An experienced business leader in the retail food industry, Ernest Barbella formerly served as the vice president and general manager of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company in the New York region. Ernest Barbella subsequently founded a manufacturing company in China that specializes in producing more than 250 different types of spices.
Harvested from the bark of trees found from Southeast Asia to southern China, cinnamon has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes—and recent studies support claims that the spice can help people manage their blood sugar. According to a meta-analysis in the Journal of Medicinal Food, cinnamon reduces fasting blood glucose with a moderate effect of approximately 3 percent to 5 percent, which represents a reduction level similar to that of older-generation diabetes medications. Other meta-analysis suggests that cinnamon is effective at lowering lipid levels, such as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
These findings are especially optimistic for people with pre-diabetes, as adding cinnamon to their diets can control blood sugar. Although an optimal level of cinnamon intake has yet to be determined, people can easily add small amounts of the spice to their food, and the use of Ceylon cinnamon decreases the risk of excessive coumarin intake. Coumarin, found in Cassia cinnamon, can result in liver toxicity (though reversible) if consumed in large enough amounts by sensitive individuals.
Harvested from the bark of trees found from Southeast Asia to southern China, cinnamon has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes—and recent studies support claims that the spice can help people manage their blood sugar. According to a meta-analysis in the Journal of Medicinal Food, cinnamon reduces fasting blood glucose with a moderate effect of approximately 3 percent to 5 percent, which represents a reduction level similar to that of older-generation diabetes medications. Other meta-analysis suggests that cinnamon is effective at lowering lipid levels, such as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
These findings are especially optimistic for people with pre-diabetes, as adding cinnamon to their diets can control blood sugar. Although an optimal level of cinnamon intake has yet to be determined, people can easily add small amounts of the spice to their food, and the use of Ceylon cinnamon decreases the risk of excessive coumarin intake. Coumarin, found in Cassia cinnamon, can result in liver toxicity (though reversible) if consumed in large enough amounts by sensitive individuals.