Re: cinnamon and insulin

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markd@toad-net.com - 14 Dec 2004 17:29 GMT

This is a very complex question. Other things equal, insulin is produced
in response to glucose and stops when glucose is lowered. In a person
without a metabolic disorder this control is very finely tuned and both
insulin and glucose levels don't increase per sey too much in the
blood,ie. as soon as glucose increases insulin reduces it and insulin
production stops. In this case cinnamon will have little or no effect on
the tightly controlled feedback system. With a metabolic disorder the
increases in both glucose and insulin can vary greatly and is greatest
after meals which contain carbs to any degree. If cinnamon increses
insulin sensitivity and/or mimics insulin then the amount of the increase
in blood glucose and insulin should be lower over all. If your thought is
to eat cinnamon so you can eat carbs you are correct, but not because of
the cinnamon but because you have a healthy feedback system. Have a hot
sticky cinnamon bun for me. If you know by testing that your glucose
levels are elevated out of the normal range, limiting carb intake with or
without cinnamon is advised.

>does consuming cinnamon along with sugar reduce the amount of insulin
>that the body will secrete?
>
>I keep reading page after webpage saying that cinnamon improves insulin
>sensitivity and mimics insulin. That should mean less insulin is
>secreted, but I haven't seen anyone say that specifically.

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Al - 14 Dec 2004 18:41 GMT

> This is a very complex question. Other things equal, insulin is produced
> in response to glucose and stops when glucose is lowered. In a person
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> to eat cinnamon so you can eat carbs you are correct, but not because of
> the cinnamon but because you have a healthy feedback system.

thanks for the reply. What I'd been thinking of is Perricone's idea that
insulin causes inflammation which causes skin wrinkling - therefore don't
eat sugar. But what if cinnamon (or cloves, turmeric or bay leaves) are
taken with a large dose of sugar (as in, say, a large during/after
workout amount of chocolate to replenish glycogen)?

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markd@toad-net.com - 14 Dec 2004 19:46 GMT

"thanks for the reply. What I'd been thinking of is Perricone's idea that
insulin causes inflammation which causes skin wrinkling - therefore don't
eat sugar. But what if cinnamon (or cloves, turmeric or bay leaves) are
taken with a large dose of sugar (as in, say, a large during/after
workout amount of chocolate to replenish glycogen)?"

The answer is the same, in a normal person the differences would be little
or no different with any of these. Instead of sugar, eat mixed meals of
whole versions of foods, you get resupplied with muscle and organ stored
glucose stores and have the benefit of the other healthy contents,
including the protein which working out requires. Just as a point of
intrest, cocoa causes an increase in blood insulin, as do milk proteins,
and both in a chocolate bar even more. Insulin can cause problems, but
only if one has a metabolic disorder. In one not so, it is so quickly
used up that there are no problems. For a good source of info for both
health and nutrition and sports training, see this page, he is big on
"sports medicine" and nutrition and has specific advice what to eat for
same:

http://www.drmirkin.com/left_frame.html

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Skinny - 20 Dec 2004 03:37 GMT

> > This is a very complex question. Other things equal, insulin is produced
> > in response to glucose and stops when glucose is lowered. In a person
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> taken with a large dose of sugar (as in, say, a large during/after
> workout amount of chocolate to replenish glycogen)?

I'm sure Mark knows more than I do, but if you want to play in the cracks,
you might search the body-builders' sites for glycerine/glycerol. It doesn't
require insulin to put it into storage in the liver, tho it will use insulin
in the regular way when it comes out for use.

Skinny

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