The effect of oral supplementation of cinnamon on weight loss and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial

Objectives: Cinnamon, as a flavoring additive and a drug in traditional medicine, has a long history. Today, several studies have been carried out on the effects of cinnamon on blood glucose, obesity, and hypertension in type 2 diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cinnamon powder on weight loss and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized double-blind clinical trial conducted for 3 months on 81 patients with type 2 diabetes from the city of Maku, Iran. Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups receiving (a) two 500-mg cinnamon capsules (n = 27), (b) four 500-mg capsules (n = 28), and (c) placebo (n = 26). The biochemical parameters, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and body fat and lean mass were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 software. Results: The mean age of participants was 51.73 ± 6.40 years. Weight, BMI, and WC decreased significantly following the intervention in the group receiving the higher dose of cinnamon supplementation (p = 0.009). Statistically significant differences were also observable among the 3 groups in weight (p = 0.03), BMI (p = 0.02), WC (p = 0.02), fat mass (p = 0.03), and lean mass (p = 0.04) after the intervention. There was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between preintervention and postintervention values. Conclusion: This study showed that supplementation with dietary cinnamon powder in type 2 diabetic patients significantly decreases weight, BMI, WC, and body fat and increases lean mass.