Cinnamon May Reduce Diabetic Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon May Reduce Diabetic Blood Sugar Levels

PESHAWAR, PakistanConsuming 1gram (less than half a teaspoon) of cinnamon a day may reduce blood sugar inType II diabetes patients who are not taking insulin, according to the U.S.Department of Agricultures (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (www.ars.usda.gov).

Researchers divided 60 subjects randomly into six groups,where they consumed 1 g/d, 3 g/d or 6 g/d of cinnamon or placebo for 40 days.Blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels improved by an average of 20percent in subjects who ate as little as 1 g/d of cinnamon; no advantage wasseen in taking more than 1 g/d. Researchers also noted blood sugar levelsstarted climbing when subjects stopped taking cinnamon. The study results willbe published in a future issue of Diabetes Care (http://care.diabetesjournals.org).