The spice, more normally found on top of coffee or as an ingredient of apple pie, may help the body deal more effectively with sugar in the body. An expert behind the trials has even issued the recommendation that people could benefit now by adding the spice to their food. It affects many millions of people worldwide, and leads to a great number of premature deaths. It happens when cells in the body normally responsible for dealing with excess blood sugar lose their ability to respond to insulin, the hormone which instructs them to perform this function. The increased blood sugar levels cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss and blurred vision, and can make the patient far more prone to heart disease and stroke.
Patients often have to greatly modify their diets and take exercise to protect their health.
Revitalised cells Scientists at the US Agricultural Research Service's nutrition labs in Beltsville, Maryland, US have found that an extract of cinnamon can actually revitalise this function of cells, making them far more responsive to insulin. In fact, in laboratory experiments, glucose processing was increased by up to 20 times. Clinical trials of this chemical are due to begin within a year, said lead scientist Richard Anderson. In the meantime, however, he said he could see good reason for diabetics to add the spice to their diet. A spokesman for the charity Diabetes UK disagreed, saying it was too early to recommend adding cinnamon to the diet.