Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
Cinnamon is an aromatic spice that is widely used in the culinary world to add a distinct flavour to various dishes.
Also called dalchini in Hindi, this popular super-food offers many medicinal properties, and one of the most prominent ones is its ability to deal with the problem of diabetes.
This wonder ingredient comes packed with antioxidants to counteract certain defects of glucose metabolism that occur prior to developing type 2 diabetes along with the levels of fasting blood sugar in persons with type 2 diabetes.
How is cinnamon useful for managing diabetes?
Numerous human studies have confirmed the blood-sugar-lowering effects of cinnamon, showing that it can lower fasting blood sugar levels by 10 to 29%.
Health experts and nutritionists recommend adding about 3 to 6 grams of this spice in a day to significantly help those with erratic blood sugar levels.
Here’s how it helps to manage blood glucose levels and slow progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes:
Cinnamon improves insulin insensitivity
In a study, it was found that the cinnamon peel extract stimulates the production of insulin from the pancreas and increases insulin sensitivity, which aids in glucose metabolism.
This can be attributed to its insulin potentiating activity – which is the ability to increase insulin’s efficiency in moving glucose from the blood into the cells.
Cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels
There is statistically significant evidence that cinnamon provides glucose regulation.
It contains some potent anti-diabetic chemicals that aid in decreasing the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal.
It accomplishes this by interfering with various digestive enzymes, thereby slowing glucose breakdown in your digestive tract.
Cinnamon protects digestive health
To keep blood sugar levels under control, a healthy digestive tract will process, digest, and drain out excess sugar.
Even a small dose of cinnamon aids with digestion. It protects the walls of the stomach and small intestines, basically protecting the integrity of the gut.
How to use cinnamon to deal with high blood sugar?
- Drink cinnamon water: Drinking cinnamon-infused water is the best nutritious way to start the day. To absorb cinnamon for diabetes, soak a 2-inch piece of cinnamon bark in a glass of water. Allow it to sit overnight and drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Substitute cinnamon for sugar: Cinnamon, with its mildly sweet flavour, can be used as a natural sweetener as well as a healthy alternative to sugar in a variety of desserts such as cakes and pies, as well as classic Indian sweet dishes such as kheer, halwa, and barfi.
- Take cinnamon tea or coffee: Make spiced tea (masala chai) with a dash of cinnamon powder, or add some to your coffee. Cinnamon’s distinct flavour, as well as its numerous health benefits, will elevate your hot cup of coffee in more ways than one.
- Use it in Indian curries: This is a well-known way to use cinnamon in our kitchens. To prepare flavorful curries, sauté a tiny cinnamon stick with additional dry spices such as cloves and peppercorns.
- Sprinkle cinnamon powder on your oatmeal: Add a sprinkling of cinnamon powder to your nutritious oatmeal. You can also skip the sugar and honey; cinnamon will make your bowl of fruits and cereal taste delicious on its own.
A word of caution!
- Its effect is less obvious in postmenopausal women.
- Exercise moderation while picking up the quantity of the spice as cinnamon consumption can aggravate liver problems. So it is recommended to avoid dalchini if you suffer from any such problems.
- Use Ceylon cinnamon rather than Cassia cinnamon, which contains a chemical compound coumarin, which should not be consumed in large doses, as it can be toxic to the liver.
So, is cinnamon worth trying for your diabetes?
At the end of the day, cinnamon is one of the healthiest spices on the planet.
Its potential health benefits are nothing short of astonishing.
This is truly an exceptional spice that can be used — in addition to lifestyle interventions — to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in an at-risk population.
So go ahead and move that bottle of cinnamon sitting far in the back of your spice cabinet to the front of the shelf and enjoy all its important health benefits.
It is also worth keeping an eye out for the warning signs and being diligent with regular screening for type 2 diabetes.
