Meta-analysis: Liquid cinnamon extract helps control blood-sugar levels

TUSTIN, Calif. — A new meta-analysis released Wednesday of eight clinical trials examining the effect of cinnamon consumption in people with Type 2 diabetes and/or prediabetes concluded cinnamon extract and/or cinnamon helps lower blood-glucose levels. The analysis was published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods.

When isolating those studies using only cinnamon extract, researchers found that "a significant overall effect on blood-glucose levels" was retained. "Consuming cinnamon, especially cinnamon extract, does produce a modest but statistically significant lowering in fasting blood glucose," said Paul Davis of the Department of Nutrition, University of California. "Using water extracts of cinnamon achieves the desired blood glucose effects while avoiding the nonpolar constituents in whole cinnamon or the cinnamon flavor components that have been linked to deleterious effects (e.g., oral lesions and mutagenicity)," he added.

Aqueous cinnamon extraction, which uses only cinnamon, water, heat and pressure, creates concentrated levels of specific procyanidins believed to be the active ingredients in promoting healthy glucose levels.

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