A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) team finds that a water soluble extract of cinnamon, rich in antioxidant compounds, could help reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease. Richard A. Anderson and colleagues enrolled 22 obese subjects with impaired blood glucose values (prediabetics), for a 12-week long study. Subjects either received 250 milligrams of a dried water-soluble cinnamon extract twice daily, or a placebo, along with their usual diets. Among those who received the water-soluble cinnamon extract, researchers observed improvements in a number of antioxidant variables by as much as 13 to 23%, resulting in improvement in antioxidant status and corresponding decrease in fasting glucose.  The team concludes that: “This study supports the hypothesis that the inclusion of water soluble cinnamon compounds in the diet could reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”