Acute Effects of Cinnamon Spice on Post-prandial Glucose and Insulin

Wang, J., Wang, S., Yang, J., Henning, S.M., Ezzat-Zadeh, Z., Woo, S.L., Qin, T., Pan, Y., Tseng, C.H., Heber, D. and Li, Z.

Overview

Clinical studies and meta-analyses have supported the notion that consuming cinnamon spice long term can have beneficial effects in individuals with normal glucose homeostasis and varying degrees of glucose intolerance including type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of cinnamon on the post-prandial responses to a typical American breakfast in normal and overweight/obese participants (ClinicalTrials.gov registration No. NCT04686552).

Methods/Results

The consumption of a single dose of 6 g of cinnamon added to oatmeal prepared with milk resulted in a significant reduction of one of the primary outcomes post-prandial insulin response (niAUC0−180min) in overweight/obese participants compared to control consuming breakfast without cinnamon. Researchers also performed exploratory analysis of secondary outcomes. In normal weight participants, results found a decrease of post-prandial glucagon response (niAUC0−180min and glucagon levels at 60–120 min) and C-peptide response (30 min) comparing breakfast with to without cinnamon. 

Conclusions

Cinnamon consumption did not change post-prandial glycemic response in normal weight participants, but increased 60 min post-prandial glucose in overweight/obese participants compared to control. In summary, cinnamon consumption differentially affected post-prandial hormonal responses in normal and overweight/obese participants.