8809
0
Posted on Dec 27, 2003, 10 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Diabetics could help themselves to stay healthy and ward-off potentially life-threatening complications simply by adding a pinch of cinnamon to their daily diet. Dr Richard A Anderson of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, and colleagues found that type II diabetics who consumed just one gram - which is less than a quarter of a teaspoon - of cinnamon each day for 40 days experienced drops in blood glucose, cholesterol, and lipid levels by as much as 30%.
Diabetics could help themselves to stay healthy and ward-off potentially life-threatening complications simply by adding a pinch of cinnamon to their daily diet. Dr Richard A Anderson of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, and colleagues found that type II diabetics who consumed just one gram - which is less than a quarter of a teaspoon - of cinnamon each day for 40 days experienced drops in blood glucose, cholesterol, and lipid levels by as much as 30%. Anderson says that as well as protecting those with the disease from its complications cinnamon could also protect people from developing type II diabetes in the first place. Cinnamon is known to contain compounds that improve the efficiency of insulin. Previous research has shown that the spice can significantly increase glucose metabolism, it also appears to help fat cells recognize and respond to insulin.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Diabetes Care 2003;26:3215-3218.
