Does Cinnamon Lower Blood Sugar?
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Does Cinnamon Help With Diabetes?

Does Cinnamon Help With Diabetes?
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Published on March 27, 2025
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Cinnamon has long been used in complementary and integrative medicine for health problems such as inflammation, nerve pain, and heart disease. Some research suggests that this spice may also help manage blood sugar in people with diabetes, though health authorities do not recommend using cinnamon for diabetes management.

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The Research on Cinnamon and Diabetes

Cinnamon, made from the dried bark of Cinnamomum trees, is generally considered a healthy and tasty ingredient that’s safe to consume for those with diabetes. Some preliminary studies on those who have type 2 diabetes suggest that its active ingredient, cinnamaldehyde

 may improve diabetes symptoms by imitating insulin, the hormone that transports sugar from your bloodstream to your cells. People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance, which happens when the body becomes less sensitive to insulin, making it more difficult to clear sugar from the blood.

“Cinnamon may lower blood sugar by reducing insulin resistance, allowing the body to use the insulin present more effectively," says Nicole Patience, RDN, CDCES, a certified diabetes care and education specialist with Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

A meta-analysis of people with type 2 diabetes suggests that taking cinnamon supplements for at least 10 weeks may help improve fasting blood sugar levels and hemoglobin A1C, a measurement of average blood sugar levels over the past two or three months that is used to diagnose and monitor diabetes.

 But there are also studies that have found it doesn’t have an impact on blood sugar at all.

Patience says that cinnamon may have a positive effect for those with prediabetes, too.

“A recent [small] study looking at cinnamon supplementation in prediabetes found that glucose levels didn't rise as much for the group taking cinnamon,” she says. Study participants were given 4 grams (g) of cinnamon (about 1½ tsp) every day for four weeks.

While some studies on cinnamon find benefits for those with diabetes, there currently isn’t enough evidence to recommend it for medical purposes.

“Studies looking at cinnamon as an adjunct therapy to help manage type 2 diabetes have presented conflicting results,” says Patience.

The Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon may have a positive impact on other health conditions related to diabetes, too. It may:

  • Protect against free radicals and chronic inflammation: Elevated blood sugar can lead to increased free radical production.

     Cinnamon contains plant-based antioxidants known as polyphenols, which combat free radicals that damage cells and contribute to diseases such as diabetic neuropathy.

     Chronic inflammation, which produces free radicals, is common in people with diabetes, and it plays a significant role in the development of cardiovascular problems.

  • Improve metabolic health: One review suggests that consuming at least 1.5 g or ⅓ teaspoon (tsp) of cinnamon daily may reduce triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar in people with a metabolic disease like diabetes.

  • Lessen symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are both autoimmune diseases, and people with one condition have an increased risk of developing the other.

     Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects, cinnamon may help ease joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness.

How to Add Cinnamon as a Spice or Supplement

Given its mixed scientific results, cinnamon seems unlikely to make a significant impact on your health, especially in the smaller amounts that most people are likely to add to their meals. But even so, there's good reason to sprinkle it on toast, add it to tea or coffee, or mix it into oatmeal or yogurt anyway, says Sandra Arévalo, RDN, MPH, CDCES, the director of the Jacob’s Family Pride Wellness Center at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in New York.

“I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg to add flavor to desserts and other sweet treats while reducing the amount of sugar used in the recipe,” she says.

Cinnamon supplements, on the other hand, make it easier to consume larger amounts of it. They can contain as many as 6 g (1¼ tsp) per dose, according to some studies.

 But taking supplements comes with some risk. Unlike prescription and over-the-counter medications, supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and their manufacturers are not required to provide evidence of their safety or efficacy.

If you decide to try cinnamon supplements, Arévalo cautions against consuming too much, since they can cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or heartburn.

“There are studies that show cinnamon can also affect the liver when taken in large doses because of the effects of a component in cinnamon called coumarin,” she says. A small percentage of people may be especially sensitive to liver damage from to coumarin consumption.

Check with your doctor to ensure that cinnamon supplements won’t interact with any other medicines or supplements you take. If they won’t, look for a supplement that’s been third-party tested by NSF, ConsumerLab, or U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP).

The Takeaway

  • Some findings suggest that cinnamon could elicit insulin effects when eaten, which might help with blood sugar management in people with diabetes. More study is needed before it can be recommended as a tool for diabetes management.
  • Cinnamon’s antioxidant properties may improve symptoms of health conditions related to diabetes, such as neuropathy, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Cinnamon can be eaten in food or taken as a supplement. Food sources won’t contain as much of it, but its sweet flavor can help people with diabetes avoid eating added sugar. High doses of cinnamon have been linked to liver damage and other side effects, so talk to your healthcare provider about safety and dosage before taking any supplements.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  3. Silva ML et al. Cinnamon as a Complementary Therapeutic Approach for Dysglycemia and Dyslipidemia Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Molecular Mechanism of Action: A Review. Nutrients. July 2022.
  4. Moridpour AH et al. The Effect of Cinnamon Supplementation on Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Updated Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Phytotherapy Research. January 2024.
  5. Can Taking Cinnamon Supplements Lower Your Blood Sugar? Cleveland Clinic. December 23, 2020.
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  8. Pagliari S et al. Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) Bark Extract after In Vitro Digestion Simulation. Foods. January 2023.
  9. Asmat U et al. Diabetes Mellitus and Oxidative Stress — a Concise Review. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. March 21, 2015.
  10. Cardiovascular Disease. American Diabetes Association.
  11. Kutbi EH et al. The Beneficial Effects of Cinnamon Among Patients With Metabolic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized-Controlled Trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2022.
  12. Popoviciu MS et al. Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Autoimmune Diseases: A Critical Review of the Association and the Application of Personalized Medicine. Journal of Personalized Medicine. February 26, 2023.
  13. Zhu C et al. Impact of Cinnamon Supplementation on cardiometabolic Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. September 2020.
  14. Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. Khan A et al.
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  16. Yamada T et al. Combined Risk Assessment of Food-Derived Coumarin With in Silico Approaches. Food Safety. September 2023.
  17. Third-Party Testing Guidance. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
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Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES

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Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988. 

Lynn brings her expertise in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to her work in helping people reach their individual health and fitness goals. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, she has also written for websites and publications like Food and Health Communications, Today's Dietitian, iVillage.com, and Rodale Press. She has a passion for healthy, nutrient-dense, great-tasting food and for being outdoors as much as possible — she can often be found running or hiking, and has completed a marathon in every state.

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