Could Cinnamon Prevent Diabetes Progression?

Cinnamon supplementation could help to prevent patients with prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of a recent study.

While cinnamon has been shown to have glucose-lowering properties, whether these could be employed in patients with prediabetes to prevent disease progression is unknown.

To examine this possibility, the researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving 54 adults with prediabetes. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 500 mg of cinnamon supplementation (n=27) or placebo (n=27) 3 times a day for 12 weeks.

Overall, increases in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were observed in participants from the placebo group, but not in those from the cinnamon group. The mean between-group difference in FPG was 5 mg/dL (P<0.05). Compared with the collective baseline of all participants, cinnamon was associated with a significant decrease in the area under the curve plasma glucose (P<0.001) and of the 2-hr plasma glucose of the oral glucose tolerance test (P<0.05).

“In individuals with prediabetes, 12 weeks of cinnamon supplementation improved FPG and glucose tolerance, with a favorable safety profile. Longer and larger studies should address cinnamon’s effects on the rate of progression from prediabetes to T2D,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Romeo GR, Lee J, Mulla CM, et al. Influence of cinnamon on glycemic control in subjects with prediabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Published online July 21, 2020. JES. doi:10.1210/jendso/bvaa094