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Mariana Kalenichenko
FOS 4041
Introduction
Since the very beginning of times, humans have been using the plants around
them for various uses. Whether for food, material, aromatic purposes, or as medical
treatment, humans used every discovery to take advantage of its benefits in order that it
could be put into place for practical use. Cinnamon was one of these discoveries that
was found to be useful for a variety of uses, including medicinal. Although native to Sri
Lanka, this plant has made its way to be likewise as popular among surrounding
countries over time and folklore medicine shows it’s commonality repeatedly. 1
Beginning from the Old Testament as treatment for digestion illnesses and respiratory
tract illnesses as well as for covering up odor at funerals, then Egyptians began using it
for embalming mummies, leading into its growth to spurt out to cover a variety of
rheumatism, etc. Originating from the Lauraceae plant family, this spice can be
extracted from almost every part of the tree including leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, and
the roots. Depending on from where it is extracted, the spice is known to be used for
different purposes. Alcohol extract from the bark has traditionally been used for liver
protection from fat infiltration, essential oils from the leaves have been used for its
antimicrobial properties, ethanolic extract from the bark have been used for its anti-
inflammatory properties, and most relative here is that the aqueous extract of cinnamon
has traditionally been used to increase glucose metabolism. This is crucial because
as blood sugar. This blood glucose is the body’s primary source of energy and comes
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from the food that is consumed.2 The hormone insulin is responsible for taking glucose
from the blood into the cells through absorption in order for the body to be able to utilize
the energy. However, when insulin is not able to perform its job then glucose can’t get
into the cells leading to a buildup of glucose in the blood, thus higher than normal blood
sugar levels, which lead to health problems such as diabetes. There are two types of
this disease including a type 1 diabetic who is physically not able to produce insulin at
all and a type 2 diabetic who is not able to make or use the insulin well enough due to
external factors, which are many times preventable. It is with type 2 diabetes that recent
Botanical Composition
To start off, various parts of the tree which cinnamon comes from, called C.
leaves are found to be 70-95% eugenol, bark is 65-80% cinnamaldehyde, root bark is
60% camphor, fruit of the tree is 42-54% trans-cinnamyl acetate , where the buds are
78% terpene hydrocarbons and about 27% alpha-Bergamotene, then finally the flowers
As cinnamon ages, some of the substances within the product are known to increase in
cinnamaldehyde is recognized for is the signature spicy taste of cinnamon, as well as its
collection of micro and macronutrient information. Per 100 grams of a stick of cinnamon
there is approximately 10 g water, 4 g protein, 1.2 g total fat, 53.1 g fiber, 28.1 g
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1.33 mg vitamin B3 niacin, 6 μg vitamin B9 folate, and 2.8 mg of vitamin C.1 Thereby,
primary macronutrient is carbohydrate with the largest vitamin proportion being vitamin
calcium which is all per 100 grams of cinnamon.4 Thus, major minerals contained within
are potassium, magnesium, and calcium. According to the Faculty of Agriculture at the
University of Ruhuna is Sri Lanka, processing of these trees are many times done by
hand after the rainy season if labeled as premium.5 After harvesting occurs, the stems
are removed of knots, scraped with hand tools, rubbed, peeled of the outer layer, dried
in the shade for several hours depending on bark moisture, then packed into a quill
ready for export. Approximately 57% of the cinnamon exported from this country comes
as a result of this manufacturing process into the United States of America. Also,
antioxidants epicatechin, catechin, and quercetin which is an immunity booster and aids
in allergies.6 This was something people noticed long ago, but recently the phenolic
seek out what else this spice can be used for considering the traditional uses for
In vitro, current evidence shows this spice to reduce intestinal glucose absorption by
key regulating enzymes of these processes and potentiating insulin receptor activity,
animal models cinnamon reduces fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, and LDL
tested to find the average blood glucose concentration over the period of three months,
thus a reduction found among diabetic patients is a good thing, as are the other
findings. These findings were associated with the species Cinnamomum zeylanicum
which originates from Sri Lanka. Other studies compared the previously stated species
Medagama found both species to potentially be beneficial for people diagnosed with
studies included animal studies for both species, they did not include human studies for
C. zeylanicum. Nevertheless since the high content of coumarin in C. cassia has been
previously linked with liver damage, claim is that C. zeylanicum is still the safer and
better option. Another study conducted by researchers Anderson et. al. isolated and
characterized complexes that stimulated insulin activity within several cinnamon species
and diabetes.9 They did this by isolating water-soluble polyphenol polymers that show
resonance and mass spectroscopy. Results revealed these polymers having synergistic
preventing polyunsaturated fatty acid peroxidation which can directly interfere with
insulin binding action. There was also a significant reduction found among the human
study with fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29%, triglycerides by 23-30%, total
cholesterol by 12-26%, and specifically LDL by 7-27%. Even after the therapy was
removed, levels started rising again but did not rise as much as to reach prestudy
levels. However, other studies do not show as promising of results such as the one
conducted by Mirfeizi et. al. where they studied the effects of two seperate herbal
treatments, cinnamon and caucasian whortleberry, on blood glucose control, lipid profile
and body mass index (BMI).10 Researchers found no significant changes when
comparing the control group with the one receiving cinnamon regarding blood glucose
levels, insulin sensitivity or their overall lipid profile. However, the cinnamon group did
Modern Applications
Applying the research into present day treatment for type II diabetes with
cinnamon could seem beneficial and some people already market the product as being
a remedy for such. Researcher Medagama took these claims to review the evidence as
results due to the time frame of which the study was conducted.11 Cinnamon therapy
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influenced many pathways and processes responsible for improving plasma glucose
levels in both human and animal studies. These human studies were tested using either
burmanii whereas only the animal studies here were conducted with C. zeylanicum.
Safety concerns involve the previously stated substance called coumarin, which may
induce liver damage with prolonged use. There are also controversial results with renal
function being affected with an increase of uric acid and blood urea in streptozotocin
induced diabetic rats, as well as spotted incidents with other studies showing side
effects on only a few subjects showing rashes, hives, nausea and one hypoglycaemic
seizure. Another study using C. zeylanicum reveals no chronic oral toxic effects, rather
reproductive weight, sperm count and motility at the same time.12 Then in high doses,
this same species has record of possibly transferring tumorigenic effects. Results of
cinnamon with drug, herbs, food, etc. interactions are extensive. Many times cinnamon
treatment may provide an additive effect to whichever treatment the body is already
estrogens, analgesic herbs, phytoestrogens, and more. Cinnamon may alter the effects
clove and artemisia, and when paired with vitamin E it has been known to prevent
cinnamaldehyde-mediated apoptosis.
Conclusion
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Cinnamon has been suggested to help patients with type II diabetes mellitus
reach improved glycemic control, but unfortunately conclusions from meta-analyses are
mixed.13 Regarding application to dietetic practice, there are several factors involved
before taking action in commiting to a practical use of the information currently available
connecting cinnamon and diabetes. Patients diagnosed with type II diabetes may
it’s an addition. Due to the difference of doses influencing the results of glycemic levels
in various past studies, the recommended dose for any person should be adjusted
accordingly due to high doses increasing risk of producing harmful effects and too low
of doses not providing any significant results at all. More research is required in this
area, as well as what kind of cinnamon species to use. There are many available
species and researchers tend to study either a single species or only a small number of
results, there is still much research that should be done in the future to not only extend
our knowledge about this species, but also the others which could in fact provide
correct and extend in the future include duration time of the study, as many of these
previously performed and examined were short time and long term effects of cinnamon
treatments for such patients could not be found. Overall, the product is an excellent
spice derived from the earth with seemingly endless benefits and attractive qualities for
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consumers that should be continued, but as dietetic professionals, there is not enough
Reference
9. Anderson RA, Broadhurst CL, Polansky MM, et al. Isolation and characterization
of polyphenol type-A polymers from cinnamon with insulin-like biological activity.
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. 2004;52(1):65-70. doi:
10.1021/jf034916b.
10. Mirfeizi M, Mehdizadeh Tourzani Z, Mirfeizi SZ, Asghari Jafarabadi M, Rezvani
HR, Afzali M. Controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus with herbal medicines: A triple-
blind randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety. Journal of Diabetes.
2016;8(5):647-656. doi: 10.1111/1753-0407.12342.
11. Medagama AB. The glycaemic outcomes of cinnamon, a review of the
experimental evidence and clinical trials. NUTRITION JOURNAL. 2015;14.
https://login.dax.lib.unf.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dax.lib.unf.edu
/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edswsc&AN=000362867300002&site=eds-
live&scope=site.
12. Ulbricht C, Seamon E, Windsor RC, et al. An evidence-based systematic review
of cinnamon ( cinnamomum spp.) by the natural standard research collaboration.
J DIET SUPPL. 2011;8(4):378-454. doi:10.3109/19390211.2011.627783.
13. Costello RB, Dwyer JT, Saldanha L, Bailey RL, Merkel J, Wambogo E.
Research: Do cinnamon supplements have a role in glycemic control in type 2
diabetes? A narrative review. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
2016;116:1794-1802. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2016.07.015.