The Effects of Cinnamon Tea on Postprandial Blood Glucose Levels

Background and Aim: Multiple studies have previously showed that cinnamon has an effect on postprandial blood glucose levels. Cinnamon can reduce postprandial blood glucose levels which could be beneficial to diabetics and those with hyperglycaemia. Studies have also shown that cinnamon has high levels of antioxidants, which can help with oxidative stress that may be caused by obesity and reduce cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the aim is to show the effect of cinnamon tea on postprandial glucose levels on non-diabetic individuals. Study: Eighteen non-diabetic individuals from QMU over 18 years old were recruited. They were randomized into 2 groups, control - oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and water; and intervention group - OGTT and cinnamon tea. Blood glucose levels were taken 10 hours after fasting then 30, 60 and 90 minutes after drinking the OTTG and water or cinnamon tea. A sample from each tea was frozen for analysis of total polyphenols by Folin's method and antioxidants by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method. Results: The postprandial blood glucose levels were not significant at 0, 30, 60 and 90 minutes between cinnamon tea and water as P > 0.05 Folin's method showed that cinnamon tea had a significant difference in total polyphenols in comparison to the control (P = 0.003). There was a significant difference in antioxidant levels when comparing cinnamon tea and water through the FRAP method (P = 0.006). The significance was taken to be < 0.05. Conclusion: The current study showed that cinnamon tea has no significant effect on blood glucose levels at any time point. However, the current study showed that the cinnamon tea had a high volume of antioxidants which were significantly higher than those found in the control. Although the current study demonstrated that cinnamon tea had no effect on blood glucose levels there are multiple studies that conflict these results. Key words: cinnamon, blood glucose, antioxidants, diabetesbsc_appunpub2247_ethesesunpu