Effects of cinnamon supplementation on lipid profiles among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background and purposeStudies in animals and humans have reported numerous beneficial effects of cinnamon. However, its hypolipidemic efficacy in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related disorders is still controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the lipid-regulating effects and safety of cinnamon in a population with MetS and related disorders. MethodsStudies that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Randomized placebo-controlled trials of cinnamon or its extracts in the treatment of MetS and related metabolic diseases were the main eligibility criteria. The Cochrane Handbook was used to guide the study selection, quality assessment, and data analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 15.0. ResultsTwelve studies involving 773 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The overall results showed that cinnamon could significantly reduce total cholesterol (weighted mean difference [WMD]: −0.19 mmol/L [−7.34 mg/dL]; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.24, −0.14 [−9.27, −5.41]), triglyceride (WMD: −0.10 mmol/L [−8.85 mg/dL]; 95% CI: −0.16, −0.04 [−14.16, −3.54]), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: −0.16 mmol/L [−6.18 mg/dL]; 95% CI: −0.20, −0.11 [−7.72, −4.25]). In the subgroup analysis, cinnamon did not exhibit a significant effect on lipid profiles in European and American patients. Larger doses of cinnamon tended to exhibit better regulation of lipid profiles and high-dose cinnamon (≥1.5 g/d) significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: 0.07 mmol/L [2.70 mg/dL]; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.11 [1.16, 4.25]). ConclusionThe current evidence shows that cinnamon can regulate lipid profiles in patients with metabolic disorders.