When I posted previously about the potential benefits of apple peels to diabetics it raised the question of how to eat apples and apple peel most enjoyably and effectively?
Along the journey of me learning about the recent research on the bioactive value of apples I also came across the debate about cinnamon and its potential to help diabetics. And apple and cinnamon go quite well together !!
Concerning cinnamon there IS quite a debate. It seems that cinnamon had quite a reputation in the ancient and Eastern world as a medicine related to improved heart and blood conditions.
Indeed in the journal Diabetes Care in 2003 (by Khan and colleagues) a study evaluated 60 people with type 2 diabetes around the age of 50. They were divided into six groups of 10 patients each. In the cinnamon-treated groups reductions in fasting glucose (down 18 percent to 29 percent), triglycerides (down 23 percent to 30 percent), LDL cholesterol (down 7 percent to 27 percent) and total cholesterol (down 12 percent to 26 percent) were reported.
But other studies have contradicted this study, or not been able to replicate the positive findings.
Cinnamon who?
It seems that large part of the lack of consistency is because of different cinnamon extracts and confusion about what is cinnamon. According to an anonymous comment posted on a Diabetes Health article about cinnamon and diabetes:
First, much of the benefit from cinnamon comes from real cinnamon, not that which is purchased in the supermarket and labeled "cinnamon"....Secondly, what is sold in most supermarkets (cassia) has a compound in it (courmarin) that can inflame and damage kidneys. It is the aqueous extract of cinnamon that has been shown to be of benefit to diabetics. The particular extract is known as Cinnulin PF, a trademarked compound.
Indeed Chinese cinnamon which is the "supermarket" type of cinnamon has about 7% courmarin, whereas Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) has less than 1/10th that amount. Apparently in England and Australia it's illegal to sell “cinnamon” that is actually cassia.
Recent advancements in phytochemistry have shown that it is a "proanthocyanidin", cinnamtannin B1, isolated from C. zeylanicum which is of theraputic effect on type 2 diabetes. Recent (2007) results also suggest that cinnamon exhibits the potential to increase the amount of proteins involved in insulin signaling, glucose transport, and anti-inflammatory/anti-angiogenesis response - which all means good news for type 2 diabetics.
A - B = Breakfast - C - D
So how do we turn all that into something useful for us diabetics - how about B for Breakfast.
- A = apples, grated through the intact skin - try a Fuji;
- B = breakfast, something like organic or cold rolled oats soaked overnight;
- C = real cinnamon sprinkled on top, Ceylon cinnamon of course;
D - diabetic benefits - its up to your personal metabolism but possibly as good as the 2003 results above.
I'm going to give this a go, since I'm always willing to try and measure myself and see how I think that it is working for me. I'm kind of optimistic about this one. I add a few extra things as part of my usual breakfast routine, such as soy protein isolate (plenty of controversy here!), konbu (burdock) root powder, 4 prunes, and a good yogurt usually full cream. I have plenty of measurements about those combinations so I can tell the difference with new supplements.
I'm looking forward to trying out the cinnamon.
You'll find some other cooking suggestions here, along with preparation advice. For example how about this (my variation):
Crush cinnamon sticks, steep in scalded milk overnight, then strain and use the milk to make ice cream, custards, and pastry cream.
That sounds great if instead we add that milk to the breakfast, along with the actual ground cinnamon. Or if you are adventurous try Pongal Style Oats along with ground cinnamon.
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