Cinnamon in Diabetes: the Influence of Cinnamon on the Organism

Cinnamon is said to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels in diabetics. Find out what you need to know about the spice in connection with diabetes in this health tip.

Cinnamon in diabetes – explanation of the types of diabetes

In order to better understand the effect of cinnamon on diabetes, we first explain the two types of diabetes.

• In a healthy organism, the hormone insulin ensures that the glucose absorbed through nutrition, i.e. the sugar, can get from the blood into the individual body cells.
• There, glucose serves as an energy supplier. The insulin keeps the blood sugar level in the normal range. There are two forms of diabetes mellitus, each with a different cause that is responsible for the blood sugar level is too high.
• Type 1 diabetes: This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease.
• In this case, the immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin.
• Insulin is therefore completely absent and the sugar cannot be absorbed by the cells from the blood.
  For this reason, the only form of treatment for type 1 diabetes is to inject insulin, i.e. to inflict it on the body.
• Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is also commonly known as adult-onset diabetes. Here the body produces insulin, but somewhat more slowly than would be the case in a healthy organism.
• In addition, there is the so-called insulin resistance of the cells. This means that the individual body cells no longer react as well to the insulin and therefore absorb the sugar from the blood less well.

Effect of cinnamon on diabetes

Since the hormone insulin is completely missing in type 1 diabetes, the only possible therapy here is the supply of insulin from outside.

• In type 1, cinnamon or any other spice or drug plays no role and has no effect on blood sugar.
• The situation is different with type 2 diabetes. A specific ingredient in cinnamon is thought to increase cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
• Cinnamon can therefore counteract insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. This effect of cinnamon was also proven in a study.
• However, this doesn’t work with regular cinnamon powder as you use it as a spice. The substance in question – it is methylhydroxychalcone polymers (MHCP for short) – is only effective in an aqueous cinnamon extract.
• Another study showed that consuming a certain amount of cinnamon can lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetics. The prerequisite is that between one and six grams of cinnamon be consumed daily over a long period of time.
• Another theory about cinnamon’s effect on diabetes is that delaying the emptying of the stomach is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels.
• The slower the food enters the intestines for further digestion, the slower the absorption of sugar into the blood.