nina norman wrote:
Gosh, I wish they could find some way to achieve the opposite effect. I'm technically not diabetic as my GTT tests all come back normal. However, after eating any white sugars (bread, pasta, syrup, dr. pepper) my sugars crash within 45 minutes into the 40s. Awfully hard to live a diet without those items. Any other time I am in the 70s to low 80s.
thanks for sharing this info - i will share it with my dad who is typeI since they cut out half of his pancreas a few years ago.
Most of the references involve Type II, which generally is an insulin resistance concept. Type I generally is the different situation of inadequate insulin production by the islet cells, but I believe that Type I sometimes can involve sensitivity/insulin efficiency issues also. If sensitivity is an issue, then the cinnamon might be worth a try. If I were insulin dependent, I would be very careful to introduce the cinnamon slowly, in small quantities, and in a controlled fashion. A sudden change in efficiency could cause a short term metabolic oscillation that might be hard to manage. If your dad has circulation issues in his extremities, I bet KHWOZ could whip up some ginger soap that might help with that. Here's a link to an interesting piece about diet and non-insulin dependent diabetes (although it would seem to apply somewhat to the insulin dependent state also):
http://www.pcrm.org/research/diabetes.html
I believe your situation, which probably falls under the general hypoglycemia umbrella, involves some risk that your cells could become insulin resistant. Because of the feedback system that governs the insulin mechanism, it seems to me that cinnamon possibly could moderate your condition. One way to test it (or maybe merely to demonstrate the placebo effect) is to take maybe a half teaspoon of cinnamon along with, or maybe a half hour before taking, enough of a high glycemic item that ordinarily would crash your blood glucose level, and see what happens. You probably should do that in the presence of someone who can help you if you have an adverse reaction. I would begin with a modest amount of the high glycemic item, and perhaps choose one that usually does not cause the most severe result so as not to overwhelm the effect of whatever amount of cinnamon is involved, then experiment with the combinations and timing. Use no more than one, possibly two, teaspoon(s) of cinnamon per day--high consumption levels apparently can be toxic. I assume you already exercise and observe a diet with a low glycemic index, but for others reading this, that probably is the best way to manage the situation day to day. More broccoli, less of the whites that the DirtDoctor detests.
I believe the cinnamon-insulin connection is being studied now, with more reports to come, but here are some citations from MedLine:
1. Isolation and characterization of polyphenol type-A polymers from cinnamon with insulin-like biological activity., Anderson Richard A; Broadhurst C Leigh; Polansky Marilyn M; Schmidt Walter F; Khan Alam; Flanagan Vincent P; Schoene Norberta W; Graves Donald J, J Agric Food Chem 2004 Jan 14; 52 (1): 65-70
2. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. [In Process], Khan Alam; Safdar Mahpara; Ali Khan Mohammad Muzaffar; Khattak Khan Nawaz; Anderson Richard A, Diabetes Care 2003 Dec; 26 (12): 3215-8
3. Cinnamon extract (traditional herb) potentiates in vivo insulin-regulated glucose utilization via enhancing insulin signaling in rats. [In Process], Qin Bolin; Nagasaki Masaru; Ren Ming; Bajotto Gustavo; Oshida Yoshiharu; Sato Yuzo, Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2003 Dec; 62 (3): 139-48
4. Glycaemic index of different coconut (Cocos nucifera)-flour products in normal and diabetic subjects., Trinidad Trinidad P; Valdez Divinagracia H; Loyola Anacleta S; Mallillin Aida C; Askali Faridah C; Castillo Joan C; Masa Dina B, Br J Nutr 2003 Sep; 90 (3): 551-6
5. Insulin-like biological activity of culinary and medicinal plant aqueous extracts in vitro., Broadhurst C L; Polansky M M; Anderson R A, J Agric Food Chem 2000 Mar; 48 (3): 849-52
6. The evaluation of long-term effects of cinnamon bark and olive leaf on toxicity induced by streptozotocin administration to rats., Onderoglu S; Sozer S; Erbil K M; Ortac R; Lermioglu F, J Pharm Pharmacol 1999 Nov; 51 (11): 1305-12
7. Regulation of PTP-1 and insulin receptor kinase by fractions from cinnamon: implications for cinnamon regulation of insulin signalling., Imparl-Radosevich J; Deas S; Polansky M M; Baedke D A; Ingebritsen T S; Anderson R A; Graves D J, Horm Res 1998 Sep; 50 (3): 177-82