Cinnamon, Cloves, and Diabetes

One of the key factors to maintaining your vision as a diabetic is blood sugar control. Tight Control reduces the end-organ vascular damage that can destroy vision. Methods for controlling sugar improve with time, but it is important to remember that Adult Onset Diabetes is often related to our diets and activity levels. We effectively encourage our patients to "go back to nature" by asking them to increase their activity levels and control their diets. So how about some other natural methods?

Several studies have been conducted in recent years to determine whether or not the ancient spices Cinnamon and Cloves have any beneficial effect in the management of diabetes. These studies show promise, but deliver conflicting results--some showing no effect, leaving the consumer to determine the quality of the studies and validity of the results.

Cinnamon seems to have powerful anti-inflammitory and anti-oxidant properties which may help explain some earlier findings by Dr. Richard A. Anderson, of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture. He had shown that the equivalent of a quarter to half a teaspoon of cinnamon given to humans twice a day decreased risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, including glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides, by 10 to 30 percent.

Cloves have also been shown in lab studies and human studies to to improve the function of insulin and to lower glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.

Three of these studies were presented at Experimental Biology 2006 in San Francisco and are part of the scientific program of the American Society for Nutrition, Inc:

* Dr. Heping Cao of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and colleagues, including Dr. Anderson, investigated the biochemical basis for the insulin-like effects of cinnamon. Results showed that cinnamon, like insulin, increases the amount of three critically important proteins involved in the body's insulin signaling, glucose transport, and inflammatory response. Dr. Cao says the study provides new biochemical evidence for the beneficial effects of cinnamon in potentiating insulin action and suggests anti-inflammatory properties for the antioxidants in cinnamon. Other researchers involved in the study are Dr. Marilyn M. Polansky of the USDA-ARS Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center, and Dr. Perry J. Blackshear of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

* Dr. Stephanie Mae Lampke, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and colleagues, used fractionation and electrospray mass spectrometry to identify the chemical structure of active ingredients in cinnamon. She worked with UCSB's James Pavolich and Donald Graves. This study provides information on how cinnamon works. Working with Dr. Lampe, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Polansky (also involved in the paper above) were members of the USDA BHNRC. Research was supported in part by a grant from Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, to Dr. Graves.

* Dr. Alam Khan, Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan, a former postdoctoral student and Fulbright Fellow in the Anderson laboratory, reports the first study of the effect of cloves on insulin function in humans. Thirty-six people with type 2 diabetes were divided into four groups, which then took capsules with either 0, 1, 2, or 3 grams of cloves for 30 days. There were no significance differences in responses among the three levels of cloves used - but there were markedly significant differences between those who took cloves and those who did not. At the end of the 30 days, individuals with diabetes who had been taking some level of clove supplementation showed a decrease in serum glucose from an average 225 to 150 mg/dL, triglycerides from an average 235 to 203 mg/dL, a decrease in serum total cholesterol from 273 to 239 mg/dL, and a decrease in LDL from 175 to 145 mg/dL. The individuals with diabetes who had not been taking clove capsules showed no differences. Serum HDL was not affected by consumption of cloves.

The method, quality, and quantity of dosing play an important role. Sprinkling these spices on your cereal may not have much affect. Also, be aware that Cinnamon contains natural Coumarin, albeit very small amounts. The beneficial compounds in Cinnamon are water soluable, while the harmful ones are not, according to Dr. Richard A. Anderson. So making a tea from the bark, or grinding it into your coffee grounds before brewing may improve its effect. Dr. Anderson also reports that "saliva has a chemical harmful to Cinnamon."

We recommend that you involve the doctor who Rx's your diabetic meds if you decide to try these methods. And remember, diabetic retinopathy must be followed regularly by your eye doctor. Diabetics need a minimum of one exam per year--and more frequently if your retinopathy is in danger of progressing as determined by your eye doctor.