VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1 • JUNE 2023 17 SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE REVIEW Potential benefits of cinnamon for type 2 diabetes CHANDRALEKHA MOHAN Correspondence to: Dr Chandralekha Mohan Department of Family Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban e-mail: docmohan7@gmail.com S Afr J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2023; 20: 17–19 Abstract Hippocrates, the Greek physician regarded as the father of medicine, supposedly once said ‘Let food be thy medicine’ and a growing body of research now suggests that food can be medicine. The growing cost burden of chronic conditions such as the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and renal failure are urging both physicians and patients to find more cost-effective treatments for these conditions. It is well known that patients seek herbal and other supplements to augment the management of chronic conditions. Over the last two decades there has been growing interest in cinnamon products as adjuvants to treatment for various conditions, as well as incorporating cinnamon into everyday foods to alleviate glycaemia. This review aimed to highlight the potential benefits of cinnamon in the management of type 2 diabetes. Keywords: type 2 diabetes, cinnamon, adjuvant, cost effective Introduction Worldwide, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased in the last decade. Almost 50% of people with diabetes are unaware of their condition. Glycaemic control presents a challenge to both patients and physicians. Complications such as renal failure, cardiac diseases, stroke and amputations are common in poorly controlled diabetics and these conditions raise the cost burden of diabetes. Lifestyle changes such as eating healthily and intelligently, and exercising regularly are imperative in order to avoid these complications. Adding a cost-effective adjuvant to diabetes regimes can benefit diabetic individuals and also play a role in decreasing the cost burden. Cinnamon, a well-known spice, discovered over 4 000 years ago and used as a traditional herbal medicine for many centuries as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and for treating neurological conditions, is now also showing great benefit as an antiglycaemic and insulin-sensitising agent. Recent studies have shown that cinnamon improves glycaemia with the following mechanisms: (1) insulin receptor phosphorylation and dephosphoralation, (2) glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) receptor synthesis and translocation, (3) modulation of hepatic glucose metabolism through changes in pyruvate kinase and phospho pyruvate carbokinase, (4) altering the expression of PPAR-γ, and (5) inhibition of intestinal glucosidase. This review article highlights the scientific evidence for the potential benefit of adding cinnamon products as an adjuvant to treatment regimens to counteract the effects of poor glycaemic control, and reduce cardiovascular risk. Cinnamon studies Cinnamomum (cinnamon) is a genus of the Lauraceae family. The name cinnamon is derived from a Greek word meaning sweet wood. It comes from the inner wood of the tropical cinnamon tree (Figs 1, 2). There are 250 known aromatic species of the genus Cinnamomum.1 However, the most prominent are true or Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), a small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka, and Chinese cassia (C cassia), also known as C aromatica, which is native to China. These are the most widely available species (Table 1). Over the last two decades, in vivo and in vitro studies using different doses and different preparations of cinnamon for Fig. 2. Constituents of cinnamon. Fig. 1. Cinnamon sticks and powder.
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