The question being asked for many diabetics is if cinnamon can help to improve blood glucose levels. There have been different studies that have been done to show if cinnamon is in fact beneficial to help people with either Type 1 diabetes or Type 2 diabetes.

 

Research on Cinnamon and Diabetes in Pakistan

 

This study to see the results of cinnamon on diabetes was done at the University of Pakistan by Dr. Richard Anderson, Albert Khan, Ph.D in 2003. The purpose of this study was to see the effects of cinnamon on people who had Type 2 diabetes.

The study took 60 people and divided them into six different groups that contained ten people. 3 of the groups took capsules that contained a wheat placebo. The other 3 groups took capsules that had different quantities of cinnamon.

The group that took the cinnamon capsules each took different quantities.

• The first group took around one gram of cinnamon for 40 days. This amount was around ¼ of a teaspoon
• The second group took 3 grams of cinnamon for 40 days.
• The third group took 6 grams of cinnamon over 40 days. This amount was around 1 ¾ teaspoons.

Once the study was finished it was seen that there was a reduction in the blood glucose level of the people who took the cinnamon capsules. There were results that showed there were reductions in the regions of around 18-29%.

In contrast, a previous study found that a daily cinnamon hit caused a dip in blood sugar and cholesterol in people with type 2. None of that first group was taking diabetes medicines, however, unlike the current group, most of whom were on diabetes medications.

 

Study One on Cinnamon & Diabetes

The first study on cinnamon and diabetes was done at the University of Oklahoma and the results published in the journal Diabetes Care. The study was done by researchers splitting 43 adults who have Type 2 diabetes into two different groups. The first group was given two capsules that contained 1 gram of cinnamon. The second group was given placebo capsules that contained 1 gram of wheat flour. The results were checked after three months. It was shown that there was no difference in group one or group two as it related to insulin, glucose or cholesterol levels.

The results of this study were vastly different from the one conducted in Pakistan earlier. The reason for the difference was the fact that the Pakistan research on cinnamon to treat diabetes used a group of subjects who had a different diet and higher blood glucose levels. This was vastly different from the American participants. What also could attribute to the differences was the fact the American participants were taking diabetes drugs before the study, while the Pakistani participants took none.

 

Study Two on Cinnamon & Diabetes

There was another study that was done and the results were published in Diabetes Care. The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of cinnamon on people with Type 1 diabetes. The research was done at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. The researchers took 72 children who had Type 1 diabetes and randomly giving 36 children 1 gram of cinnamon a day. The other 36 were given a similar placebo. After 3 months the researchers found out that there was no difference between the group in terms of insulin levels, HbA1c level, daily insulin use, or episodes of hypoglycemia.

 

Conclusion of Cinnamon & Diabetes Study

What was basically learned from the research on cinnamon and diabetes was the fact that more research needs to be done to find out if cinnamon really benefits people with Type 2 diabetes. More information on other factors such as diet, medicine and how much cinnamon is needed before it is beneficial needs to be done.

So even though it tastes wonderful, and it won’t hurt you if you take it moderately, then you should not expect cinnamon to work miracles on your blood glucose levels.