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Sweet spices have been shown to deal a blow to diabetes and high cholesterol.
This finding is encouraging because diabetes and atherosclerosis often go together: Diabetes damages the lining of arteries, meaning cholesterol can build up in them and make them more likely to narrow or become clogged.
If you have diabetes, you usually have low HDL (good) cholesterol and high LDL/non-HDL cholesterol.
This is the “bad” type that increases your risk of heart disease.
Taking 1, 3, or 6 grams per day has been shown to lower blood sugar and cholesterol.
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Super Spice
The study, which involved 60 middle-aged British people, was published in the journal Neurology. Diabetes Care Cinnamon has been found to improve blood sugar, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Participants were split into three groups and given 1 gram (half a teaspoon), 3 grams, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day.
The other three groups were given placebo capsules that corresponded to the number of capsules consumed for the three levels of cinnamon.
Cinnamon was taken for 40 days, followed by a 20-day “washout” period, during which no tablets were taken.
Researchers found that cinnamon lowered cholesterol by about 18 percent and blood sugar levels by 24 percent.
They concluded that “incorporating” cinnamon into the diet of people with type 2 diabetes reduces risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Other studies support this conclusion.
researcher found Daily cinnamon supplements reduced abnormally high blood sugar levels in pre-diabetic people for two weeks.
Another study Agricultural Research JournalTaking just one gram of cinnamon per day has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, helping to manage and reverse type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, a 2007 analysis found that American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Taking 6 grams of cinnamon has been shown to slow gastric emptying and significantly reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes.
Study finds that 6 grams of cinnamon slows gastric emptying
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moreover, 2019 Research Review Cinnamon has been shown to help lower fasting blood sugar levels.
Editor’s Opinion
It must be acknowledged that further studies are needed to confirm these results.
It’s also important to “keep in mind” that, like many natural compounds, cinnamon is not medically approved for the prevention or treatment of any disease, Diabetes UK points out.
However, the literature suggests that cinnamon may be effective in treating diabetes.
So, you can add this to your diet but check with your doctor or medical team first.
Symptoms to look for
Many people have type 2 diabetes without even realizing it, as they may not always notice the symptoms.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Peeing more than usual
- Always thirsty
- I am so tired
- Lose weight without effort
- Itching around the penis or vagina or recurring yeast infections
- Cuts and wounds heal more slowly
- Blurred vision
