2005-07-05
Richard Harkness - KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS

QUESTION: I've heard that cinnamon lowers cholesterol. If this is true, could you provide some details?

ANSWER: There is promising evidence that cinnamon spice can push down blood levels of cholesterol and sugar (glucose).

This evidence comes from a six-week placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 60 participants (30 men and 30 women) with type 2 diabetes. The 2003 study appeared in Diabetes Care.

Small amounts of cassia cinnamon added to the diet lowered total cholesterol 12 percent to 26 percent, LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) 7 percent to 27 percent, triglycerides 23 percent to 30 percent and fasting blood sugar 18 percent to 29 percent.

The compounds present in cassia cinnamon seem to improve the body's response to its own insulin, resulting in lower blood levels of sugar and lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides).

Study participants took either 1 gram, 3 grams or 6 grams of cassia cinnamon daily (1 teaspoon equals 4.75 grams).

A couple of intriguing points caught my attention: Each amount (1 gram, 3 grams and 6 grams) showed a similar benefit, and the benefit seemed to be long-lasting.

This suggests that cinnamon in amounts less than one-fourth of a teaspoon taken regularly (daily or even less frequently) could get results.

Though this study involved only individuals with diabetes, researchers speculated that cinnamon also might help prevent or control elevated glucose and lipid levels in the general population.

More research is needed to make firm recommendations, but cinnamon certainly seems worth a trial run based on these striking numbers.

I'd appreciate hearing how cinnamon supplementation works from readers who decide to try it. You might add it to your cereal or beverage.

Ideally, you'd have your blood lipid and sugar levels measured before starting cinnamon and then again after taking it for several weeks.

These before-and-after numbers would show how well cinnamon worked.

The cinnamon spice available in grocery stores typically contains a combination of different cinnamons, including the cassia type (Chinese cinnamon) and the verum type (Ceylon cinnamon).

Currently, only cassia cinnamon has been shown to affect blood sugar in humans. However, the verum form also contains what is thought to be the key ingredient.

If you take sugar-lowering medications for diabetes, be aware that adding cinnamon might cause your blood sugar to drop too low (hypoglycemia). Individuals taking such medications know to watch for the cardinal warning signs: tremor, fast pulse or heartbeat, sweating, weakness, sudden hunger, confusion, numbness or tingling sensations.

To avoid this problem, doses of your current medication might need to be reduced when cinnamon is started. But don't adjust the dose on your own – check with your doctor. And closely self-monitor blood sugar levels.

Those on lipid-lowering medications should have smooth sailing.

Generally, the lower your cholesterol and triglycerides, the better.

 Richard Harkness is a consultant pharmacist and specialist in natural therapies. E-mail:

rharkn@aol.com.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050705/news_lz1c05qanda.html