Natural Insight
Stop Blood Sugar Shenanigans
By Sabeen Faquir
You may be suffering from blood sugar management issues like metabolic syndrome or diabetes. Talk to your doctor about the benefits of cinnamon and chromium for blood sugar management. In addition to traditional medications, these nutrients may help lower fasting blood glucose levels!
First, it is important to understand what a fasting blood glucose level is. After we eat, our food transforms into types of sugars including glucose. Insulin, a hormone, is then released to sequester glucose and package it into forms for use later; these as used for energy. A fasting blood glucose level is just that, a blood glucose level taken after fasting, usually overnight. According to the NIH, if a fasting blood glucose level is greater than 126mg/dL, it could be reason for a diagnosis of diabetes.
Fasting blood glucose levels of 100-125mg/dL is reason to believe there is risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A normal fasting blood glucose level is below 100mg/dL. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 which is insulin-dependent and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is hereditary and diagnosed at a young age. Type 2 diabetes develops over time as the result of poor eating habits including regular and high amounts of sugar. In type 2 diabetes, some insulin is produced but it does not function well.
Having raised amounts of glucose in the blood can be harmful. The sugars can combine with other things in the blood and cause damage. For example, it can combine with a protein to ruin its function and in fact, harm tissue at the site of its function. This is why diabetes can never go untreated. Diabetes is commonly known to damage nerves.
If you are suffering from blood sugar management issues, two nutrients to consider are cinnamon and chromium. One study found that an alcohol extract of cinnamon produced comparable results to the diabetes medication, glibenclamide, in Alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Alloxan is like glucose but destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. An oral dose of 200mg/kg of the cinnamon alcohol lowered blood sugar levels to as low as an average of 123.5+/-3.6mg/dL after 1 hour of administration (Rejesh et al).
In another study, combination of cinnamon and chromium was found to both lower fasting blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity in human subjects (Anderson). Chromium picolinate is known to be the superior form of chromium supplement to take for blood sugar management (Peng, Yang). In a study performed on 71 diabetic human subjects, supplementation with chromium picolinate significantly reduced fasting glucose levels by 31mg/dL (Paiva et al).
How do cinnamon and chromium work? Cinnamon enhances insulin’s activities. In fact, a constituent of cinnamon, MCHP, activates the insulin receptor even without insulin. Particularly, it ignites the insulin receptor in cells for the cell to “soak up” glucose and package it. And also like insulin, it helps prevent the destruction of glycogen, the packaged form of glucose (Phaneuf). Like cinnamon, chromium potentiates the actions of insulin. Particularly, it helps insulin signaling which eventually enhances insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance is a condition preceding type 2 diabetes (Hua et al).
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Disclaimer: The content of this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure disease.
Sources:
Pusuloori Rajesh, S.Sharon Sonia, Y. Vijayabhaskara Reddy, M. Shiva Kumar. Antidiabetic profile of CINNAMON powder extract in experimental Diabetic animals. International Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2015; Vol: 2, Issue: 4, 21-25
Richard A. Anderson. Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. February 2008. Volume 67. Issue 01. pp 48-53
Mei Peng, Xiaoping Yang. Controlling diabetes by chromium complexes: The role of the ligands. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. May 2015. Volume 146, Pages 97–103
Ana N. Paiva, Josivan G. de Lima, Anna C.Q. de Medeiros, Heverton A.O. Figueiredo, Raiana L. de Andrade, Marcela A.G. Ururahy, Adriana A. Rezende, José Brandão-Neto, Maria das G. Almeida. Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. October 2015. Volume 32, Pages 66–72
Holly Phaneuf, PhD. Herbs Demystified: A Scientist Explains How the Most Common Herbal Remedies Really Work. 2005. Da Capo Press. Pg 81-85
Yinan Hua, Suzanne Clark, Jun Ren, and Nair Sreejayan. Molecular Mechanisms of Chromium in Alleviating Insulin Resistance. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2012 Apr; 23(4): 313–319.