"I don't know of anything else {other than drugs} that can change
glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels nearly so much." Richard
Anderson, lead scientist at the Human Nutrition Research Center in
Beltsville, Md.
http://www.cincypost.com/2005/01/05/cinn010505.html
Eating cinnamon boon to health, study finds
By Valerie Reitman
Los Angeles Times
A little bit of cinnamon might spice up your health.
The aromatic bark can lower blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol
levels, as well as improve insulin functioning, particularly in Type 2
diabetics, researchers have found. Richard Anderson, lead scientist at
the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., has been
studying cinnamon and calls its medicinal properties the most
significant nutritional discovery he's seen in 25 years.
"I don't know of anything else," he said, other than drugs, "that can
change glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels nearly so much."
The most recent study, which appeared in the journal "Diabetes Care,"
showed that, after 40 days, 30 diabetics who had taken 1 to 6 grams of
cinnamon extract daily reduced their risk factors for cardiovascular
disease. Specifically, their mean fasting glucose fell 18 percent to
29 percent, their triglycerides 25 percent to 30 percent, their LDL
("bad"😉 cholesterol 7 percent to 27 percent and their total
cholesterol 12 percent to 26 percent.
Only a little cinnamon was necessary, said Anderson, who helped
conduct the study. A 30-person placebo group showed no change.
Other experts say they're reserving judgment until more extensive
studies on humans confirm the results. "It sounds like maybe there is
something there, and it's surprising that there's such an effect" said
Dr. Eugene Barrett, a Charlottesville, Va., endocrinologist who serves
as president of the American Diabetes Association. If the results hold
up in additional studies, he added, the impact could be significant.
Don Graves, a researcher at the University of California at Santa
Barbara and the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, agrees. He is in
the process of studying the effects of cinnamon being fed to fat
diabetic mice. He's optimistic but added: "It's still in trial, and we
can't leap to any conclusions."
Anderson's department, which is part of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, has applied for patents on the compounds in cinnamon
responsible for the beneficial effects. The patent covers the
tasteless water-soluble extract responsible for the reactions. The
extract could be used to make supplements or as additives in soda and
other high-sugar foods and drinks to negate some of the spikes in
blood sugar produced after eating or drinking such products.
The insulin spikes are worse in diabetics.
If Anderson's findings are confirmed by wider studies, the spice could
help fight the soaring U.S. rate of Type 2 diabetes. Also known as
adult-onset diabetes, it afflicts an estimated 16 million people in
the United States, increasing their risk of heart attacks, strokes,
kidney failure and blindness.
One cause is the rapidly rising rate of obesity among Americans. Once
primarily found in people older than 40, Type 2 diabetes is being
diagnosed in increasing numbers of pre-teens and teen-agers.
The cells of diabetics fail to recognize and respond as well to
insulin as they once did, leading to elevated blood sugar. Insulin
prompts cells to take in the glucose. Cinnamon, Anderson said, makes
cells much more sensitive to insulin, thus increasing glucose
metabolism, a process in which cells convert blood sugar to energy.
As little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can produce effects
that in some cases are nearly as dramatic as those produced by the
drugs known as statins, which millions of Americans take to lower
their cholesterol levels, Anderson said.
Dr. Lois Jovanovic, the Sansum Institute's director, said she was
excited about the cinnamon research. "It really does look like it may
help us, as we are desperately looking for ways to stave the tide of
this epidemic. It's something we can all do without changing much of
our habits."
Of course, Anderson said, cinnamon itself is no panacea, and it won't
do nearly as much good if it's consumed in high-calorie foods such as
cakes rather than sprinkled on oatmeal.
One of the best ways to get a substantial dose is to boil cinnamon
sticks in water to make tea, he said. At least one company puts it in
supplements, he added.
Anderson's research into cinnamon started with apple pie.
About 10 years ago, he and his colleagues began to look into the
effects of chromium, which is found in nonprocessed high-fiber foods
such as broccoli and helps improve insulin action. Since World War II,
Americans have been consuming more highly refined foods, which are low
in fiber, low in complex carbohydrates and low in chromium,
contributing to diabetes.
People who have low chromium levels often have high levels of insulin
that don't act efficiently because the insulin receptors -- the
fingers on the cells where the insulin binds -- aren't as active.
Chromium revs them up.