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Cinnamon supplement may improve cardiometabolic profile in type 2 diabetes
Patients with type 2 diabetes randomly assigned to twice-daily cinnamon supplementation for 3 months experienced a marked improvement in BMI and glycemic and lipid profiles vs. similar patients assigned to placebo, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial conducted in Iran.
Mojtaba Heydari , MD, PhD, of the Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, and colleagues analyzed data from 138 adults with type 2 diabetes randomly assigned 500 mg cinnamon bark powder or placebo twice daily for 3 months between April and October 2017 (63 women; mean age, 52 years). Patients were instructed to take capsules at morning after fasting and before bedtime. At baseline and 3 months, researchers assessed fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and 2-hour postprandial glucose. Researchers stratified the cinnamon and placebo arms by BMI (< 27 kg/m² and 27 kg/m²).
At 3 months, researchers found that patients assigned to the cinnamon supplement group experienced a mean 0.63-kg/m² reduction in BMI vs. a gain of 0.11 kg/m² for those assigned placebo, as well as a greater reduction in body fat percentage (mean, –1.92% vs. –0.15%) and visceral fat percentage (mean, –0.69% vs. –0.1%; P < .001 for all).
Researchers also observed a benefit in glycemic profile for those assigned cinnamon supplementation, particularly for those with a BMI of at least 27 kg/m². Compared with those assigned placebo, patients with BMI of at least 27 kg/m² saw a greater reduction in FPG (mean, –19.37 mg/dL vs. –0.22 mg/dL), HbA1c (mean, –0.42% vs. 0.044%) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (mean –1.41 vs. –0.004; P < .001 for all). Researchers also observed a decrease in triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, as well as an increase in HDL cholesterol for those assigned to cinnamon supplementation vs. those assigned placebo. There were no adverse events reported.
“Different mechanisms have been suggested for the observed hypoglycemic effects of cinnamon,” the researchers wrote. “It is reported that cinnamon extract activates the insulin receptor kinase and inhibits the insulin receptor dephosphorylation, which improves the insulin sensitivity. Cinnamon has also been sown to inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3, which leads to increased glucose uptake.”
The researchers noted that participants were not prescribed insulin therapy and did not have microvascular or macrovascular disease, and the findings may not translate to patients with more advanced disease. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.