A Kitchen Spice that Curbs Diabetes Naturally

Kyle J. Norton 

Diabetes is a chronic condition caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose.

Type 1 diabetes is a congenital condition caused by die off of pancreas cells which are responsible for production insulin, a hormone with function to control the level of blood glucose.

Regular injection of insulin or insulin therapy is required daily in patient who was born with the disease.

In contrast to type II diabetes, types 1 diabetes are not associated to dietary intake or unhealthy life style that can cause increase of glucose levels in the blood. 

According to Diabetes Canada, patients with type 1 diabetes should aware of the number of insulin injections that are needed per day; the timing of insulin injections and the dose of insulin that are needed with each injection

The cause of type 1 diabetes are debatable, but some researchers found that most patient with type 1 diabetes are linked to abnormal body’s immune system over reaction to the cells that make insulin.

On the other hand, type 2 diabetes is  either caused by cells in pancreas dying off  or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol due to unhealthy dietary and life style selections.

In some cases, the diseases is also caused by allergic reactions of cells in the immune system.

If you experience some of physical symptoms of frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, nonrefractive visual impairment and appetite problems,  together with gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting and mental symptoms of  depression, emotion stress, sleeping difficulties,…..  and suicidal ideation, you may have type 2 diabetes. Please check with your doctor as soon as possible(4).

According to the 2011 statistic from National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), among U.S. residents ages 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9 percent, have diabetes in 2010.

About 215,000 people younger than 20 years had diabetes—type 1 or type 2—in the United States in 2010.

And approximately, 1.9 million people ages 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the United States.

For my years of practice and research, I do believe that intake of 1/4 table spoon of Vietnamese cinnamon powder in the morning and evening have significant effects in keeping blood sugar in check.

In prediabetes with the morning reading of 6.9 emmol/L of a lady whom I know for 10 years, intake of the volume of cinnamon suggested above has managed to maintain her’s the morning blood glucose at 5.3 mmol/L since.

Cinnamon, a kitchen spice used  in many cultures, may have gained many believers, including medical professions because of its anti diabetic effect, through regulating the blood glucose levels in healthy and diabetic subjects.

According to herbalists, intake of 1/4 tsp. in the morning and evening may reduce the blood sugar significantly with little or no adverse side effects.

The herb has been use in herbal and traditional medicine as anti-fungal and bacteria activities and  improves reproductive organ, prevents flatulence and intestinal cramping, treats indigestion, diarrhea, bad breath, headache, migraine, etc.(1).

In a total of 66 patients with type 2 diabetes study conducted by Xuhui District Central Hospital, researchers found that oral administration of cinnamon  reduced significant of blood triglyceride levels even in the low-dose group, after 3 months.(2).

Some researchers suggested that cinnamon extract improved fasting blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance without altering the insulin secretion may be attributed to its effects in lowering triglyceride and increasing liver glycogen content and improving insulin action in liver tissues(3).

Dr. Kim SH and Dr. Choung SY. told PubMed that “the effect of cinnamon significantly increases insulin sensitivity, reduces serum, and hepatic lipids, and improves hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia possibly by regulating the PPAR-medicated glucose and lipid metabolism”(4).

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) including PPARα, PPARγ, and PPARβ/δ are receptors that reduce triglyceride level and regulate energy homeostasis.
In support of the above, chromium(Cr) and polyphenols found in cinnamon(Cinnamomon cassia) displayed a significant improvement of glucose, insulin, cholesterol and HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a double-blind placebo-controlled study(7).

Unfortunately, according to the Western University of Health Sciences, even though consumption of cinnamon is associated with a statistically significant decrease in levels of fasting plasma glucose, but high degree of heterogeneity including quality and content may limit the ability to apply these results to patient care, due to the unclear preferred dose and duration of therapy(5).

Moreover, a randomized clinical trial in which 70 Patients with type II diabetes were assigned randomly into two groups (35 in cinnamon and 35 in placebo group) for the testing of the effect of cinnamon on the glucose level in blood, at the end of the experiment researchers found that there is an insignificant effect of using cinnamon on glucose level of diabetic patients and the herb should not be recommended to patients with type II diabetes depending on further studies(6).

Taken altogether, although there are some discrepancies involving cinnamon efficacy, I do believe that cinnamon in low dose is effective to control and mamage the level of blood glucose in patient with diabetes without altering the insulin level.

However, according to Dr. Georgakopoulou EA(7), oral intake of cinnamon may cause Stomatitis, and burning sensation in mouth if it is taken in large amounts.

The traditional Chinese medicine also indicated that overdoses of cinnamon can be toxic and damage the liver(1).

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal – The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Loose Weight

Back to Kyle J. Norton Home page http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

References
(1) @Popular Herbs -Cinnamon
(2) Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin level in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes by Lu T, Sheng H, Wu J, Cheng Y, Zhu J, Chen Y.(PubMed)
(3) Cinnamon extract improves insulin sensitivity in the brain and lowers liver fat in mouse models of obesity by Sartorius T1, Peter A2, Schulz N3, Drescher A2, Bergheim I4, Machann J5, Schick F6, Siegel-Axel D2, Schürmann A3, Weigert C1, Häring HU1, Hennige AM(PubMed)
(4) Antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic action of Cinnamomi Cassiae (Cinnamon bark) extract in C57BL/Ks db/db mice by Kim SH1, Choung SY.(PubMed)
(5) Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis by Allen RW1, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.(PubMed)
(6) The Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose of Type II Diabetes Patients by Hasanzade F1, Toliat M2, Emami SA3, Emamimoghaadam Z(PubMed)
(7) Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity by Anderson RA.(PubMed)
(8) Diabetes – The Symptoms by Kyle J. Norton