How Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar and Helps Diabetes

Cinnamon may help support blood sugar management by increasing insulin sensitivity, decreasing blood sugar levels after eating, and reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications.
Diabetes impairs your body’s ability to regulate its blood sugar, and this can lead to long-term complications like heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage.

Treatment often includes medications and insulin injections, but many people are also interested in foods that can help lower blood sugar. One example is cinnamon, a commonly used spice that’s added to sweet and savory dishes around the world.
It provides many health benefits, including the ability to help lower blood sugarTrusted Source, which can be useful in managing diabetes.

There are a few different varieties of cinnamon you’ll find in grocery stores, but they’re usually categorized into two different types:
• Ceylon: Also called true cinnamon, this is the most expensive type of cinnamon.
• Cassia: This type is less expensive and found in most food products that contain cinnamon.

This article tells you everything you need to know about cinnamon and its effects on blood sugar management and diabetes.
It contains antioxidants that provide many health benefits
In higher quantities, it provides a decent dose of antioxidants. These contribute to many of cinnamon’s health benefitsTrusted Source.

Antioxidants are important because they help the body reduce oxidative stressTrusted Source, a type of damage to cells that is caused by harmful free radicals. This is significant because oxidative stress has been linked toTrusted Source the development of nearly every chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes.

It can imitate insulin and increase insulin sensitivity
In people with diabetes, either their pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or cells do not respond to insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels.
Cinnamon may help lower blood sugarTrusted Source by imitating the effects of insulin, helping to move sugar from the bloodstream and into your cells. It can also increase your insulin sensitivity, making insulin more efficient at moving sugar into cells.

It lowers fasting blood sugar and may decrease hemoglobin A1c
Several studies suggest that cinnamon may help improve blood sugar management.
It lowers blood sugar after meals
Postprandial blood sugar refers to your blood sugar level after eating. Blood sugar levels can increaseTrusted Source quite a bit after you eat depending on the size of the meal and how many carbs it contains.

It may lower the risk of common diabetes complications
In addition to supporting blood sugar management, cinnamon may also lower the risk of certain complications such as heart disease and stroke.