Influence of Cinnamon on Glycemic Control in Individuals With Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial
What this study found
Cinnamon improved several markers of glycemic control over 12 weeks. Fasting plasma glucose was 108 ± 11 mg/dL at 12 weeks versus 114 ± 8 mg/dL with placebo (p<0.01), 2-hour post-OGTT glucose decreased by 20 ± 27 mg/dL versus placebo (p<0.01), and OGTT glucose AUC fell from 21389 ± 3858 to 19946 ± 4070 mg/dL/120 min (p<0.05). HbA1c decreased by 0.1 ± 0.3% (p<0.01) and glycated albumin decreased by 0.5 ± 0.6% (p<0.001), with an overall favorable safety profile.
- Study & population
- Randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adults with prediabetes recruited at two academic centers.
- Intervention
- Cinnamon capsules were taken orally at 500 mg three times daily for 12 weeks, for a total daily dose of 1500 mg.
- Key limitation
- The trial was short at 12 weeks and small, with only 27 participants in the cinnamon arm.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Abstract Context The identification of adjunct safe, durable, and cost-effective approaches to reduce the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a clinically relevant, unmet goal. It is unknown whether cinnamon’s glucose-lowering properties can be leveraged in individuals with prediabetes. Objective The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of cinnamon on measures of glucose homeostasis in prediabetes. Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention This double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial randomly assigned adult individuals meeting any criteria for prediabetes to receive cinnamon 500 mg or placebo thrice daily (n = 27/group). Participants were enrolled and followed at 2 academic centers for 12 weeks. Main Outcome Measures Primary outcome was the between-group difference in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) at 12 weeks from baseline. Secondary end points included the change in 2-hour PG of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the change in the PG area under the curve (AUC) derived from the OGTT. Results From a similar baseline, FPG rose after 12 weeks with placebo but remained stable with cinnamon, leading to a mean between-group difference of 5 mg/dL (P < .05). When compared to the respective baseline, cinnamon, but not placebo, resulted in a significant decrease of the AUC PG (P < .001) and of the 2-hour PG of the OGTT (P < .05). There were no serious adverse events in either study group. Conclusions In individuals with prediabetes, 12 weeks of cinnamon supplementation improved FPG and glucose tolerance, with a favorable safety profile. Longer and larger studies should address cinnamon’s effects on the rate of progression from prediabetes to T2D.