A dash of cinnamon can enhance the flavor of an apple pie, but there may be more to this familiar spice than meets the tastebuds. Though evidence is mixed, some studies suggest cinnamon may help to reduce the levels of glucose (sugar) in blood.
Read on to learn if adding a dash of cinnamon to your diet here and there, or even taking a supplement, can help if you haveprediabetesortype 2 diabetes).
Cinnamon as a Natural Remedy
Cinnamon at a Glance
Cinnamon is sourced from the inner bark of theCinnamomumtree. When removed from the trunk of the tree and allowed to dry, the bark naturally rolls up into quills commonly known as cinnamon sticks. The quills are sold as is or ground into a fine powder. Both forms are easy to find on grocery store shelves and anywhere spices and cooking ingredients are sold.
Two types of cinnamon are available in the United States: Ceylon, or “true cinnamon” is the more expensive. The other variety of cinnamon, cassia, is used to flavor most food products.
The distinctive flavor and aroma of cinnamon come from an essential oil called cinnamaldehyde. It’s believed that this essential oil has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Cinnamon also has significant amounts of antioxidants, higher than 25 other spices.
Health Benefits of Cinnamon Essential Oil
Cinnamon and Blood Sugar
Conclusive studies investigating the use of cinnamon inmanaging diabetesare lacking. Those that do exist are contradictory, with some showing significant positive effectsand others showing little to no effect.
Because the evidence isn’t clear, the American Diabetes Association doesn’t recommend using cinnamon to lower blood sugar.
However, there have been some positive findings. The conclusions tend to be limited given the small size of the studies. Others are simply poorly designed.
Among the positive findings, a 2013 meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials concluded that ingesting cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugars. The analysis also found that cinnamon had a positive effect on total cholesterol, triglycerides, and “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
Can Cinnamon Help Lower Cholesterol?
Adding Cinnamon to Your Diet
In addition to adding cinnamon to your food, there are also cinnamon supplements that you can buy online and at nutritional supplements stores. There are no guidelines for the appropriate use of these supplements, although some manufacturers recommend 2,000 milligrams (mg) per day.
An April 2019 review inClinical Nutritionreported that the most common side effects from cinnamon consumption include gastrointestinal symptoms andallergic reactions. Side effects tended to be transient and improve on their own treatment was stopped.
Cinnamon may be unsafe to use with medications or supplements known to reduce sugar levels, such asalpha-lipoic acid,bitter melon,chromium, devil’s claw,fenugreek, garlic,horse chestnut,Panax ginseng, Siberianginseng, andpsyllium.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5):452-9. doi:10.1370/afm.1517Rao PV, Gan SH.Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942Plaisier C, Cok A, Scott J, et al.Effects of cinnamaldehyde on the glucose transport activity of GLUT1.Biochimie.2011;93(2):339-44. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2010.10.006American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care. 2024 Jan 1;47(Suppl 1):S77-S110. doi: 10.2337/dc24-S005. Erratum in: Diabetes Care. 2024 Feb 05Hajimonfarednejad M, Ostovar M, Raee MJ, et al.Cinnamon: A systematic review of adverse events.Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):594-602. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013Braun L, Cohen M.Herbs and Natural Supplements, Volume 2:An Evidence-Based Guide(4th Edition). Elsevier Health Sciences.Kizilaslan N, Erdem NZ.The effect of different amounts of cinnamon consumption on blood glucose in healthy adult individuals.Int J Food Sci.2019;2019:4138534. doi:10.1155/2019/4138534
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5):452-9. doi:10.1370/afm.1517Rao PV, Gan SH.Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942Plaisier C, Cok A, Scott J, et al.Effects of cinnamaldehyde on the glucose transport activity of GLUT1.Biochimie.2011;93(2):339-44. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2010.10.006American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care. 2024 Jan 1;47(Suppl 1):S77-S110. doi: 10.2337/dc24-S005. Erratum in: Diabetes Care. 2024 Feb 05Hajimonfarednejad M, Ostovar M, Raee MJ, et al.Cinnamon: A systematic review of adverse events.Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):594-602. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013Braun L, Cohen M.Herbs and Natural Supplements, Volume 2:An Evidence-Based Guide(4th Edition). Elsevier Health Sciences.Kizilaslan N, Erdem NZ.The effect of different amounts of cinnamon consumption on blood glucose in healthy adult individuals.Int J Food Sci.2019;2019:4138534. doi:10.1155/2019/4138534
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5):452-9. doi:10.1370/afm.1517Rao PV, Gan SH.Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942Plaisier C, Cok A, Scott J, et al.Effects of cinnamaldehyde on the glucose transport activity of GLUT1.Biochimie.2011;93(2):339-44. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2010.10.006American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care. 2024 Jan 1;47(Suppl 1):S77-S110. doi: 10.2337/dc24-S005. Erratum in: Diabetes Care. 2024 Feb 05Hajimonfarednejad M, Ostovar M, Raee MJ, et al.Cinnamon: A systematic review of adverse events.Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):594-602. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013Braun L, Cohen M.Herbs and Natural Supplements, Volume 2:An Evidence-Based Guide(4th Edition). Elsevier Health Sciences.Kizilaslan N, Erdem NZ.The effect of different amounts of cinnamon consumption on blood glucose in healthy adult individuals.Int J Food Sci.2019;2019:4138534. doi:10.1155/2019/4138534
Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5):452-9. doi:10.1370/afm.1517
Rao PV, Gan SH.Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942
Plaisier C, Cok A, Scott J, et al.Effects of cinnamaldehyde on the glucose transport activity of GLUT1.Biochimie.2011;93(2):339-44. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2010.10.006
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care. 2024 Jan 1;47(Suppl 1):S77-S110. doi: 10.2337/dc24-S005. Erratum in: Diabetes Care. 2024 Feb 05
Hajimonfarednejad M, Ostovar M, Raee MJ, et al.Cinnamon: A systematic review of adverse events.Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):594-602. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.013
Braun L, Cohen M.Herbs and Natural Supplements, Volume 2:An Evidence-Based Guide(4th Edition). Elsevier Health Sciences.
Kizilaslan N, Erdem NZ.The effect of different amounts of cinnamon consumption on blood glucose in healthy adult individuals.Int J Food Sci.2019;2019:4138534. doi:10.1155/2019/4138534
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