Does Cinnamon Help Diabetes?
Cinnamon comes in two varieties — Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is the kind most Americans use for baking and cooking. It’s also the variety most researchers have used when they’ve studied cinnamon and diabetes. Some of this research has shown that cinnamon may lower blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance. In people with type 2 diabetes, the sugar-lowering hormone insulin does not work as well. This leads to higher blood sugar levels. In one study, volunteers ate from 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon for 40 days. One gram of ground cinnamon is about half a teaspoon. Researchers found that cinnamon reduced cholesterol by about 18% and blood sugar levels by 24%. In another study, volunteers ate cinnamon and rice pudding after a meal. These volunteers had reduced blood sugar levels. In other studies cinnamon did not decrease blood sugar or cholesterol levels.
