Q: Hi. I’ve recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I’ve
heard that take a cinnamon supplement can help lower my blood sugar. I want to do something natural for my
diabetes. Is this something your
recommend? -Jeanie
A: Hello Jeanie! Thanks for your question. Your query about supplementing with Cinnamon
is one I hear often. There are
approximately 26 million people in the US with Diabetes1 and a
greater proportion of those are searching for a natural way to cope with their
situation all of the time. Before we go
on to the specific supplements I would recommend I should point out that
Diabetes is a serious condition and you should absolutely partner with your
professional health care provider and/or pharmacist before beginning any diet
or supplement program designed to address your condition. That being said, let’s dive in!
Type 2 diabetes is a series of dominos that fall in
unfortunate sequence. Whether genetic or
environmental in origin, diabetes causes the cells to react incorrectly to insulin
in the blood. You take in sugar, the
pancreas produces insulin and delivers it to the cells. Eventually, as the cells become overexposed
to insulin they begin to lose sensitivity (due to a reduction in receptor
sites) to its effect and now more glucose remains in the bloodstream. This increase in glucose in the blood causes
the pancreas in turn to try to desperately produce more insulin to take care of
the extra blood sugar which causes the cells to become even more resistant to
the extra insulin and do you see what’s happening here…? The effects of this that you will see early
on is increased fat storage, especially in the abdominal area, and psychological
effects.
What do you do? Exercise
and proper diet are your first step. You
can find lots of good diet and exercise recommendations on the American
Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.org).
So to your original question: Cinnamon? The short answer is
yes, taking cinnamon has been shown to help reduce blood sugar levels. But I
don’t like short answers J
so I’m going to broaden my response!
Cinnamon has been shown to help dull the effects of sugar
intake on overall blood sugar levels. It
is worth noting that if you are going to eat your cinnamon, know that Ceylon
Cinnamon is the type that has been studied for its diabetic support
properties. Also know this: that if you
have liver issues you may want to avoid cinnamon as it does contain a small
amount of a substance known to be toxic to the liver.
Additionally, the following supplements have been shown to
also support diabetes control.
- Alpha-Lipoic Acid: 200mg per day has been shown to aid in the protection of nerves and may be a treatment for peripheral neuropathy2. Additionally, it may help to increase insulin sensitivity in cells in the early stages of diabetes3.
- Biotin 8-16mg per day: May help to protect the beta-cells in the pancreas3. This too may be helpful in the early stages of type 2 diabetes.
- Chromium Picolinate 400-600mcg per day: May improve the efficiency of insulin in the body in order to lower blood sugar2. This effect may be improved by coupling with 100mg of Niacin3.
- Vanadyl Sulfate 50mcg twice per day (or as directed): May aid in the transport of glucose into the cells. This seems to be most effective in individuals that are over-weight3.
There are of course a multitude of other supplements and
considerations beyond these. Feel free
to write in additional questions or stop by Hoey Apothecary and we would be
happy to meet with you.
If you have a question about Sugar Control Support or any
other wellness topic, feel free to email me Joshua@hoeyrx.com.
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