25 Apr
Posted by as Cinnamon Research
Here is an article from the United States Department of Agriculture Research Department on the benefits of Cinnamon on glucose tolerance and diabetes. This article can also be found at this link
Insulin Imitators: Polyphenols Found in Cinnamon Mimic Job of Hormone
ARS scientists and colleagues have isolated and characterized several polyphenolic polymer compounds from cinnamon bark that could one day become natural ingredients in products aimed at lowering blood sugar levels.
The newly identified chemical structures were recently named in a patent application and described in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. ARS chemist Richard A. Anderson co-authored the study with colleagues at the Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center and two universities.
Impaired sugar and fat metabolism is present in millions of people and may lead to type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In test tube assays using fat cells, the polyphenolic polymers were found to increase sugar metabolism a whopping 20-fold.
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas to regulate sugar metabolism. In people with type-2 diabetes, either the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or the body is unable to use it correctly. Both conditions lead to unhealthy blood levels of sugar that would otherwise provide energy to muscles.
During a decade of efforts to find natural compounds that could help maintain normal blood sugar levels, the scientists tested several components of cinnamon. The newly characterized chemical structures are closely related to a previously reported chemical derivative of cinnamon, MHCP—methylhydroxychalcone polymer. The researchers also tested scores of other plant extracts, but none displayed insulin-enhancing activity near that of cinnamon.
“These new compounds increase insulin sensitivity by activating key enzymes that stimulate insulin receptors, while inhibiting the enzymes that deactivate them,” says Anderson, who is with the Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory.
“Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory functions, but they have not been commonly known to improve insulin function,” he says. “The polyphenolic polymers in cinnamon bark have antioxidant effects, which may provide synergistic benefits to persons with various forms of diabetes.”
Another recently published human research study from the team showed considerable improvements in glucose and fat metabolism in volunteers who followed a diet that included modest amounts of table cinnamon for 40 days.
Table cinnamon is made from cinnamon bark and contains both water-soluble and fat-soluble compounds. Fat-soluble compounds may accumulate in the body if ingested over a long period. At this time, there is no data on potential effects of long-term ingestion of table cinnamon. But the newly defined chemical structures noted above are isolated from water extracts of cinnamon and appear to be nontoxic in any quantity, according to Anderson.—By Rosalie Marion Bliss, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.
This research is part of Human Nutrition, an ARS National Program (#107) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars.usda.gov.
Richard A. Anderson is with the USDA-ARS Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Bldg. B307C, Room 224, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; phone (301) 504-8091, fax (301) 504-9062.
“Insulin Imitators: Polyphenols Found in Cinnamon Mimic Job of Hormone” was published in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
Here is an article from the United States Department of Agriculture Research Department on the benefits of Cinnamon on glucose tolerance and diabetes. This article can also be found at this link
Cinnamon, Glucose Tolerance and Diabetes
This research is performed by the
Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory (NRFL)
of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC).
Our studies have demonstrated that extracts of cinnamon increase insulin activity several-fold. These measurements are in vitro or test tube measurements of the ability of insulin to increase the breakdown of glucose. Insulin is the hormone that controls the utilization of the blood sugar, glucose. Improved insulin function leads to improved blood sugar concentrations.
We have published several scientific articles on cinnamon that may be of interest. There is a report in Hormone Research, vol. 50, pages 177-182, 1998, and a second report in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 20, pages 327-336, 2001, which illustrate the mechanism of action of the cinnamon. A manuscript containing the structures of the active components is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 52, pages 65-70, 2004 (Abstract). Our human study involving people with type 2 diabetes demonstrating mean improvements in blood glucose ranging from 18 to 29%; triglycerides, 23 to 30%; LDL-cholesterol, 7 to 27% and total cholesterol, 12 to 26%, is published in Diabetes Care, vol. 26, pages 3215-3218, 2003.
We have also shown that the active components of cinnamon are found in the water-soluble portion of cinnamon and are not present in cinnamon oil, which is largely fat-soluble. In addition to ground cinnamon consumed directly, one can also make a cinnamon tea and let the solids settle to the bottom or use cinnamon sticks, which make for a nice clear tea. Cinnamon can also be added to orange juice, oatmeal, coffee before brewing, salads, meats etc. The active components are not destroyed by heat.
Our recent human studies indicate that consuming roughly one half of a teaspoon of cinnamon per day or less leads to dramatic improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Intake of cinnamon, at these levels, is very safe and there should not be any side effects. There are also companies selling water soluble components from cinnamon that contain the active ingredients with minimal amounts of the components that could be toxic at elevated levels.
Read more about this in the April 2004 issue of the Agricultural Research Magazine.
Richard A. Anderson, Ph.D., CNS
Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory
