Frontiers in Nutrition (Jan 2021)

Acute Effects of Cinnamon Spice on Post-prandial Glucose and Insulin in Normal Weight and Overweight/Obese Subjects: A Pilot Study

  • Jing Wang,
  • Jing Wang,
  • Sijia Wang,
  • Sijia Wang,
  • Jieping Yang,
  • Susanne M. Henning,
  • Zahra Ezzat-Zadeh,
  • Shih-Lung Woo,
  • Tianyu Qin,
  • Tianyu Qin,
  • Yajing Pan,
  • Yajing Pan,
  • Chi-Hong Tseng,
  • David Heber,
  • Zhaoping Li,
  • Zhaoping Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.619782
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

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Clinical studies and meta-analyses have supported the notion that consuming cinnamon spice long term can have beneficial effects in individuals with normal glucose homeostasis and varying degrees of glucose intolerance including type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of cinnamon on the post-prandial responses to a typical American breakfast in normal and overweight/obese participants (ClinicalTrials.gov registration No. NCT04686552). The consumption of a single dose of 6 g of cinnamon added to oatmeal prepared with milk resulted in a significant reduction of one of our primary outcomes post-prandial insulin response (niAUC0−180min) in overweight/obese participants compared to control consuming breakfast without cinnamon. We also performed exploratory analysis of secondary outcomes. In normal weight participants, we observed a decrease of post-prandial glucagon response (niAUC0−180min and glucagon levels at 60–120 min) and C-peptide response (30 min) comparing breakfast with to without cinnamon. Cinnamon consumption did not change post-prandial glycemic response in normal weight participants, but increased 60 min post-prandial glucose in overweight/obese participants compared to control. In summary, cinnamon consumption differentially affected post-prandial hormonal responses in normal and overweight/obese participants.

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