Herbs And Best Supplement To Help Lower Blood Sugar
A lifelong condition that affects insulin levels and blood sugar
diabetes affects the bodys glucose levels permanently.
There are lifestyle strategies as well as medications
but some complementary therapies
such as herbs and supplements, may be helpful.
As a result of diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin
..or produces insulin that is not properly absorbed.
Although herbs and supplements do not cure diabetes
and are not a standalone treatment
they can provide relief from symptoms
and reduce complications in combination with conventional treatment.
Here are 7 herbs and best supplement to help lower blood sugar.
How Much Does Cinnamon Benefit Blood Sugar
One review found that out of several clinical trials using cinnamon powder/ supplementation in type 2 diabetic patients, the benefits ranged from 18-29% decreases in fasting blood sugar levels.
The average results from two months of taking cinnamon and making no other changes show:
- Fasting blood glucose decreased by 11.8 mg/dl/ 0.66 mmol/l
- 2-hour post meal glucose decreased by 32.22 mg/dl/ 1.79 mmol/l
- Fasting insulin decreased by -2 mU/L
- 2 hour insulin decreased by 10 mU/l
- HOMA-IR decreased by -1.35
It is important to note that we do need more clinical trials, which is often the case for most therapeutic agents. Still, the results do show promise that cinnamon may be a great agent for helping with blood sugar control, which is why researchers continue to explore the potential of cinnamon for diabetes management.
For instance, a study from 2017, involving 44 type 2 diabetics, found that cinnamon supplement 3g/day for 8 weeks reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 11.65 mg/d while those not taking the cinnamon saw a rise in blood glucose of 8.57 mg/dL .
The cinnamon group also had decreased scores on a test called the Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance, while the control group saw a rise in these scores. The reduction in points indicates that the cinnamon group may have acquired betterinsulin sensitivity over the 8 weeks of supplementation.
The group taking cinnamon also experienced an increase in their total antioxidant capacity.
Cinnamon For The Blood Sugar: Ceylon Vs Cassia
Cinnamon is known for its healing wonders, particularly on Type 2 Diabetes and Cinnamon contains Cinnamaldehyde. This compound is able to imitate insulin as well as its function. Insulin produced by your pancreas. What it does is that it brings glucose from the bloodstream and transports them to your cell. If you have Diabetes, the insulin in your body is not enough to transport the glucose from your bloodstream. This results in a high blood glucose level.
Cinnamaldehyde has the power to imitate the insulins function, which is to transport the glucose from your blood into your cells. Basically, it assists the insulin in your body to help it cope with the amount of glucose within your bloodstream.
Now, as stated earlier, there are two types of Cinnamon, which both contain Cinnamaldehyde. However, Cassia Cinnamon has a high Coumarin content which can kill your liver and kidney, when taken in excess amounts. Doctors strongly suggest that Cassia shouldnt be taken daily, or your liver may suffer. Ceylon Cinnamon for blood sugar , on the other hand, has very low coumarin content and is safe for daily use.
Overall, Ceylon Cinnamon for blood sugar is the ideal type of Cinnamon for diabetes.
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How Does Cinnamon Affect Diabetes
Results from a clinical study published in the Diabetes Care journal in 2003 suggest that cassia cinnamon improves blood glucose and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and may reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A daily intake of just 1, 3, or 6 grams was shown to reduce serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL or bad cholesterol and total cholesterol after 40 days among 60 middle-aged diabetics.
Another study reported in the July 2000 edition of Agricultural Research Magazine found that consuming just 1g of cinnamon per day can increase insulin sensitivity and help manage or reverse type 2 diabetes
In addition, more recent analysis published in 2007 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that 6g of cinnamon slows stomach emptying and significantly reduces hyperglycemia after meals without affecting satiety.
As a result of the scientific evidence available, many health experts claim that cinnamon contains properties that are beneficial for blood sugar regulation and treatment of type 2 diabetes.
However, bear in mind that like many natural compounds cinnamon is yet to be medically approved for prevention or treatment of any disease.
Which Type Of Cinnamon Is Best
There are several varieties of cinnamon available, but they tend to be grouped into two categories: Cassia and Ceylon.
Heres the difference between the two:
- Ceylon Cinnamon. This is known as true cinnamon, though both cinnamon varieties come from the same family of trees. Ceylon cinnamon sticks have a pale brown color, with thin, multiple layers swirled inside. It tends to be a little more expensive and harder to find in grocery stores. It has a more mild, delicate flavor that people seek out, especially when cinnamon is the star flavor in your recipe.
- Cassia Cinnamon. This is the more common variety youll find at the grocery store. The sticks are darker brown, are are rolled in thicker, single sheets. Cassia cinnamon is stronger in flavor, and comes in three varieties: Indonesian, Saigon, and Chinese.
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How Much Cinnamon Should You Take For Blood Sugar
It has been proven that Cinnamon is good for blood sugar.
A lot of studies have been conducted about Cinnamon for blood sugar, and most of them have used at least 1 6 grams of Cinnamon a day. You shouldnt use Cassia in this situation since it can potentially harm your liver. Ceylon, on the other hand, can be consumed daily since it has low Coumarin content. However, doctors suggest that you can start with 1.2 teaspoons of Ceylon Cinnamon a day. You can go beyond the recommended amount. However, you shouldnt go overboard since Ceylon still contains Coumarin.
Now, if youre adamant about taking Cassia Cinnamon, you should never go beyond 0.5 1 gram of Cassia Cinnamon per day. Anything that exceeds that number is a red flag if youre taking Cassia.
How To Include Ceylon Cinnamon In Your Diet
Use cinnamon capsules or tablets to treat a significant blood sugar imbalance. In short, you should take a measured dose of this remedy every day under close medical supervision.
Here are also some other practical ideas for adding cinnamon to your daily diet:
- Ceylon cinnamon goes perfectly with most sweets. So you can add it to cakes, cookies, homemade pastries, pancakes, muffins, etc.
- You can also sprinkle it on ice cream and milk-based desserts . It also goes well with some flavors such as cocoa, vanilla, coconut, milk or cream.
- You can add Ceylon cinnamon to meat and fish stews to give them a unique and intense flavor, while turning these foods from hard to digest to easy and easy for your digestive system to digest.
- And of course, who could forget that Ceylon cinnamon can be added to teas, cocktails, chocolate-based drinks and many other flavors.
You can find cinnamon oil in dietitian offices or in health food stores. Therefore, it can be used topically and orally. The situation when this oil is of high quality and is a 100% natural product is especially valuable. In that case, it is highly recommended for use as described above.
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What Is Cinnamon Tea
Cinnamon Tea is a healthy beverage prepared with cinnamon sticks. Cinnamomum cassia might be the most common and popular variety but there are a number of other species within the genus that can have similar effects when used as an herbal tea.
Cinnamaldehyde is the active ingredient in all cinnamon species, and this bioactive compound may have a number of beneficial effects on the body. This particular compound is complemented by coumarin, linalool, cinnamic acid, proanthocyanidins, catechins, and other powerful substances that can be accessed through a cup of this delicious tea.
How Is Cinnamon Useful For Managing Diabetes
- The spice is known to stimulate cells for glucose consumption. Consuming cinnamon promotes the release of insulin from pancreas and boosts insulin sensitivity that helps in the processing of glucose.
- It contains some anti-diabetic compounds that help lower down the rate at which glucose enters our body. This helps in maintaining the level of fasting blood sugar in people suffering from Type-2 diabetes.
- Cinnamon improves the digestive system, which is directly linked to the problem of diabetes. A healthy digestive tract will process, digest sugar and flush out excess sugar to keep the sugar level in the blood under control.
Cinnamon can be used in many ways in our diet to manage diabetes
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Drink Water And Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water may help you keep your blood sugar levels within healthy limits.
In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps your kidneys flush out the excess sugar through urine.
One observational study showed that those who drank more water had a lower risk for developing high blood sugar levels (
90 ).
Its important to monitor your waistline, as its perhaps the most crucial weight-related factor for estimating your diabetes risk.
A measurement of more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men is associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, and type 2 diabetes .
Having a healthy waist measurement may even be more important than your overall weight .
Summary
Keeping a moderate weight and waistline will help you maintain normal blood sugar levels and decrease your risk for developing diabetes.
How Does Cinnamon Affect Blood Sugar
The magic compound that comes into play is called: polymer methylhydroxychalcone , the most active compound in the bark.
Indeed, studies by Professor Anderson have shown that this substance increases the metabolism of glucose up to 20 times, the process which converts sugar into energy. As such, cinnamon is the ally of diets!
Cinnamon facilitates the work of insulin and therefore helps to get sugar into cells. As such, it would affect comparable to certain drugs such as thiazolidinediones , which reduce insulin resistance.
Also, MHCP is a formidable antioxidant, from a class of polyphenols found in cocoa beans, which also has an impact on diabetes. Antioxidants prevent the formation of free radicals, which damage the DNA of cells and which therefore lead to chronic diseases, including diabetes. There are many studies on the action of antioxidants on diabetes and cholesterol reduction.
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Can You Take Cinnamon With Metformin
As a diabetic individual, you have to consider the effects of the food you take with the health drugs prescribed to diabetic management. Similarly, you must be cautious before adding Cinnamon to your diet too if you take medications like metformin.
But a very good part is that Cinnamon has no hindering effects on the functioning of metformin in the body. It is not harmful and does not at all react to form any diabetic complications.
You can take your medication of metformin and also practice the intake of Cinnamon without any worries or intended harm.
Experiments have concluded that diabetic individuals who take metformin and Cinnamon have not reported any cases of discomfort or further issues.
But it is important to consider the fact that all our bodies are different. Our reactions to different intakes may also vary depending on the health conditions. Hence, it is best to refer to your doctors once before deciding to add any new or different foods or techniques to control diabetes.
Make sure to consult your health experts as they know your diabetic conditions the best and can suggest necessary and safe measures. Ensure you are following all the precautions and restrictions to prevent any diabetic health severity.
Here Are The 5 Ways Cinnamon Can Help
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Is Chromium Bad For Your Body
There have been some reports of chromium causing occasional irregular heartbeats, sleep disturbances, headaches, mood changes, and allergic reactions. Chromium may increase the risk of kidney or liver damage. If you have kidney or liver disease, do not take chromium without talking to your doctor first.
What Is Ceylon Cinnamon Anyway
Ceylon is now known as the Spice Island and is also home to Sri Lanka. In fact, many different varieties of cinnamon trees grow on it, which have different more or less unique health properties.
However, in our article today, we only focus on one of them. We are talking about Cinnamomum verum, i.e. Ceylon cinnamon, from the bark of which is obtained the spice that is the subject of our article.
Ceylon cinnamon was used by the Chinese as early as 2700 BC. A little later, the Egyptians brought it along with other spices to Europe. The Greeks and Romans used it as a natural digestive aid. This spice was also one of the foundations of traditional, ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
In the Western world Ceylon cinnamon was for many years an exotic luxury product, available only to the richest members of society. Therefore, it was gaining popularity very slowly and gradually. Only in the last century, it has become a product that is widely available and widely used in kitchens all over the world.
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So Whats Your Best & Safest Solution
Ill be honest with you. No one single ingredient works at 100% effectiveness forever, let alone for every person. And that includes cinnamon extract or any other single herb or nutrient.
Think about it. Just like you dont eat only broccoli for best health, you dont want to use only one herb or nutrient either.
The most effective and safest products use a combination of different nutrients and ingredients, at specific proven dosages, creating a special synergy which will dramatically help lower blood sugar & glucose, without serious negative side-effects.
Now, based on my research, the following ingredient have been scientifically shown to work, theyre effective and safe for both short and long-term usage:
- Combination of BOTH Chromium Piconlinate & Polynicotinate
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
- Cinnamon Extract
- Gymnema Sylvestre Extract
- Bilberry Leaf Extract
- Fenugreek Extract
- Selenium
- Biotin
When the above ingredients are combined together in proper ratios, the synergy creates a much more effective solution, at a lower dose WITHOUT your body adapting or having negative side-effects. Thats the secret!
Some Should Be Cautious With Cinnamon
Cassia cinnamon is not only lower in antioxidants, its also high in a potentially harmful substance called coumarin, an organic substance found in many plants.
Several studies in rats have shown coumarin can be toxic to the liver, leading to concern that it can cause liver damage in humans as well (
European Food Safety Authority has set the tolerable daily intake for coumarin at 0.045 mg per pound .
Using average coumarin levels for Cassia cinnamon, this would be equivalent to about a half teaspoon of Cassia cinnamon per day for a 165-pound individual.
As you can see, Cassia cinnamon is particularly high in coumarin, and you can easily consume more than the upper limit by taking Cassia cinnamon supplements or even eating large amounts of it in foods.
However, Ceylon cinnamon contains much lower amounts of coumarin, and it would be difficult to consume more than the recommended amount of coumarin with this type .
Additionally, people with diabetes who take medications or insulin should be careful when adding cinnamon to their daily routine.
The addition of cinnamon on top of your current treatment may put you at risk of low blood sugar, which is known as hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is a potentially life-threatening condition, and it is recommended to talk to your doctor about incorporating cinnamon into your diabetes management.
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Interactions With Other Medicine
Additionally, cinnamon may interact with certain medications. Because of the coumarin content, you should use caution when taking cassia cinnamon with other medications that can harm the liver. This includes acetaminophen and cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins. Additionally, since cinnamon may lower blood sugar, it should be used with caution alongside other diabetes medications. If you are thinking about taking cinnamon supplements, talk to your healthcare provider for a full list of medications that may have an interaction.But lets return to the question at hand, whether cinnamon should be used to treat diabetes or not. In short, there currently is not enough evidence to recommend that anybody use cinnamon to control their blood sugar. Instead, staying compliant with your diabetes medications, regularly seeing your doctor, and engaging in weight loss, diet, and exercise are still the best ways to control diabetes.