# Cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity.



## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

Cinnamon is an amazing spice that should be used whenever you can. It's a natural sweetener and so can be used in place of sugar, e.g. in porridge, in coffee etc etc.

* Moderates blood sugar levels, which is imperative in trying to reduce body fat.

o Cinnamon contains phytochemicals called 'chalcone polymers' that increase glucose metabolism more than 20 times the normal rate.

o These 'chalcone polymers' are also powerful antioxidants.

* Appears to mimic insulin thus increasing glucose uptake by cells.

* Cinnamon's water-soluble active ingredient is called 'cinnulin'.

o Cinnulin rebuilds the insulin receptor sites thus making you more insulin sensitive.

* Recent research has shown that cinnamon reduced triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in people with Type II Diabetes.

o People with both Type I & II Diabetes would benefit from cinnamon's effects.

* Cinnamon also contains anthocyanins, which improve capillary function.

* It can help combat candida through the use of it's eugenol & geraniol phytochemicals; this likely due to antimicrobacterial properties of the aforementioned compounds.

* Cinnamon also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may be helpful in reducing pain and stiffness of muscles, joints, and menstrual discomfort.

* Improves digestive function by acting as a carminative (a "gas reliever").

* Cinnamon contains catechins that help relieve nausea.

* Cinnamon also appears to improve appetite.

The "Cinnamon Stick Fat Loss Trick"

1. Depending on the size, take 2-3 cinnamon sticks and break them into a large glass jug.

2. Fill the jug with boiling water, cover and leave to steep.

3. Once cooled (warm is ok) strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and store in the fridge.

4. Drink a small glass (~250ml) with each meal; up to four per day. After one to three weeks reduce intake to just one cup per day.

This is a very cheap way to help lose excess fat as it very quickly improves your body's insulin receptor sites.

Originally posted by Health4NI on ESNpro.


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

so does that mean like,if i eat a big apple pie and drown it with cinnamon i will be ok? not only will i improve the taste of the pie but will give me all of the benefits of the above therefor not making me fat? cool,i'm liking this thinking


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## Ollie B (Mar 14, 2007)

Bump for later


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## scot.r111 (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks Gym Bunny, I really like cinnamon but didn't know its benefits. I like the apple pie theory and am going to Morrisons right now, nom, nom, nom.


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

weeman said:


> so does that mean like,if i eat a big apple pie and drown it with cinnamon i will be ok? not only will i improve the taste of the pie but will give me all of the benefits of the above therefor not making me fat? cool,i'm liking this thinking


Oh how I wish that were true!  :drool:


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## Martyd (Apr 28, 2009)

This is a wicked post Gym bunny reps!!!


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

I always use cinnamon sticks rather than powder as I'm not convinced that works.


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## Lil D (Apr 6, 2009)

Great Post Gym Bunny , guess I'l be having greentea and cinnamon tea for now on.

Though im just curious how does it taste , must be a fairly strong taste of cinnamon I guess.

And why don't you reckon the ground cinnamon works?


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## Incredible Bulk (Sep 19, 2007)

to add... the cinnamon you buy in the shops is not usually real ceylon cinnamon but another variety called cassia (vietnamese/indonesian variety).

extract:



> Cinnamon has been reported to have remarkable pharmacological effects in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance. However, the plant material used in the study was mostly from cassia and only few of them are truly from Cinnamomum zeylanicum (see cassia's medicinal uses for more information about its health benefits)


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## bowen86 (Mar 17, 2008)

wheres best to buy the hard stuff?

cinnamon?!


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## Mikazagreat (Apr 10, 2009)

Cinnamon also appears to improve appetite.

This could be a big problem for me lol.


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

If you add cinammon to shakes and so on then 1g or so will increase your appetite. FYI Incredible Bulk makes a very good point


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## LOCUST (May 4, 2006)

odd, i started adding cinnamon to my porrige mid way through my prep ha.


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## Mikazagreat (Apr 10, 2009)

Gym Bunny said:


> If you add cinammon to shakes and so on then 1g or so will increase your appetite. FYI Incredible Bulk makes a very good point


Actually my life biggest problems is that i have a VERY GOOD APPETITE, lol.

Damn i wish i was a hardgainer.


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## m14rky (Aug 11, 2008)

where do u get the proper cinnamon incredible bulk is talking about?


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## Lil D (Apr 6, 2009)

m14rky said:


> where do u get the proper cinnamon incredible bulk is talking about?


Bump


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## boodika (May 24, 2009)

bowen86 said:


> wheres best to buy the hard stuff?
> 
> cinnamon?!


Maybe somewhere like Holland and Barratt might sell the 'real' cinnamon?


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## m14rky (Aug 11, 2008)

how do u know whats the real stuff and whats the rubbish anyone bought it over here


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

just googled it

http://www.google.co.uk/products?rlz=1C1CHMG_en-GBGB291GB304&sourceid=chrome&q=ceylon+cinnamon&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=AHwzSvWiCsifjAeVzsWBCg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/400-gms-Ceylon--Cinnamon-Quills-/-Sticks_W0QQitemZ110400091661QQcmdZViewItem

have a look thru that, tempted myself


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

more info, how to tell the diffrence:

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/2/2/4/8/0/8/webimg/263221910_o.jpg

cassia










the real deal hard stuff "cinnamon"


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## Incredible Bulk (Sep 19, 2007)

add lemon juice to the drink, much better taste


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

Incredible Bulk said:


> add lemon juice to the drink, much better taste


I like cinnamon tea on as it is but will try the lemon juice addition.

Little bit more info on cinnamon



> *Blood Sugar Control*
> 
> Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 2 007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.
> 
> ...


This is in addition to other benefits, including anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties, as well it being a potent booster of cognitive processing abilities.

Re cinnamon being added to food/shakes increasing appetite, 1/2 tsp seems to be the cut off point before this kicks in according to people I've spoken too.

Another thing to wary of if you are a migraine sufferer and want to mega dose with cinnamon is that in susceptable individuals the blood sugar lowering properties seem to work almost too well and can lead to levels of blood sugar that are actually too low. There is another theory too that some of the tanins in cinnamon seem to bind very well with the amino acid Tryptophan and so can also reduce serotonin production - another potential migraine cause (and also possible reason to avoid if a sufferer of depression).


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

Lots of info...good sh*t, just bought about 10 sticks of the real deal stuff for a pound...will report back with taste and opinion soon!


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

GB / IB - when you make the tea how dark is it? i made 1 litre of the stuff but using only 1 stick (my sticks are pretty big though, about 8 inches  ) and its turned out pretty pale and not that strong tasting....should i up the dose? hahaha


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

neildo said:


> GB / IB - when you make the tea how dark is it? i made 1 litre of the stuff but using only 1 stick (my sticks are pretty big though, about 8 inches  ) and its turned out pretty pale and not that strong tasting....should i up the dose? hahaha


Morning Neildo. I use 2 sticks per jug. Tis important to leave the sticks in while the water cools down. Took a pic of a freshly made jug for you. It can go a wee bit darker than this too, it definitely tastes of cinnamon. Soon as the water has cooled I take the sticks out and can reuse them once.

Sometimes you get the oil seperating out of the sticks and floating on the surface and that is very strong.


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## glenn (Jan 20, 2008)

at last something to stimulate appetite thanks

love cinnamon


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

Awesome thank you  will add another stick then and see how i get on cheers!


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## m14rky (Aug 11, 2008)

i found some cinnamon sticks in my cupboard there made by schwartz there quite small r these goods 1s to use or rubbish.can u get the good 1s from tesco or anywhere like that?


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## jw007 (Apr 12, 2007)

Cinanamon is THE DEVILS WORK

Cant stand the fcker

Wosrt tasting [email protected] ever, plus its on bloody everything in states

Stuff makes me wretch...

You guys are sick yuck!!!!!


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

jw007 said:


> Cinanamon is THE DEVILS WORK
> 
> Cant stand the fcker
> 
> ...


Well it certainly ain't jaffa cakes! :lol:

Does it give you headaches Joe?


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## Incredible Bulk (Sep 19, 2007)

neildo said:


> GB / IB - when you make the tea how dark is it? i made 1 litre of the stuff but using only 1 stick (my sticks are pretty big though, about 8 inches  ) and its turned out pretty pale and not that strong tasting....should i up the dose? hahaha


As per GB's reply, it depends on how much water you add and the amount of sticks you put in.

I used a litre with only one stick, left it to brew and cool for 4-5 hours and it looked a dark yellow colour.

not strong tasting but refreshing enough


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Bump for when I can read.

Thanks GB....kisses


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

can now vouch that it tastes amazing and very naturally sweet when you brew it overnight  love it


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Fantastic post girlfriend.

Any time you can become more insulin sensitive it is a great thing.


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## neildo (Oct 9, 2008)

m14rky was saying he wouldn't mind me sending him some, think i can get as much as i want from this deli i used to work in, would anyone else be interested in buying it in bulk from me? not out to make much if any profit and would be cheap to post cause it's so cheap just the more i buy the cheaper i can get it! PM me if your interested cheers


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## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi ya guys.

Anyone still following this? how you finding it. I have just started managed to pick up 200sticks from a local health store for a Fiver lol.

The stuff really does Taste VILE! though i just quickly down my 250ml and eat the rest of my food quickly to hide the taste haha


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## infrared (Jun 30, 2009)

It should not taste vile. You have cassia, which is not proper cinnamon. There are two types. Try Barts Cinnamon which is proper Sri Lankan cinnamon and not cassia bark. Cassia bark is toxic over a certain amount.

The stuff they have in the usa is predominately cassia, which does taste horrible.


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## Matutu (Feb 24, 2009)

No it deffently is Ceylon cinnamon, from sri lankan  . just dont like the taste well after taste anyway.


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## Robbyg (Feb 25, 2008)

Wont this cause a insulin spike on your next meal ?,as it lowers your bloody sugar levels quickly or does drinking it 4 times per day level out your bloody sugar stopping it from spiking


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## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

Robbyg said:


> Wont this cause a insulin spike on your next meal ?,as it lowers your bloody sugar levels quickly or does drinking it 4 times per day level out your bloody sugar stopping it from spiking


It moderates the body's response, so you shouldn't get such a high insulin spike. It also improves your body's insulin sensitivity. This is the opposite of insuline resistance which we know is bad = more prone to fat gain.

First week you have the tea 4x a day, or with each meal, then you cut down the amount. I think I explained it all in the OP, but if you're still confused I can explain further.


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