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

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 ( 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 (niAUC(0-180min)) 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 (niAUC(0-180min) 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.

Automated summary

This study found that consuming cinnamon had differential effects on post-prandial hormonal responses in normal weight and overweight/obese participants, with overweight/obese participants experiencing a significant reduction in insulin response after consuming 6g of cinnamon. Normal weight participants may experience a decrease in glucagon response after consuming cinnamon.