When glucose is prevented from entering the cells of the body, particularly muscle, liver and fat cells, high sugar levels appear in the blood. This is what happens in type 2 diabetes. Insulin is a facilitator for the transport of glucose though the cell walls. This role as a facilitator is a highly complex set of chemical reactions. The pancreas produces insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels. Once it enters the blood it signals the body's cells to take up the excess glucose until normal blood glucose levels are then again achieved. In diabetics there is a short circuit in this set of chemical reactions. Insulin molecules bind to receptors on cell walls, this creates a tiny molecular "gateways" that opens up and allows glucose molecules to pass though. If this system is not functioning properly these gates will not respond correctly to the insulin signal and prevent glucose from entering the cell. When this happens the common tern is "insulin resistance". This problem is a common occurrence in people that have an obesity problem. When insulin resistance is present the levels of glucose in the blood remain abnormally high and can be very dangerous in the long run. The pancreas will attempt to compensate for this by making more insulin, but this only works for so long. The pancreas will eventually become overworked and starts to make less insulin. This is the time that things can go from bad to worse. One of the more exciting medical discoveries regarding blood glucose levels happened at the USDA testing center in Maryland totally by accident. There scientists were looking at the affect that various foods have on blood sugar levels. They were very surprised to find that good old apple pie actually lowered the blood glucose levels of patients in their studies. This promoted them to look at cinnamon and how it may fit into this observation. Medicinally cinnamon bark and cinnamon flowers are used but for diabetes Cinnamon aromaticum, Chinese cinnamon, is preferred. The chemical hydroychalcone works on insulin receptors to increase insulin sensitivity and promote glucose uptake into the cells and tissues and promote glycogen synthesis. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose. STUDIES CONFIRM THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF CINNAMON A Diabetes Care study was conducted in December of 2003 that found cinnamon improved glucose and lipids in patients that had diabetes. A total of sixty patients that were taking sulfonylurea were given one of three doses of cinnamon (1, 3, or 6 grams per day) or a placebo for a total of 40 days. Fasting blood glucose declined by 18 to 29 percent after 40 days in all three cinnamon treated groups. Specifically, 1 gram per day decreased glucose from 209 to 157 mg/dl, 3 grams per day decreased glucose from 205 to 169 mg/dl and 6 grams per day decreased glucose from 234 to 166 mg/dl. This study also concluded that cinnamon had sustained benefits. After 20 days of going without cinnamon fasting glucose levels were still lower than at baseline for the previously cinnamon treated group. Furthermore, total cholesterol decreased by 12 to 26 percent, triglycerides decreased by 23 to 30 percent, and LDL ("bad") cholesterol also declined from 7 to 27 percent. Another study was done by the University of Hannover in Hannover, Germany and published in a recent issue of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. This was the first study evaluating the effect of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on Glycemic control and the lipid profile of Western patients with type 2 diabetes. The results further add to a growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating supplementation with a water-soluble cinnamon extract may play an important role in managing blood sugar levels and improving insulin function. CINNAMON SPICE IS NOT ADVISED Simply increasing the cinnamon in your diet is not is not advised because cinnamon contains volatile oils that when taken consistently in high doses could be toxic. It is highly recommended that you find a high quality supplement and follow the dosage recommendations. Cinnamon has been shown to reduce serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Because cinnamon does not contribute to caloric intake people that experience these conditions may benefit from inclusion of cinnamon in their daily supplementation program. Also cinnamon may be beneficial to the rest of the population to prevent and control elevated glucose and blood lipid levels.
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