Cinamon is a Sri Lankan labor-intensive spice that lowers blood sugar and increases insulin sensitivity. (Larkuwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images)

As a general rule, those seeking to achieve long-lasting health and vitality would do well to ensure that blood sugar levels do not rise too high. One reason for this is that high blood sugar levels increase glycosylation in the body, during which sugar binds to proteins and damage them. The complications of glycosylation can be seen most readily in diabetics, where they can manifest as damage to diverse parts of the body including the retina, kidneys, and nerves.

Regular readers of my column will know that I advise a relatively low-carbohydrate diet, particularly for diabetics. Obviously, eating less sugar in the form or sugar or starch will generally do wonders to help temper blood sugar levels. Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to have the power to control diabetes, as in the study “The Effect of a Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet Versus a Low-Glycemic Index Diet on Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes,” published in December 2008 in Nutrition & Metabolism.

However, in addition to cutting back on carbs, other natural approaches may help control blood sugar levels, including the use of appropriate supplements. On natural agent that has received some attention regarding this is cinnamon. Cinnamon is an insulin sensitizer, which means it helps insulin to do its job. One key role of insulin is to reduce blood sugar levels. Recently, some scientists at Thames Valley University on the outskirts of London, U.K., reviewed the relevant evidence in the area entitled, “The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance,” published in December 2009 in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism.

The review looked at a total of eight studies. In five of these, the effects of cinnamon on blood sugar levels were assessed in type 2 diabetics. In the remaining three studies, cinnamon was tested in non-diabetics.

In two of the diabetic studies, blood sugar levels were found to be lowered with cinnamon compared to placebo. One study showed decreases of 18 to 29 percent in fasting blood glucose levels, while the other showed a decrease of about 10 percent.

One of the non-diabetic studies also showed a decrease in fasting blood glucose levels of 8.4 percent. The authors of this review concluded, “Whilst definitive conclusions cannot be drawn regarding the use of cinnamon as an antidiabetic therapy, it does possess blood sugar lowering properties and potential to reduce postprandial blood glucose levels. Further research is required to confirm a possible correlation between baseline FBG [fasting blood glucose] and blood glucose reduction and to assess the potential to reduce pathogenic diabetic complications with cinnamon supplementation.”

Further support for the idea that cinnamon might be of value in the treatment of diabetes comes from a recent study entitled “Effectiveness of cinnamon for lowering hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled trial,” published in the November 2009 Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, in which type 2 diabetes were treated with one gram of cinnamon daily for 90 days. HbA1c provides a measure of blood sugar levels over the preceding 3 months. Those taking cinnamon, in addition to standard diabetic care, saw a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c values. Individuals receiving just standard diabetic care did not.

This study is hampered by the fact that there was no true placebo group (a group taking a dummy medication) in addition to standard care. Yet, it does appear to support the idea that cinnamon helps moderate blood sugar levels.

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. His Web site is Drbriffa.com