The Value Of Adding A Cinnamon Based Supplement For Type 2 Diabetes

I have been taking cinnamon for some time now and usually take 2 caps in the morning and 2 caps in the evening. Sometimes I also add powdered cinnamon from the grocery Aile to oatmeal and other foods. My research (depending on what you read) indicates a great deal of difference between the different types of cinnamon and other sites indicate no appreciable difference.

The two main types are:

• Cinnamon Cassia /cinnamon Bark - comes from southeast Asia, mainly from China and northern Vietnam and has a strong, spicy, sweet flavor most Americans are familiar with.
• Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon. It has less sweet, and more of a citrus flavor and used in baking

The one I have been taking mostly because it is readily available and not expensive is the Cassia type from Nature's Bounty. It comes in bottles of 100 capsules at a dose of 1000mg per capsule. Again I take (2) with breakfast and (2) with dinner. I do notice a difference in my BG readings when taking this supplement.

In this post, I wanted to make you aware of another source of adding cinnamon to your diet in a product called "Cinnergen". I have NOT tried this particular product and am writing this post for additional knowledge about what is out there. Cinnergen contains a cinnamon bark liquid containing 560mg daily dose along with other ingredients.

Those other ingredients are as follows:

Nutritional Information

12 whole foods to help promote normal blood sugar levels

The whole food concentrates in Cinnergen provide your body with everything from essential amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, minerals and trace minerals to bioflavonoids, anti-oxidants and phyto chemicals. All occur naturally (as opposed to being synthetically created in a lab) and are in proportion and form optimal for the body's use. Here are some of Cinnergen's key ingredients, along with brief descriptions of the medicinal/healing properties attributed to each:

• Cinnamon Bark Extract — A naturally occurring spice proven in independent clinical studies to make insulin work more efficiently.
• Blueberry Leaf Extract — Used for centuries to help lower blood sugar levels.
• Cranberry Extract — Well-known for treating urinary tract problems and recognized for its excellent kidney-cleansing properties.
• Oat Seed Extract — Shown to help relieve both mental and physical fatigue.

Plus: Kelp Extract, Sugar Sea Beet Extract, Acerola Berry Extract, Ginger Root Extract, Black Cherry Extract, Green Tea Extract, Irish Moss Extract and Aloe Vera
 
 My own personal experience with a lot of products like this, is that they certainly work and the other ingredients are all proven to have some effect, however I wonder if there is ENOUGH of any one ingredient to make a difference. Cinnamon appears to be the reason for the product in the first place and cinnamon is the ingredient mentioned in different trial studies, and yet the cinnamon content of this product is less than 25% of the Nature's Bounty Product.. On the other hand for approximately $20.00 a month, it might be worth trying. I would buy a (3) month package and test frequently and look at my A1C reading to determine if there is any advantage inherent in this product. I would NOT start out purchasing a 12 month supply, only to learn later that it is no more effective than buying Nature's Bounty Cinnamon with 100 caps. The Nature's Bounty would also give you a little over three months supply at almost 2X the cinnamon dose (if you take only (1) cap per day) for around 1/2 the cost of one Cinnergen bottle. Again, I am NOT a doctor or a scientist, so make your own decision. I DO believe that taking some sort of cinnamon product is warranted if you are a type 2 diabetic.

The pricing information for this product is listed here:

3 bottles /3 month supply for $61.99 plus shipping
6 bottle for $120.42/ 6 month supply
Other offers available

Excerpt on the Clinical Studies:

Clinical Studies

Independent Cinnamon Clinical Studies

1. Cinnergen contains cinnamon bark liquid extract at a daily serving size of 560 mg. This amount of cinnamon has been clinically demonstrated to lower blood glucose levels in four well controlled studies (Mang et al 2006; Khan et al 2003; Solomon & Blannin 2007; Hlebowicz et al. 2007). One randomized placebo-controlled study (Khan et al 2003) investigated the effects of cinnamon powder at doses of 1, 3, and 6 g/day on fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels in 60 patients (30 men, 30 women) with type 2 diabetes. These doses are equivalent to 112, 336, and 672 mg per day of cinnamon liquid extract, respectively (Mang et al. 2006). Significant reductions (18—29%) in serum glucose levels were noted in patients receiving cinnamon at all doses compared with those receiving placebo after 40 days of treatment (p 0.05). This study, therefore, demonstrated that multiple doses of cinnamon powder (all doses comparable to or lower than the amount of cinnamon found in Cinnergen) are capable of effectively lowering fasting glucose concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes.

2. Other clinical studies assessing the effectiveness of cinnamon provide additional support for cinnamon's blood glucose-lowering properties. A 4-month, randomized placebo-controlled study of 79 patients with type 2 diabetes (Mang et al. 2006) demonstrated that 336 mg per day of purified cinnamon liquid extract resulted in a significant blood glucose reduction of 10.3% compared to the placebo-treated subjects (3.4% reduction). In a randomized-crossover study, cinnamon ingestion (equivalent to 560 mg per day) significantly reduced total plasma glucose responses to oral glucose ingestion by 13% in an oral glucose tolerance tests (Solomon & Blannin 2007). Another crossover trial (Hlebowicz et al. 2007) involving 14 healthy subjects found that cinnamon powder (equivalent to 672 mg per day) significantly delayed gastric emptying and lowered the postprandial glucose response. Finally, subjects with type 2 diabetes who consume an aqueous extract of cinnamon have been shown to have improved fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, percent body fat and increased lean body mass compared with a placebo control group (Anderson 2008).

New! Cinnergen Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Study

The purpose of this study was to determine Cinnergen's efficacy in a controlled Phase I study. Upon completion of the case study on Cinnergen, it was shown to have a positive effect on lowering blood sugar in a type 2 diabetic. To determine the effects of Cinnergen on type 1 and type 2 diabetics with regard to lowering and regulating blood sugar levels. All 50 patients completed a survey questionnaire upon completion of the study regarding Quality of Life Issues.
Download the full study [PDF - 688K]

Cinnamon May Help to Alleviate Diabetes

Santa Barbara, Calif. — Cinnamon may be more than a spice — it may have a medical application in preventing and combating diabetes. Cinnamon may help by playing the role of an insulin substitute in type II diabetes, according to cellular and molecular studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Cinnamon itself has insulin-like activity and also can potentiate the activity of insulin," said Don Graves of UCSB. "The latter could be quite important in treating those with type II diabetes. Cinnamon has a bio-active component that we believe has the potential to prevent or overcome diabetes..."

Cinnamon Study on Type 2 Diabetes, Blood Glucose and Cholesterol

ABSTRACT

Objective — The objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

LINK to Cinnergen:

Dan

"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are LIFE unto those that find them, and HEALTH to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:20-23)