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You may have heard from someone you know that Cinnamon can be used as a treatment for Blood Sugar— and this is true. Studies have been conducted, and most of them confirm that Ceylon Cinnamon does lower the blood sugar level in your body.
Cinnamon is a common ingredient, and may already be sitting in your spice rack. What you don’t know is that it has the power to lower the blood sugar level in your body.
Before we get to know how this happens and how much Cinnamon should you take every day, let’s first know the basics of Cinnamon.
What Is Cinnamon?
Cinnamon is a common spice that comes from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree. From the bark of the tree, it is then processed into either powders or cinnamon sticks. This spice is mostly used to bring more aroma and flavor to your meals. It’s also used for baked goodies and even drinks. However, there’s more to Cinnamon than just spice. Back then, before we got our modern medicine, Cinnamon was used as traditional medicine, mostly for Diabetes.
2 Types of Cinnamon
There are two major types of Cinnamon, which are Ceylon Cinnamon and Cassia Cinnamon. These two main types have a number of Cinnamon subtypes too. But for now, let’s focus on the two major types.
Cassia Cinnamon
Also known as the Chinese Cinnamon because it originated from China. This is the Cinnamon that you can easily find on your local market nowadays since its the more affordable Cinnamon variant among its kind. You can buy it both in powder or stick form. Distinguishing, this type of Cinnamon is relatively easy as it has a reddish-brown color. Aside from that, it has a very strong spicy scent, plus, it has a fairly strong spicy taste. This makes it ideal for meals and dishes.
However, Cassia Cinnamon has high Coumarin content. Coumarin is a compound that is highly toxic to your liver and kidney, especially when it is taken in excess amount.
Ceylon Cinnamon
Commonly known as the True Cinnamon, Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka. Contrasting to Cassia, which is easily accessible in the market, Ceylon isn’t. This is because Ceylon is 4x more expensive than Cassia Cinnamon. Identifying this type of Cinnamon is easy since its color is lighter than Cassia Cinnamon. It has a tan color. Aside from that, its aroma is very mild and relaxing. Plus, it has a bit of a sweet and spicy taste.
Ceylon is the Cinnamon variant that is mostly used as a food supplement and as a treatment for Diabetes. This is because it has very low coumarin content, which is around 0.01%, which cannot harm your liver and kidney.
Cinnamon for The Blood Sugar: Ceylon VS Cassia
Cinnamon is known for its healing wonders, particularly on Type 2 Diabetes and Cinnamon contains Cinnamaldehyde. This compound is able to imitate insulin as well as its function. Insulin produced by your pancreas. What it does is that it brings glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and transports them to your cell. If you have Diabetes, the insulin in your body is not enough to transport the glucose from your bloodstream. This results in a high blood glucose level.
Cinnamaldehyde has the power to imitate the insulin’s function, which is to transport the glucose from your blood into your cells. Basically, it assists the insulin in your body to help it cope with the amount of glucose within your bloodstream.
Now, as stated earlier, there are two types of Cinnamon, which both contain Cinnamaldehyde. However, Cassia Cinnamon has a high Coumarin content which can kill your liver and kidney, when taken in excess amounts. Doctors strongly suggest that Cassia shouldn’t be taken daily, or your liver may suffer. Ceylon Cinnamon for blood sugar , on the other hand, has very low coumarin content and is safe for daily use.
Overall, Ceylon Cinnamon for blood sugar is the ideal type of Cinnamon for diabetes.
How Much Cinnamon Should You Take for Blood Sugar?
It has been proven that Cinnamon is good for blood sugar.
A lot of studies have been conducted about Cinnamon for blood sugar, and most of them have used at least 1 – 6 grams of Cinnamon a day. You shouldn’t use Cassia in this situation since it can potentially harm your liver. Ceylon, on the other hand, can be consumed daily since it has low Coumarin content. However, doctors suggest that you can start with 1.2 teaspoons (6 grams) of Ceylon Cinnamon a day. You can go beyond the recommended amount. However, you shouldn’t go overboard since Ceylon still contains Coumarin.
Now, if you’re adamant about taking Cassia Cinnamon, you should never go beyond 0.5 – 1 gram of Cassia Cinnamon per day. Anything that exceeds that number is a red flag if you’re taking Cassia.
Cinnamon for Blood Sugar: How Long Does It Take for Cinnamon to Lower Blood Sugar?
Researchers are still working on their studies regarding this matter. However, one thing is for sure. Cinnamon shouldn’t be taken for an extended period of time. This is because there are still a lot of things to discover about Cinnamon, so don’t take the risk.
But, if we base this to the duration that researchers use whenever they conduct a study regarding Cinnamon and Diabetes, they mostly take 6 months. Within these six months, significant changes regarding the Blood Sugar Level can be observed.
However, paying your doctor a visit with regard to this matter won’t hurt you. Your doctor knows your condition best, and each condition is different for each person. They can tell you whether you should go on with your Ceylon Cinnamon treatment and how long it should take.
Frequently Asked Questions ABout Cinnamon For Blood Sugar
Takeaways
Cinnamon is a superfood that will not only spice your meals and baked goodies up, it can also give you a lot of health benefits. So if you’re thinking of using Cinnamon as a treatment for your Diabetes, you should know that you need to reduce your dosage for insulin. Cinnamon already has a compound that can mimic the insulin in your body.