For people struggling to manage their blood sugar, a solution could found in your spice rack, according to a new study published July 21 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Cinnamon, in large doses over time, could help improve measures of blood sugar control, according to new evidence.
Researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and the Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center in Seoul studied 51 participants from Korea and the US, half of whom received a supplement containing 500 milligrams of cinnamon three times a day for 12 weeks. The other half received a placebo.
At the 6-week check-in, there was not a significant difference between the two groups.
However, at 12 weeks, the patients that took cinnamon supplements showed significant improvements in measures of blood sugar control.
These findings support previous evidence that large doses of cinnamon over several months is linked to more stable blood sugar levels, with no apparent side effects, in people with type 2 diabetes.
The purpose of investigating cinnamon's potential in this trial, according to researchers, was to find safe, long-term and affordable treatments to keep prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common and costliest chronic illnesses worldwide, affecting 460 million adults around the globe. In the US, type 2 diabetes is responsible for more than $320 billion in health care costs annually. And, according to the CDC, one out of three US adults has prediabetes, a condition that, if unchecked, will eventually progress to type 2 diabetes.
With more evidence, cinnamon could provide an accessible and simple alternative to current expensive or side-effect prone treatments like surgery and medication.
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