Despite earlier promising findings, it seems unlikely that cinnamon can improve blood sugar levels in people with type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes, researchers report.
Previous research has shown that cinnamon appears to help fat cells recognise and respond to insulin. In test tube experiments and in animal studies, the spice led to a noteworthy increase in the processing of glucose. Moreover, in a previous study of people with type 2, or non-insulin dependent, diabetes, those who incorporated a small amount of cinnamon each day for 40 days into their normal diets experienced a healthy drop in blood sugar levels.
Against this backdrop, Dr Kevin M. Curtis from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire and colleagues had 72 adolescents with type 1 diabetes take 1 gram of cinnamon per day or a matching placebo while they continued with their existing medication, diet and exercise routines.