly, blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon.

The cinnamon has additional benefits. In the volunteers, it lowered blood levels of fats and "bad" cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. And in test tube experiments it neutralised free radicals, damaging chemicals which are elevated in diabetics.

Buns and pies

"I don't recommend eating more cinnamon buns, or even more apple pie - there's too much fat and sugar," says Anderson. "The key is to add cinnamon to what you would eat normally."

The active ingredient is not in cinnamon oils. But powdered spice can be added to toast, cereal, juice or coffee.

Anderson's team were awarded patents related to MHCP in 2002. But the chemical is easily obtained. He notes that one of his colleagues tried soaking a cinnamon stick in tea. "He isn't diabetic - but it lowered his blood sugar," Anderson says.

The group now plans to test even lower doses of cinnamon in the US, and also look at long-term blood sugar management with the spice

[varina davis]

BTW, the Spanish Moss that grows so profusely throughout the south, is very good for lowering blood glucose levels. It has to be thoroughly cleaned, microwaved briefly and boiled to make a tea. Chill it for iced tea.

The tea doesn't taste half bad, but it is a bit of chore to gather the moss, clean and boil it.

[spectre]

As another person pointed out to you, certain health food stores carry those clear gelatin capsules that can be filled with "whatever".

I mix cinnamon and sugar substitute with hot oatmeal. It's quite good.

sw

[ModelBreaker]

I wonder if the health-food stores have cinnamon in capsules?

Try www.lef.org. They just released a product based on cinnamon for blood sugar control. And, they are fanatic about product quality.

[savedbygrace]

How much ground flax seed per day?

[GummyIII]

One note of caution is that coumarin, a substance found in cinnamon, may trigger cancer in animals. Cinnamon also contains cinnamaldehyde, which is toxic. But these toxic components are fat-soluble, while the beneficial ingredient, proanthocyanidin, is water-soluble. Water-soluble extracts of cinnamon are available in which “all the bad components are left behind,” said Anderson. (Ground cinnamon does allow both water- and fat-soluble components to be absorbed, but at the doses recommended, it does far more good than harm, he said; cinnamon sticks placed in hot water release only water-soluble components.)

Found here.

If you google with key words "cinnamon" "MHCP" and "coumarin", you will see many more articles with similar information. The moral of the "story" is you CAN get too much of a good thing. Personally, I think putting cinnamon in tea or coffee to get just the water-based extract is the best idea.

[aberaussie]

bttt

[Judith Anne]

Wow! Thanks for the news--I've been using cinnamon more or less continually, labs have come back fine at checkups, so I'll probably just continue my habit...;-D

But the information you posted is great, and reminds us to be cautious, and I appreciate that you did.

Isn't FR great?

[varina davis]

Try sprinkling it in fresh coffee before you brew.....it's pretty good:0) Thanks for this tidbit. Off to try it....."

Cinnamon is very good in coffee and I have it every morning. I also put a heaping teaspoon in my homemade chili and spaghetti sauce and many other dishes.

The best, I think, for taste, is Saigon Cinnamon by McCormick. A little pricy, though.

[Colorado Buckeye]

How much ground flax seed per day?

Most of the reports I've read or heard suggest 1-3 tablespoons of oil per day for an adult. I did a little research several years ago and found that the oil content of the seed varies in the range of about 20-35%. So, 3-4 tablespoons of seed one or two times per day should be fine for most people. Practically, this works out to something like just filling the bottom of the typical tabletop coffee grinder each time.

There is a more precise answer to your question but I don't remember the number. It has to do with the ratio of the omega-3 to omega-6 fats in your diet. The omega-6 fats are common in seeds, nuts and other foods.

If you buy flax seed oil, you'll find that it is and must be refrigerated to keep it from becoming rancid. The seed can be stored at room temperature because it has a tough shell which protects the oil from oxidation. It also protects the oil from your digestive system and that's why it should be lightly ground before being consumed. Obviously, the oil and ground seed should not be heated.

There is one other important detail that I didn't include in my above post. Besides adding the omega-3s to your diet and otherwise getting all the other required nutrients in your diet or through supplementation, it's also important to eliminate or significantly cut back on your intake of hydrogenated fats.

Hydrogenated fats are not natural and tend to reek havoc in the body, but they are common on grocery store shelves both in cooking oils and processed foods. Smith discusses the history of fats and oils in his book and there is an interesting correlation between the growth in the use of hydrogenated oils and the growth in the occurrence of diabetes and related cardiovascular disease over the last century.

For food preparation, I try to limit myself to butter, extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut oil, and flax oil.

[savedbygrace]

Thank you. That was an excellent reply.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Actually, I buy cinnamon capsules at GNC, but you can purchase them on-line as well. My late father was diabetic and he read alot on the subject...he told me to take cinnamon daily to lower my chances of developing diabetes(this info has been out for years) and I started taking the capsules. So far, no problem here...but if I get indigestion, I 'taste' cinnamon.