Cinnamon helps address metabolic disorders

A range of health benefits reported in a Delhi-based study

A spice commonly used in Indian kitchens may have health benefits, a new study has indicated. The results have been published in the June 2017 issue of the journal, Lipids in Health and Disease .

A clinical trial conducted in New Delhi has found that the consumption of cinnamon ( dalchini ) powder helps address obesity and symptoms of metabolic disorder. The study, done at the Fortis Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation, involved 116 men and women having conditions such as abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, high triglycerides and hypertension.

What it does

After consuming three grams of cinnamon powder per day for 16 weeks, the average weight reduced was from 89 to 85 kg in the cinnamon group, while it was from 82 from 81 kg in the control group which was not given cinnamon. Along with dietary intervention, they were all prescribed brisk walking for 45 minutes every day. Patients were monitored two times a week. Researchers said consuming cinnamon along with dietary changes and physical exercise decreased fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, waist circumference, and body mass index. It also improved waist-hip ratio, blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

“Cinnamon is a spice which is commonly used in Indian cooking and hence can be easily incorporated in our daily dietaries, which will balance out metabolism better,” says Dr. Seema Puri, associate professor at the Institute of Home Economics, who contributed to the study.

Earlier studies

A few previous studies have shown that cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity, reduces blood glucose levels and glycosylated haemoglobin, cholesterol, and blood antioxidant levels. But these were done with a few patients.

Doctors suggest that the possible mode of action of cinnamon may involve inhibiting activity of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, stimulating cellular glucose uptake, and enhancing insulin sensitivity. “The study is scientifically well planned, but I have some reservations as the study groups were not matching at baseline. It is a major issue in double-blind-placebo-controlled studies and it raises doubts over successful implementation of plan,” says Dr. Rajesh Khadgawat, from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi, who is not connected with the study.

Dr. Anoop Mishra, one of the authors of the study, agrees that “there are baseline differences in the average weight between the two groups” but says “we have adjusted the analysis for that and found significant differences in outcomes that are valid”. — India Science Wire