Cinnamon and diabetes

Ceylon cinnamon comes from the bark of cinnamon trees, which are small evergreens found in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Strips of the inner bark are dried until they curl into rolls known as cinnamon sticks or quills. These can then be ground into powder or made into an extract.

Several small studies have linked cinnamon to better blood sugar levels. Some of this work shows it may curb blood sugar by lowering insulin resistance. Studies show that regularly consuming cinnamon can help human body's natural response to insulin. This can help body moderate its blood sugar levels more effectively and reduce the risk of hypo- or hyperglycemia incidents.

Diabetes is a disease characterized by abnormally high blood sugar. If poorly controlled, it can lead to complications like heart disease, kidney disease and nerve damage.

A 2011 analysis in the Journal of Medicinal Food points to the cinnamon’s potential for lowering blood sugars. Researchers compared the results of eight previous studies and found an average blood sugar level reduction of 3–5 percent (J Med Food. 2011 Sep;14(9):884-9).

Cinnamon is one of these spices that has been demonstrated to be effective in improving glycaemia both in healthy and diabetic subjects. In type 2 diabetic subjects, cinnamon revealed that it can exert a hypoglycaemic effect, decreasing PBG and fasting blood glucose level (FBG) (Ethno-Medicine. 2009;3:141–144).
Cinnamon and diabetes