The Effects of Cinnamon on Insulin

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Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 4, 327-336 (2001)
Published by the American College of Nutrition

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Original Research

A Hydroxychalcone Derived from Cinnamon Functions as a Mimetic for Insulin in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
Karalee J. Jarvill-Taylor, PhD, Richard A. Anderson, PhD and Donald J. Graves, PhD
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (K.J.J.-T., D.J.G.)
Human Nutrition Research Center, ARS, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705 (R.A.A.)

Address reprint requests to: Dr. Donald J. Graves, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-0001. E-mail: djgraves5@yahoo.com


Objectives: These studies investigated the ability of a hydroxychalcone from cinnamon to function as an insulin mimetic in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Methods: Comparative experiments were performed with the cinnamon methylhydroxychalcone polymer and insulin with regard to glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase dependency, glycogen synthase activation and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß activity. The phosphorylation state of the insulin receptor was also investigated.

Results: MHCP treatment stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis to a similar level as insulin. Glycogen synthesis was inhibited by both wortmannin and LY294002, inhibitors directed against the PI-3-kinase. In addition, MHCP treatment activated glycogen synthase and inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3ß activities, known effects of insulin treatment. Analysis of the insulin receptor demonstrated that the receptor was phosphorylated upon exposure to the MHCP. This supports that the insulin cascade was triggered by MHCP. Along with comparing MHCP to insulin, experiments were done with MHCP and insulin combined. The responses observed using the dual treatment were greater than additive, indicating synergism between the two compounds.

Conclusion: Together, these results demonstrate that the MHCP is an effective mimetic of insulin. MHCP may be useful in the treatment of insulin resistance and in the study of the pathways leading to glucose utilization in cells.


Key words: diabetes mellitus, insulin, methylhydroxychalcone, cinnamon, phosphorylation, glycogen


This article has been cited by other articles:


A. Khan, M. Safdar, M. M. Ali Khan, K. N. Khattak, and R. A. Anderson
Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes Care, December 1, 2003; 26(12): 3215 - 3218.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Article 2

Diabetes Care 26:3215-3218, 2003
© 2003 by the American Diabetes Association, Inc.

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Clinical Care/Education/Nutrition
Original Article

Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes
Alam Khan, MS, PHD1,2,3, Mahpara Safdar, MS1,2, Mohammad Muzaffar Ali Khan, MS, PHD1,2, Khan Nawaz Khattak, MS1,2 and Richard A. Anderson, PHD3
1 Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan
2 Post Graduate Medical Institute, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan
3 Nutrients Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Richard A. Anderson, Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Bldg. 307, Rm. 224, Beltsville, MD 20705. E-mail: Anderson@307.bhnrc.usda.gov

OBJECTIVE—The objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 60 people with type 2 diabetes, 30 men and 30 women aged 52.2 ± 6.32 years, were divided randomly into six groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consumed 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon daily, respectively, and groups 4, 5, and 6 were given placebo capsules corresponding to the number of capsules consumed for the three levels of cinnamon. The cinnamon was consumed for 40 days followed by a 20-day washout period.

RESULTS—After 40 days, all three levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18–29%), triglyceride (23–30%), LDL cholesterol (7–27%), and total cholesterol (12–26%) levels; no significant changes were noted in the placebo groups. Changes in HDL cholesterol were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS—The results of this study demonstrate that intake of 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

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Cinnamon Research Is Promising
Ten years ago, the USDA Beltsville Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory first reported that cinnamon improved the utilization of glucose by fat cells in vitro. Since then researchers have tested 60 medicinal and food plants, and nothing has come close to the consistently excellent results of cinnamon.

Scientists isolated and identified the phytochemical responsible for cinnamon's activity, and think it has several potential benefits for diabetics. The phytochemical, methyl hydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP), is not only newly discovered in cinnamon, but new to phytochemistry in general.

MHCP increases cellular glucose oxidation by factors of up to 20-fold, improves the function of the insulin receptors on the cell, and has a strong antioxidant effect. Since the first report on cinnamon, hundreds of people have contacted the laboratory to say how cinnamon has helped them reduce their insulin or medication dosages. Most people are using 1 to 2 teaspoons per day (5-10 g). Animal and human studies are under way or complete, but results are not yet published. --CLB

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Reuters Health

By Alison McCook

Thursday, December 11, 2003


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with diabetes can help keep their bodies healthy by simply adding a dash of spice to their diet, new research reports.

In a study, diabetics who incorporated one gram -- equivalent to less than one-quarter teaspoon -- of cinnamon per day for 40 days into their normal diets experienced a decrease in levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats.

And for people with diabetes, the less of those substances in the body, the better.

Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that shuttles the sugars from food into body cells to be used for energy. As a result, the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood remains high, leading to fatigue and blurred vision. Over the long term, excess blood glucose can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and blindness.

The current findings suggest that a small amount of cinnamon can help protect diabetics from these and other potential complications of their condition, study author Dr. Richard A. Anderson of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland told Reuters Health.

Diabetics could add a dash of cinnamon to their morning servings of coffee, orange juice or cereal, Anderson noted. "You can also make a cinnamon tea by simply boiling water with stick cinnamon," he suggested.

Anderson noted that cinnamon may also help stave off the onset of type 2 diabetes in people at risk of the condition.

He added that cinnamon contains some substances that can be toxic in high amounts, so people should be sure not to get too much of a good thing. "Certainly, a gram per day is not a high amount," he reassured.

During the study, Anderson and his colleagues asked 60 people with type 2 diabetes to consume 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon each day for 40 days, or the equivalent amount of wheat flour, as a placebo. Both the cinnamon and wheat flour were administered in capsule form.

Reporting in the journal Diabetes Care, Anderson and his team found that all cinnamon-takers experienced a drop in blood levels of glucose, fats and cholesterol by up to 30 percent. No change was seen in the people taking placebo capsules.

Anderson explained that cinnamon contains compounds that help make insulin more efficient, improving the hormone's ability to bring glucose to the cells that need it.

As an added bonus, cinnamon contains virtually no calories, Anderson said, allowing diabetics to add zest to their meals without adding to their waistlines.

Cinnamon contains less than 3 calories per gram, "negligible in the total dietary intake," Anderson said.

Previous research has shown that cinnamon appears to help fat cells recognize and respond to insulin. In test tube and in animal studies, the spice increased glucose metabolism by about 20 times.

[liftsiron]

Thanks FContact. My personal experience with cinnamon added to my post workout shake seems very promising, my pumps are better and my muscles seem fuller.

[FContact]

Well even without knowing its benefits I use to put cinnamon in my PW shake just for the taste.