Recently, a surprising link was established between using cinnamon and the prevention of some diabetes symptoms. It has commonly been known that cinnamon helps with energy. Now it would seem that cinnamon can be a low cost addition to help strengthen a diabetes regimen. Funded by the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, or DAREF, Dr. Richard Anderson performed a study at the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center to examine possible useful effects of cinnamon in diabetes. Mr. Anderson was able to actually isolate the compound in cinnamon that is responsible for some of the positive aspects of cinnamon for diabetics.

The compound which feature specific Type-A polymers, was found to effectively lower blood sugar in diabetics. Additionally, Type-A polymers were discovered to decrease a patient's total cholesterol by up to 26 percent. Low density lipoproteins, commonly known as the bad cholesterol, were lowered 10 to 24 percent by the intake of the polymers, while triglycerides were decreased by 23 to 30 percent.

This research is of the utmost importance to diabetics. Even more important may be the effects that this compound can have on the millions of people who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. It can help to delay the diabetes' onset, and can a person time to learn about the condition and how to keep it from significantly affecting your health.

The cinnamon's polymers were found to help diabetics in two specific ways. First, the compound was found to reduce the effects of enzymes that may be responsible for insulin resistance. This is of utmost importance for those with Type II diabetes as often their condition is caused by an insulin resistance problem. Second, when taking the compound, patients were found to have an increased insulin sensitivity, which helps more effectively distribute insulin. The polymers that were extracted from this study are now clinically available, and have been patented under the name Cinnulin PF. This particular water-soluble extract is the only approved compound of this type.

There are many different supplements available that contain the Cinnulin PF compound. It is necessary to note that you absolutely SHOULD NOT consume large amounts of cinnamon to try to get these effects. In high doses, cinnamon contains a fat soluble component that has been found to be toxic. If you are unable to purchase one of the Cinnulin PF-containing supplements, a quarter to a full teaspoon of cinnamon can be taken daily to aid your health. One way to aid in ingesting cinnamon is to add it to drinks such as milkshakes or tea. And while cinnamon is one of the main ingredients in apple pie, the risks of eating it to get your daily cinnamon outweigh the benefits as it is also rich in fat and sugar.