Product Review

Use as part of your diet to help maintain a healthy blood sugar level in vitro and animal studies. Research has revealed that a number of herbs and spices have blood sugar metabolizing activity. In a study published in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), cinnamon demonstrated the greatest ability to stimulate healthy cellular glucose metabolism among 49 botanicals tested. In a 2001 study, researchers at the USDA's human nutrition research center showed that bioactive compounds in cinnamon facilitate glucose metabolism and storage in fat cells. These compounds stimulated glucose uptake into cells and increased glycogen (stored glucose) production via activation of the enzyme, glycogen synthase. The bioactive compounds in cinnamon appear to have their impact at the level of certain cellular receptors. A physiological mechanism involved in blood sugar control and storage is characterized by dephosphorylation of specific cellular receptors. Enzymes called "protein tyrosine kinases" (PTP-ases) are believed to decrease receptor phosphorylation. Cinnamon compounds have demonstrated the in vitro ability to inhibit PTP-1 and increase autophosphorylation of these same receptors7, thereby supporting healthy blood sugar metabolism. In an animal study, cinnamon (cassia) extract was administered to rats for three weeks. Following this, the rats were infused with insulin and glucose to assess their insulin response. Increased phosphorylation of cellular receptors responsible for sugar metabolism was observed in skeletal muscle of these rats, suggesting that cinnamon has the ability to enhance glucose uptake.