Acute Effect of Cinnamon Extract and Ground Cinnamon on Blood Glycemic Response in Overweight Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

Accumulating evidence has suggested that cinnamon has beneficial effects on glycemic control. Studies have indicated that the glucose lowering effect of cinnamon extract is superior to ground cinnamon. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of cinnamon extract (CE) added to instant oatmeal on postprandial glycemic response and insulin levels relative to ground cinnamon (GC) and a placebo control. Eight overweight male adults (ranged from 19 to 40 y) received four diets‐containing 50 g available carbohydrate from instant oatmeal in random order: (plain oatmeal; oatmeal + 3 g GC; oatmeal + 3 g CE; and oatmeal + 6 g CE). The total polyphenol content in 3 g CE and GC was the same. Blood glucose concentrations, the main outcomemeasure, were assessed at 0, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 min. The incremental area for plasma glucose response curves (iAUC) was calculated using GraphPad Prism 6, ignoring the area below the baseline (0 min) concentration. The addition of either 3g or 6g CE to the oatmeal significantly reduced both 0‐180 min and 0‐360 min plasma glucose iAUCs (P<0.05), lowering plasma glucose iAUC by 56% between 0 and 180 min compared to the control. However, glucose iAUC was not significantly reduced in 3g GC treatment compared to the control. There were no significant differences in plasma insulin iAUCs between the diets. These results suggest that CE may be more effective than the equivalent amount of GC in moderating postprandial glucose response in overweight adults. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01847053. <em style=”mso‐bidi‐font‐style: normal;”>This research was supported by McCormick and Company, Inc.