STILLWATER, Okla.—According to a study published in FASEB, CinSulin® supplementation, a water extract of cinnamon, had beneficial effects in subjects with hyperglycemia (April 2010;24:722.1). The study tested the effects of a water extract of cinnamon in a two-month, double blind placebo trial with 137 participants in China. A placebo capsule or a 250-mg dried water-extract of cinnamon (as CinSulin®, distributed by A.M. Todd) capsule was given twice per day. At baseline, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r=0.23) postprandial glucose (r=0.45) and insulin (r=0.42), triglycerides (r=0.29), fructosamine (0.23), body mass index (BMI) (r=0.29) and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) (r=0.37).
After two months, fasting glucose decreased (P<0.001) in the aqua-cinnamon-supplemented group compared with the placebo group (P=0.45). Glucose two hours after a 75-g carbohydrate load also decreased (P<0.0001) with CinSulin compared with placebo. Insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR tended to be improved by aqua-cinnamon supplements, but differences were not significant. These results will be presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, on Monday, April 26.
