Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes increased blood sugar. The pancreas produces insulin that moves sugar from the blood to the cells for use or storage. A person diagnosed with diabetes either does not produce enough insulin or could not make use of the insulin being produced.
In the US, it is estimated that there is 30.2 million diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes for people aged 18 and up.
If diabetes is not managed, it can lead to complications such as hypertension, other heart problems, kidney disease, and even death. One way to prevent diabetes or lower blood sugar is by limiting intake of carbohydrates.
Different types of diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
It is an autoimmune disease wherein the body attacks cells in the pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production.
Type 2 Diabetes
It is a condition where the body is insulin resistant.
Prediabetes
Characterized by high blood sugar, prediabetic people's blood sugar is not too high to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes
A pregnant woman that is diagnosed with high blood sugar is called gestational diabetes.
Although many drugs can control your blood sugar level, some people would rather go for the natural instead of taking drugs. Two of the herbs are studied to have glucose decreasing effects, and they are turmeric and cinnamon.
Turmeric
Derived from the plant Curcuma longa, turmeric has been described in Ayurveda as a treatment for diabetes. The active component of turmeric, curcumin can decrease the level of glucose in the blood, according to a review of studies in 2013. They also found that it could prevent diabetes, however, to understand more the effects of turmeric and curcumin, more clinical trials with humans are needed.
Besides treating diabetes, curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anticancer activities.
Turmeric is generally safe for consumption, however, when taken in large doses, it may cause unpleasant side effects. This includes nausea, diarrhea, and indigestion.
Cinnamon
Coming from the Cinnamomum family, cinnamon is a spice that has been used as a traditional medicine around the world. Some research shows that cinnamon can help lower blood sugar.
A review in 2012 by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) found that cinnamon does not help lower sugar when they tested glycosylated hemoglobin A1c in both types 1 and 2 diabetic subjects.
However, a review of an animal study in 2015 showed that cinnamon may help reduce blood sugar levels. They let 60 people with type 2 diabetes consume 6 grams of cinnamon per day and it showed that there was a decrease in serum glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics published an analysis in 2016, that proved that cinnamon helps to lower fasting blood sugar levels. Some studies showed modest reductions in long-term glucose or HbA1C levels.
However, in line with the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) treatment goals, only four of the studies achieved a reduction in blood sugar levels. Therefore, cinnamon may help manage blood sugar in some people, but it should not be used as an alternative for diabetes treatment.
