Cinnamon can reduce rise in blood sugar and insulin
Q: I began sprinkling cinnamon on some of my food every day about three years ago. I’ve never had diabetes, but my blood sugar and triglycerides were climbing slowly. Since adding cinnamon, my blood sugar and triglycerides went down to less than 100, and my total cholesterol went along for the ride.
A: Some research has shown that taking cinnamon can reduce the rise in blood sugar and insulin that occurs after the meal.
Other studies have failed to show a benefit for people with diabetes.
One meta-analysis of 10 studies found that cinnamon lowers blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels (Annals of Family Medicine, SeptemberOctober 2013).
A placebo-controlled study conducted in China with more than 100 volunteers demonstrated that consuming cinnamon extract daily for two months lowered fasting glucose and insulin, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, October 2016).
The extract used was CinSulin, a water extract of cassia cinnamon.
Q: Years ago, I had some warts on my hand. When they disappeared, I wondered what I had eaten differently at the time. It turned out to be a 12-ounce jar of stuffed olives that I consumed after work with a drink and crackers over about a week when I had run out of cheese.
A year or so later, my 8-year-old daughter had warts on her hand. I got her a 12-ounce jar of stuffed olives to eat in a week. She said, “I don’t like olives.” I said, “That’s fine, but try it.” She did, and the warts disappeared. It’s worth a try.
A: We love your story, but we can’t explain it. Not surprisingly, there has been no research on this remedy. We agree that this unusual wart cure is worth a try.
In children, warts often are susceptible to suggestion. The fact that your daughter doesn’t like olives and doubtless paid a lot of attention to eating them might have influenced their effectiveness.
Q: I am in my mid-30s and am very interested in maintaining cardiac health. That is why I have been taking some form of omega-3 supplement for a couple of years. While I can’t say they make a noticeable impact on my day-to-day well-being, I defer to the scientific findings as far as long-term benefits.
However, I’ve always had a huge distaste for the “fish burps.” They’re enough to make me quit taking the supplements for months at a time.
Then I discovered krill oil. It appears that it is not only a vastly superior form of omega-3 in terms of absorbability and utility to the body on all relevant metrics, but it also comes with no fish burps whatsoever. So I guess you could say that I’m hooked.
A: Krill oil, like fish oil, is a good source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. The research that we found indicates that krill oil is as effective as fish oil for treating dry eye disease (Ophthalmology, January 2017).
A small study in monkeys with Type 2 diabetes reported that omega-3 fats from krill oil reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Good HDL cholesterol went up (Lipids in Health and Disease, Jan 17, 2017). In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www.peoplespharmacy .com.