The Effect of Cinnamon Supplementation on Hemoglobin A1c in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), one of the most common endocrine disorders in children, is anautoimmune disease that manifests itself as an increase in blood sugar as a result of impaired insulin produc-tion due to the destruction of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. To treat this disease, along with the useof insulin and numerous drug protocols, the use of herbal medicinal supplements has always been considered.However, due to the lack of studies related to these supplements, there is not enough evidence for their thera-peutic use.

We investigated the therapeutic effectiveness of a cinnamon medicinal supplement with a dose of50 mg every 8 hours per day, on glucose hemostasis in patients with T1DM. Thirty patients with T1DM wereenrolled. They are subjected to sampling and examination of blood sugar indicators, including fasting bloodsugar and hemoglobin A1c, as well as indicators of insulin consumption (total daily dose of insulin) and insulinresistance, including the ratio of insulin to carbohydrates on days 0, 90 and 180 of the start of treatment withcinnamon.

The level of hemoglobin A1c in this group had a significant decrease. Also, there was no significantincrease in the amount of insulin consumption in the drug supplement-consuming groups in contrast to thecontrol group during six months.

The use of cinnamon supplements along with treatment protocols has a significant effect in reduc-ing hemoglobin A1c during six months of treatment in these patients. These results can be useful in promotingthe use of therapeutic supplements in the treatment of patients with diabetes.