RevitalizeYourself

CinnamonExtractforHealthyBloodSugar

Spiceisnice,especiallywhenitcouldhelpmillionsofpeoplewithoneoflife'smost
vitalfunctions
maginegoingtoyourspicerack,openingajarofcinnamonpowder,andjustchuggingamouthfulofit
rightdown.Yuck!Astastyanddelightfulascinnamonis,that'snotaverypalatablewaytogetyour
dailyfixofit.Howmuchniceritistohaveadustingofcinnamonpowderonyourmorningtoast,orto
enjoyitinyourmom'sapplepieorspicecakeatdinner,
ortotakesomeinabigbrownpill.
What?Cinnamoninacapsule?Seemsunclearonthe
concept,doesn'tit?Well,maybenot,ifyouconsidertwothings:(1)
gettingtheequivalentofaheapingteaspoonofcinnamoneveryday
maybeverygoodforyou,and(2)gettingallofwhat'sinaheaping
teaspoonofcinnamoneverydaymaynotbesogoodforyou,
becausetoomuchofagoodthingcanbeabadthing.Thepill
allowsyoutogettheoptimalamountofacertainkeycomponentof
cinnamon,calledmethylhydroxychalconepolymer,orMHCP.
(Couldn'ttheyjustcallitMelvinorsomething?)Thiscompound
canhelpyoumaintainhealthybloodsugarlevelsandthat's
important,aswewillsoonsee.
MHCPcametolightasaresultofapatrioticevent(sortof)thatoccurredoveradecadeago.Dr.
RichardAnderson,achemistattheHumanNutritionResearchCenteroftheU.S.Departmentof
Agriculture,wasconductingtestsforantidiabeticeffectsinvariousfoodswhenhenoticedastrikingly
largeeffectin,ofallthings,applepie.1(WhatcouldbemoreAmericanthanthat?Hismommusthave
beensopleased.)Heandhiscolleaguestracedtheeffecttothespicesinthepie,thentothecinnamon
inparticular,andeventuallytotheMHCPinthecinnamon.Dozensofotherfoodproductsusedinfolk
medicinehavebeentestedfortheirantidiabeticeffects,butsofarnothinghascomeclosetothatof
cinnamon.2

BalancedBloodSugarIsVital
MHCPcouldbeverygoodforyouifyouhavetype2diabetes(alsocalledadultonset,ornoninsulin
dependent,diabetes),orifyou'reacandidateforit.Thinkyou'renotacandidate?Thinkagain
especiallyifyoudon'tgetenoughexerciseandyoueatatypicalWesterndiet,whicheveryoneknowsis
toohighinsweetsandfats.Butwejustlovethatstuff,don'twe,andwehatetheideaofswitchingto
beansproutsandtofu.Caloricrestrictionmaystillbetheonlysurewayweknowofforextending
lifespan(albeitinanimalsandnot,asyet,inhumans),butthekeywordinlifespanislife,andwhatfun
islifewithoutscrumptiousfood?

Dr.Anderson'sdiscoverymay
holdthepromiseofsignificant
help,intheformofasimple,
safe,inexpensivesupplement,
formanymillionsofpeople.
Life,ofwhateverspan,boilsdowntoabalancingactbetweentheopposingforcesofexcessand
restraint.Weallchooseourownbalancepointbasedonhowmuchweknowabouttheconsequencesof

ouractions,howmuchwecareaboutthem,andhowmuchwillpowerwecanbringtobearonthose
thatweknowareharmfultoourhealth.Onethingworthavoidingatalmostanycostisdiabetes,a
diseaseofbloodsugarregulation,forwhich"balancepoint"isagoodmetaphor.(Actually,balance
pointisagoodmetaphorforjustaboutanyphysiologicalprocess.Forustostayhealthy,tensof
thousandsofsuchprocessesmustremaininexquisitebiochemicalbalanceinallthecellsofourbodies,
allthetime.It'smarvelous,andhumbling,tocontemplate.)

AreYouonthePathtoDiabetes?
Worldwide,type2diabetes,whichtypicallybeginsinmidlife,isahugeandrapidlygrowingpublic
healthproblem,claimingabout100millionvictimseachyear.Itisespeciallyprevalentin
developedcountrieswithdietsthatarerichincarbohydratesandfats.IntheUnitedStates,where
thisdiseaseistheseventhleadingcauseofdeath,anestimated15millionpeoplehaveit,andone
thirdofthemdon'tevenknowit.Another13millionhavefastingbloodsugarlevelsthatare
belowthediabetesthresholdbuthighenoughtoputthemathighrisk.
Strongevidencethattype2diabetesisadiseaseofdietandlifestyleisthefactthat,whenmembers
ofanyethnicgroupmovefromtheirhomelandtotheUnitedStates,theincidenceofthisdisease
increases,usuallydramatically.1Embracingourdietandourmotorizedwayoflifemayseemlike
partoftheAmericandream,butclearlyithasitsdownside.PerhapstheStatueofLibertyshould
haveasignsaying,"WelcometoAmerica.Bringyourownfood.Rideabike."
Virtuallyalladultsareatsomeriskfortype2diabetes,butatrulyalarmingtrend,accordingtothe
AmericanDiabetesAssociation,istheincreasingrateofthisdisease,worldwide,inteenagersand
evenyoungerchildren.Theculprits?Obesityandlackofexercise.Parentswholovetheirkidsneed
awakeupcallinthisregard.Afat,lazykidisonthefasttracktoprematuredeath.
1.

CarterJSetal.NoninsulindependentdiabetesmellitusinminoritiesintheUnitedStates.
AnnIntMed1996;125:22132.

InsulinRegulatesBloodSugar
Bloodsugarisglucose,theprimaryproductofthedigestionofcarbohydrates,andtheprimarysource
ofchemicalenergytomakeourbodieshumwithlife.Toolittleglucose(hypoglycemia),ifnotquickly
corrected,canleadtoconfusion,coma,evendeath.Toomuchglucose(hyperglycemia)isdangerous
too,althoughitisnotimmediatelylifethreatening.Weneedtocontrolourglucoselevelstomaintain
glucosebalance.Andthat'swhereinsulincomesin(sodoesMHCP,aswe'llseeshortly).

Type2diabetes,whichisage
related,acceleratestheaging
process,makingitsvictimsolder
thantheiryearswhichiswhy
theydieprematurely.
Insulin,producedinthepancreas,isaproteinhormonethatregulatesglucosemetabolismbyactingas
the"key"tounlockthemoleculargatesinourcellwallsthroughwhichglucosecanpass.Controlling
thatpassageiscrucial,toensurethatthebalanceofglucoseonbothsidesofthecellwallisoptimal.As
weage,however,thosegates(they'reactuallyhighlyspecializedproteinmolecules,calledinsulin
receptors,embeddedinthecellwalls)tendtolosetheirsensitivitytoinsulintheydonotrespondas

welltoitastheyusedto.Thisiscalledinsulinresistance.It'sasetupfordiabetes,becauseifthe
glucosecan'tgainpassageintoourcellsinsufficientquantities,itbuildsupinourbloodandcancause
greatharm.*

*Someoftheexcessglucoseisremovedthroughamechanismforwhichinsulinisalsoresponsible.It's
convertedtoapolymericformcalledglycogen,whichisstoredprimarilyintheliverandmuscletissue.
Whenthebodyneedsmoreglucosethaniscurrentlyavailable(suchasduringvigorousexercise),the
glycogenisconvertedbacktoglucoseforquickenergy.It'saneatsystem,andonethatoperates
whetheronehasdiabetesornot.

InsulinResistanceIncreaseswithAge
Wheninsulinresistanceissignificantandthere'stoomuchglucosesloshingaroundintheblood,the
brainsensestheproblemandsendsanurgentcalltothepancreas:"Makemoreinsulin!"Thepancreas
obliges,churningitoutingreaterquantitiestocompensateforitsdiminishedeffectiveness.Theideais
toswampthosereceptorswithinsulinmoleculessoastoovercometheresistanceandincreasetherate
atwhichglucoseisallowedtopassintothecells.Andthisstrategyworksforawhile.Thetroubleis,
though,thatwekeepgettingolder,andinsulinresistancetendstoincreasewithage.Thepancreas
eventuallycan'tkeepupanymoreitpumpsinsulinoutasfastasitcan,butitstillisn'tenough.

MHCPincreasesthe
sensitivityofinsulinreceptors,
lowersbloodpressurein
laboratoryanimals,andhas
antioxidantproperties.
That'sbadnewsforourcells,becausenowthey'renotgettingenoughglucosetoprovidefuelforallour
metabolicneedsnotjustbecauseofinsulinresistance,butalsobecauseofimpairedbloodcirculation,
atypicalsymptomofdiabetes.Impairedcirculationcancausedamagethroughouttheentirebodyand
canevenleadtogangreneofthefeetandlegs.Withthecellsofvariouskeyorgans,suchasthebrain,
heart,kidneys,andeyes,startingtodeteriorate,thestageissetforsuchdireconsequencesasmemory
loss,heartattack,kidneyfailure,andblindness.Diabetesisatrulyterribledisease.

PreventingDiabetesIsRelativelyEasy
Type2diabetesisverydifferentfromtype1diabetes(juvenileonset,orinsulindependent,diabetes),a
diseasethatstrikesmainlyinchildhoodandischaracterizedbyaninsulindeficiencyratherthanan
insulinexcess.Whatthetwotypeshaveincommonisthebody'sinabilitytomaintainproperblood
sugarlevels.Type1cankillquicklyunlessthediseaseismeticulouslycontrolled.Type2,whichis
agerelated,takesyearsordecadestodevelopandtowreakitshavoc.Indoingso,itacceleratesthe
agingprocess,makingitsvictimsolderthantheiryearswhichiswhytheydieprematurely.

ItappearsthatMHCPcanhelp
thosewhoalreadyhavediabetes
keeptheirdiseaseundercontrol,

andhelpdelayorpreventits
onsetinthoseatriskforit.
Thegoodnews,though(andit'sabouttime)isthatpreventingtype2diabetesisrelativelyeasy.Here's
how:Firstandforemost,donotbecomeobese(ordonotremainobeseifyoualreadyare),because
that'saneonsigninvitationtothedisease.Second:donotgetolder(oh,darn,wehaven'tworkedthe
bugsoutofthatoneyetnevermind.)Third:makesureyouhavegoodgenes(that'satoughonetoo).
Sobackto#1:toavoidorcombatobesity,exerciseregularlyanhouradaymostdayseachweekis
greatandmaintainagooddiet.Itneednotbebeansproutsandtofu,necessarily,butneithershouldit
beBigMacsandTwinkies.Somewheremidwaybetweenthosetwoextremesisprobablyaboutright.
Andthatincludesoccasionalsinfuldelightssuchasapplepie,which,ifmommadeitright,
contains...cinnamon.

CinnamonOffersVariedBenefits
CinnamoncomesfromSriLanka,mainly.Forthosewhosegeographyisabitrusty,that'sthelarge
island,formerlycalledCeylon,offthesoutherntipofIndia(wherecinnamonisalsogrown).The
cinnamontree(Cinnamomumverum),anevergreen,iswidelycultivatedintheseregions.The
reddishbrowninnerbarkharvestedfromslenderyoungbranchesisdriedintheshadetomakeone
oftheworld'smostpopularspices(thecinnamonstickscommonlyusedincookingarepiecesof
rolledbark).
Cinnamonhasbeeninusesinceatleast2700B.C.,whenitwasmentionedinChineseherbalsasa
treatmentforfever,diarrhea,andmenstrualproblems.InnineteenthcenturyAmerica,physicians
prescribedcinnamonforstomachcramps,nausea,vomiting,diarrhea,colic,anduterineproblems.
Itisnowknownfromscientificresearchthatcinnamonhasantibacterialpropertiesthatshould
makeitusefulforsomestomachailments,suchasinfectionwithHelicobacterpylori,thebacterium
thatcausesulcers.Itiscommonlyfoundintoothpastesandmouthwashes,notjustbecauseittastes
good,butalsobecauseitkillsdecaycausingbacteria.

MHCPWorksLikeInsulin
Sowe'rebacktocinnamon,finally,andhere'swhereitgetsexciting.Nowthatyouknowallabout
diabetes,youcanappreciatethesignificanceofDr.Anderson'sdiscovery,whichmayholdthepromise
ofsignificanthelp,intheformofasimple,safe,inexpensivenutritionalsupplement,formanymillions
ofpeople:MHCP,fromcinnamon,mimicsthefunctionofinsulin.3Ithelpsregulateglucoselevels
prettymuchasinsulindoes,andalmostaswell.Withoutgettingintothetechnicaldetails,whatMHCP
doesisstimulatetheinsulinsignalingsystemthecomplexseriesofchemicalreactionsthatresultsin
thepassageofglucosethroughthecellwallinamannersimilartothatofinsulinitself.*

*OK,thatwasabittechnical,andhere'sonemoredetail,becauseit'sreallyinteresting:thereis
evidencesuggestingthatMHCP,unlikeinsulin,mayhavetoenterthecellbeforeitexertsitsinsulin
mimickingaction.Soitmaybean"insidejob"butwhocares,aslongasitworks?Actually,
researcherscaregreatly,becauseifthishypothesisisverified,itmayhelptoshedfundamentalnew
lightonthemechanismsofinsulinfunctionandglucosemetabolism.Thatcouldbeamajoradvancein
medicalknowledge.

Dr.Anderson'slaboratorystudiesonfatcellshaveshownthatMHCPcanproducethiseffectallby
itself,withnoinsulinpresent,resultingina20foldincreaseintherateofglucosemetabolism.That
doesnotmean,however,thatMHCPcanbeconsideredtobeasubstituteforinsulininanactualbody.
Wewillstillneedtherealthing,butit'sgoodtoknowthatMHCPcangivemuchneededassistance.
Onecanalmosthearthepoor,overworkedpancreassaying,"Thanks,Melvin!"(Thepancreashas
limitedintelligenceandcan'tremember"MHCP.")

MHCPandInsulinAreSynergistic
Itgetsevenbetter.TheexperimentswithfatcellshaveshownthatMHCPincreasesthesensitivityof
theinsulinreceptorstoinsulin,thusmakingthem,well,morereceptive.Thiscouldexplainwhy,when
insulinandMHCPareadministeredtogether,theircombinedeffectisgreaterthanthesumoftheir
individualeffects,demonstratingthatthetwosubstancesaresynergistic.ItturnsoutthatMHCPalso
stimulatesglycogensynthesis,justasinsulindoes,andagain,thetwosubstancesaresynergisticinthis
function.
AnotherbonusisthatMHCPhasbeenfoundtolowerbloodpressureinlaboratoryanimals,andyet
anotheristhatithasbeenfoundtohaveantioxidantproperties.Antioxidantsareextremelyimportant
forgoodhealthinmanywaysandarebeneficialagainstmanydiseases,includingdiabetes.

MHCPMayHelpPreventDiabetes
ThusitappearslikelythatMHCPcannotonlyhelpthosewhoalreadyhavediabetestokeeptheir
diseaseundercontrol,butalsotohelpdelayorpreventitsonsetinthosewhoareatriskforitorwho
thinktheymightbeheadedinthatdirection.Thisiswonderfulnews.Furthermore,MHCPisbelieved
tobeverysafetouse.Thesamecannotbesaidforalltheothercomponentsofcinnamon,especially
certainonesthatareoilsoluble(MHCP,beingwatersoluble,isnotfoundincinnamonoil).*

*Youshouldknow,bytheway,thatmostcinnamonsoldintheUnitedStatesisnottruecinnamon
(Cinnamomumverum),butthebarkoftherelatedcassiatree(Cinnamomumcassia),whichcontains
someofthesamearomaticoilsandthushasasimilarflavor.Itismoreabundantandthusless
expensivethantruecinnamon(whichitselfisnotexpensive,asspicesgo).

Butthereismuchmore.Othernaturalnutrientsfoundtohelpmaintainhealthybloodsugarlevels,are
theherbalproductgoat'srue(Galegaofficinalis),theflavonoidquercetin,theaminoacidderivative
Nacetylcysteine,thepowerfulantioxidantlipoicacid,themineralschromiumandvanadium,and
vitaminsB6,C,E,andK.(Foranoverviewofthemyriadbenefitsofthesenutrients,seetheinterview
withDr.JonathanWrightinLifeEnhancement,February2002.)
Whenyouingestcinnamon,andglucosesurgesintoyourbloodstream,thoseMHCPmoleculeswillbe
therewaiting,readytoteamupwithyourinsulintohelpkeepyouhealthy.
Caution:Ifyouhavediabetes,donottakeanysupplementthatmayaffectyourbloodsugarlevels
withoutfirstconsultingyourphysician.Diabetesisaseriousdiseaserequiringcarefulprofessional
management.
References

1.

KhanA,BrydenNA,PolanskyMM,AndersonRA.Insulinpotentiatingfactorandchromium
contentofselectedfoodsandspices.BiolTraceElemRes1990;24:1838.

2.

BroadhurstCL.TreatingtypeIIdiabetesnutritionally.ScienceNews,July1998.

3.

JarvillTaylorJK,AndersonRA,GravesDJ.Ahydroxychalconederivedfromcinnamon
functionsasamimeticforinsulinin3T3L1adipocytes.JAmCollNutr2001Aug;20(4):327
36.