Has anyone here got any more info about the effects of cinnemon?
www.menshealth.com /tips_health/health_179.html
Any T-mag nutrition experts, please reply with your take on this article.
Yes, there are a few studies showing that
cinnamon increases insulin sensitivity. But it
is not a good choice for bodybuilders or
athletes because the studies seem to indicate
that it preferentially sensitizes fat cells
more than other tissue. This is not what you
want unless you are trying to make it easier
to get fat.
There are certain cinnamon extracts that have been proven to lower blood sugar. These are in the hydroxychalcone family. There is not real good data yet if pure cinnamon (ground) in gram doses has the same effect.
Thank you for the answers!
More details:
According to Richard Anderson of the US Agricultural Research Service nutrition labs in Maryland:
"... cinnamon improved the utilization of glucose by fat cells in vitro. Since then we have tested 60 medicinal and food plants, and nothing has come close to the results of cinnamon."
"Researchers isolated and identified the phytochemical responsible for cinnamon's activity, and think it has several potential benefits for diabetics. The phytochemical, methyl hydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP), is not only newly discovered in cinnamon, but new to phytochemistry in general."
"MHCP increases cellular glucose oxidation by factors of up to 20-fold, improves the function of the insulin receptors on the cell ... "
"Anderson says the extract doesn't replace nsulin by binding to the hormone receptor itself. Experiments have shown that it simply makes fat cells more responsive to insulin"
"In unpublished studies, abnormally high glucose concentrations in diabetic mice fell drastically when they were given MHCP."
Doug is correct, I can't find anything talking about cinnamon powder, only the MHCP extract.
I know that in vitro, cinnamon extract improved fat cells response to insulin, but did they ever see if muscle cells behave in the same fashion? It seems as if all they tested was the response by fat cells, not muscle cells. I would think that muscle cells would similiarily be effected. And if that is the case, then blood glucose would still preferentially go to the muscle cells first, just like always. Cinnamon would just increase the total bodies response to insulin. Make you more insulin sensitive, which is a good thing. And if exercising and eating correctly, glucose would still be used to refill muscle glycogen first. The response of the fat cells would be as always - to take extra glucose when muscle glycogen is full, which will always happen and that is how people always get fat - eating more carbs and calories than muscles can store. Just my take on it till more research is proformed. I’ll continue to enjoy lots of cinnamon in my oatmeal till proven muscle cells don’t react in the same fashion.
“but did they ever see if muscle cells behave
in the same fashion?”
Honestly, I don't know. In the published studies by that group, they didn't look at muscle tissue. They have and are conducting research on mice, but the results haven't been published yet. It will be interesting to see what they find.
"I would think that muscle cells would similiarily be effected." ... "Cinnamon would just increase the total bodies response to insulin."
Maybe. But we won't know for sure until researchers specifically look at that.
"And if that is the case, then blood glucose would still preferentially go to the muscle cells first, just like always." ... "The response of the fat cells would be as always - to take extra glucose when muscle glycogen is full,"
Now you're making a huge inductive leap that can't be justified based on what we currently know. Exogenous compounds can produce results that are different from what normally happens in the body.
"I'll continue to enjoy lots of cinnamon in my oatmeal till proven muscle cells don't react in the same fashion."
Whatever suits you best. I wasn't saying people should stop eating cinnamon as a food, only that using it as a "supplement" might not be a good idea - at least until more is known. And as Doug pointed out, it's not clear that the *powder* has any effect at all - only the extract has been demonstrated to have this effect in actual clinical studies (though there have been anecdotal reports about the powder).
Just a side note: Duchaine promoted cinnamon as a powerful glucose disposal agent and a substitute for metformin way back in his bodyopus days and recommended cinnamon to help achieve ketosis on ketogenic diets. Of course, some of Duchaine’s ideas didn’t always work in every bodies best interest (for instance DNP). However, I have followed some of Duchaine’s recommendations over the years and have been using cinnamon liberally over the years in carb up meals such as oatmeal mixed with protein powder or high glycemic protein shakes with maltodextrin. I’ve also always used lots of cinnamon when coming off low carb or keto diets to help reestabolish insulin sensitivity. I’ve never noticed any obvious adverse effects of fat storage due to excessive use of large “doses” of cinnamon.
Be careful when you buy cinnamon, make sure you are getting the real thing. In the U.S. it is legal to sell a spice called cassia, a.k.a. chinese cinnamon or bastard cinnamon, in place of cinnamon. Most cheap cinamon is cassia.I don’t know if it has the same properties as cinnamon, there is a difference in taste.Buy your cinnamon from a reputable source.
maybe we can get cy or brock to do an article on how to spot counterfeit cinnamon and what to look for. i wonder if gac is going to start selling cinnamon.
ko, thanks for the info. I’m not at home right now but I buy those huge tubs (like 2 pounds I think) of cinnamon at Sam’s Club - do you have any take on those? They are incrediablely cheap compared to the little bottles in grocery store.
Did some checking and I think that they have the same propeties, in fact the research is probablly based on cassia and not true cinnamon. If you want true cinnamon, look for Ceylon cinnamon.
Yeah, but if gac started making it, we
wouldn’t know if his chinese suppliers sent
him real cinnamon or the fake cassia. 
Spices lose their potency over time(oxidization of oils).Most “experts” tell you to discard your herbs and spices after one year. I think that is a little extreme, and not cost effective, however it is true. Cinnamon powder is handy , but it is not as good as buying sticks and grinding them yourself (I use a coffe grinder).I personally would stick to the smaller jars, and you get what you pay for. We use Ceylon cinnamon at work and it has a much more complex flavor not as harsh as cassia. Penzeys has a good line of spices, but they are not cheap. I hate to say it but Martha Stewart also sells a good line of spices (there went my testosterone levels).
Thanks much for the info. Your points are very thought provoking and well taken. I agree with your reasoning and should of realized the problems associated with buying in bulk and long term storage. Makes perfect sense and I’ll follow your recommendations in the future. Thanks again for the input.
hahahahah. seriously this is a pretty interesting topic.
I got that "oxidization of oils "from you, so thanks for your input, I am a little lacking in the science part of cooking, but I’m starting to learn.