Is cinnamon healthy or unhealthy?
There's a lot of misinformation out there concerning cinnamon pills. It would help with everything without providing good evidence for this.
People claim the craziest things, especially in the field of type 2 diabetes and blood sugar reduction. But what is true of this and what is marketing talk to sell you the umpteenth supplement?
There are many supplements for type 2 diabetes (and blood sugar problems in general). You can find them everywhere: the gardens, drugstores (such as Kruidvat), and especially on the internet.
It may surprise you, but virtually none of these supplements have been proven to actually work.
Just like with berberine, which I recently wrote an article about.
In this article, I'm going to take a closer look at cinnamon and see if the biggest claims made about this stuff have some truth to them.
Fortunately, other parties (such as Cochrane) have already taken a critical look at cinnamon (and especially towards the claims about type 2 diabetes). In this article, I will give you the most important of the researches and analyzes that have been done.
Cochrane is a medical platform for anyone interested in using quality information to make health decisions.
They look critically at existing research on a subject, throw them on a very large pile and try to draw a conclusion based on everything they come across. Lucky for you and me, they've done just that for cinnamon supplements and diabetes.
How cinnamon works
What I often see on the internet is that different parties will first tell you 'what cinnamon is'. I find this an insult to your intelligence.
Of course, you know what it is. Who doesn't know this?
No, I'll post this, we'll go straight to the core. And that is the first thing to map out how cinnamon works.
Cinnamon can positively affect the body in several ways. The main ones are:
- Slowing your stomach emptying (this is probably the most important)
- Inhibiting digestive juices
- Reducing glucose uptake
- Increasing insulin sensitivity
In addition, there is also evidence of antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory effects.
It all sounds good, doesn't it? And luckily it is!
The only question is how strong these effects are. Because if cinnamon increases these positive effects by only 0.00000000001%, Later on, I'll tell you more. Then there's the cinnamon's less appealing side.
First, a less fun side of cinnamon.
Read HOw to prevent amputation on type 2 diabetes
The side effects of cinnamon
The side effects of cinnamon are relatively mild and little research shows.
The most important is an allergic reaction to the substance cinnamaldehyde (cinnamic alcohol) in cinnamon.
Depending on your sensitivity to cinnamon, this can also occur in small amounts.
Cinnamon Side Effects
The second side effect of using cinnamon (supplements) is getting gastrointestinal complaints.
This mainly happens in studies because high doses of cinnamon powder are used there.
In some studies, they use six grams per day.
You should weigh six grams of cinnamon just for fun. Then you find out that it is an awful lot. And given the pungent taste of cinnamon, it's not surprising that your gut gets a little upset.
Blood sugar lowering effect in type 2 diabetes?
Now the most important part of this article:
Does cinnamon have a blood sugar lowering effect?
That's why we have to dive into the scientific literature.
In a 2007 study, people with type 2 diabetes were given one gram of cinnamon every day for three months. At the end of the study, the researchers did see a decrease, but it was not significant compared to the placebo group.
In 2003, however, a study was done in people with a fairly high blood sugar level (around 11 mmol/L). These people had to take one, three, or six grams of cinnamon capsules daily for 40 days. Here, however, a significant drop was found in their blood sugar levels.
The decrease was approximately 2 mmol/L at the dose of six grams per day. An explanation for this may be that cinnamon only significantly lowers blood sugar in people with a (very) high blood sugar level.
Other agencies found the same
And the Cochrane review actually came to the same conclusion. The evidence that cinnamon as a supplement helps with type 2 diabetes or blood sugar problems is virtually non-existent.
Read Normal blood sugar levels in adults
The studies are often not well conducted or done with too small groups. And if an effect was found, it was almost never a significant effect compared to the placebo used.
At most, you can make the argument (based on the 2003 research) that the use of cinnamon capsules and tablets in people with high blood sugar is advisable.
The main explanation for this is that cinnamon (in high doses) appears to slow gastric emptying. This may explain the blood sugar lowering effect of cinnamon but also why it could help with weight loss.
Virtually all "proven" effects are minimal
While the internet is full of all the positive (and almost miraculous) effects of cinnamon, this picture doesn't match the science.
Read
If you delve into the science, one picture emerges clearly:
The effects of cinnamon are minimal and rarely statistically significant.
And if one study finds an effect, another study that tries to reproduce the same results often cannot find it.
You often see this with a fabric with a minimal effect
Because the effect is not strong, you see very varying research data. Regardless of whether you look at the blood sugar lowering effect of cinnamon supplements or their effect on weight loss.
Conclusion on cinnamon supplements
The conclusion about cinnamon supplements in type 2 diabetes is difficult.
Is there any evidence of a blood sugar lowering effect? Yes.
Is this effect always demonstrated? New. It seems to be especially the case in people with (very) high blood sugar.
Are there any other potential benefits besides the blood sugar lowering effect? Yes.
Are these effects strong? No, they are minimal to insignificant.
Are Cinnamon Supplements Expensive? Not per se, but they become quite pricey if you start taking six grams a day, as in a previously mentioned study.
There may be another reason why you don't want to take cinnamon as a supplement (in high doses).
Can cinnamon capsules be dangerous
Cinnamon may contain coumarin. And this substance has been shown to be carcinogenic in high doses and can cause liver damage. The problem is that you never really know how much coumarin is in your cinnamon capsules/tablets.
But because you have to take fairly high doses of cinnamon to experience a drop in your blood sugar, you also increase the chance of ingesting high amounts of coumarin.
This is another reason not to take cinnamon supplements.
It partly makes a difference whether you use Ceylon or Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is healthier as it generally contains much less coumarin.
Based on all of the above, I personally would NOT recommend cinnamon capsules/tablets. Purely because the effect is minimal (even at high doses) and there are potential drawbacks.
Especially the increased risk of cancer, damage to the liver, and - not to forget - the hefty price you have to pay with your wallet for six grams of cinnamon a day.
There's absolutely no harm in adding a little cinnamon here and there to your food. I do it daily through my oatmeal and/or yogurt.
But to take several capsules a day hoping for a miraculous effect on your blood sugar, then I'm afraid you will be disappointed.
In addition, swallowing six grams of cinnamon capsules per day will cost you about 50 euros per month. If you put that amount on top of your eating budget, you can buy very healthy products that probably contribute much more to your health.
After reading this article, you should draw one very clear conclusion:
"I'm not going to be fooled anymore by people who want to sell me cinnamon supplements".
Yes, there are effects and they are almost always positive. But the effects are so small that they are rarely statistically significant. What is a statistically significant blood sugar lowering effect in type 2 diabetes?
Following a healthy lifestyle! And that can be much easier than you think.
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