Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose and Lipid Levels in Non–Insulin-Dependent Type 2 Diabetes
- Steve M. Blevins, MD1,
- Misti J. Leyva, MS, RDLD2,
- Joshua Brown, RDLD2,
- Jonelle Wright, PHD34,
- Robert H. Scofield, MD145 and
- Christopher E. Aston, PHD6
- 1Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 3Department of Geriatrics, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 4Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 5Arthritis and Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 6Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Steve Blevins, MD, General Clinical Research Center, O'Donoghue Research Building, 1122 NE 13th St., Suite 150, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. E-mail: steve-blevins{at}ouhsc.edu
Interest in cinnamon as a potentially useful treatment for type 2 diabetes began with the discovery almost 20 years ago of cinnamon's insulin-sensitizing properties (1). Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have elucidated cinnamon's effect on insulin signal transduction (2–6). A study in diabetic mice showed that cinnamon lowered blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels while raising HDL cholesterol levels (7).
The first clinical trial to evaluate the effect of cinnamon in individuals with type 2 diabetes was conducted in Pakistan (8). It showed that cinnamon powder (Cinnamomum cassia), taken over a 40-day period, reduced mean fasting serum glucose (18–29%), triglyceride (23–30%), LDL cholesterol (7–27%), and total cholesterol (12–26%) levels. Three different doses of cinnamon were administered: 1, 3, and 6 g daily. All were equally effective. These findings led to widespread cinnamon use, although no study had yet evaluated the effects of cinnamon in Western diabetic populations with likely differences in diet, BMI, baseline glucose levels, and prescribed medication. We report the first U.S. study examining the effects of cinnamon on glucose and lipid levels in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—
Participants were recruited through e-mail announcements to campus employees and through an article in the local newspaper. Individuals of any age with type 2 diabetes, based on criteria …
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