The influence of cinnamon supplementation on blood glucose and lipid responses in rats

Abstract

Studies have shown that cinnamon supplementation improves fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profiles in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, these findings have not been universally reported and limited data are available on the effects of cinnamon on non‐diabetics. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of cinnamon on plasma glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. Sixteen male weanling Sprague‐Dawley rats were equally divided into two groups and fed either a high‐fat (21g/100g) control diet or a high‐fat diet supplemented with commercial cinnamon (1g/100g) for 30 days. Food intake (420.2 ± 36.0 vs. 457.0 ± 45.1 g), weight gain (189.2 ± 20.9 vs. 189.0 ± 15.1 g), fat pad weights (2.938 ± 0.646 vs. 2.811 ± 0.488 g) and glucose levels (163.0 ± 30.7 vs. 169.8 ± 41.7 mg/dl) were similar (p>0.05) between rats fed cinnamon and the control diet, respectively. Total cholesterol tended to be higher (p=.054) for rats fed cinnamon (93.0 ± 11.6 mg/dl) versus the control diet (80.7 ± 18.8 mg/dl). No differences (p>0.05) in triglyceride (52.8 ± 29.7 vs. 51.3 ± 10.3 mg/dl), HDL‐cholesterol (59.3 ± 8.3 vs. 56.5 ± 5.8 mg/dl) or non‐HDL‐cholesterol (33.8 ± 4.7 vs. 30.13 ± 11.8 mg/dl) levels were detected between the cinnamon‐fed versus control‐fed rats. Cinnamon failed to reduce glucose levels or improve lipids. More research on the proposed health benefits of cinnamon is warranted before generalized claims should be made.