A closer look at the effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (ceylon cinnamon) bark extracts on cardiometabolic risk factors

Researchers from India examined the effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (ceylon cinnamon) bark extracts on adiposity, insulin sensitivity and cardiometabolic markers. Their findings were published in the International journal of Green Pharmacy.

• Studies suggest that a high fructose (HFr) diet may be responsible for the development of insulin resistance (IR).
• To determine if C. zeylanicum bark extracts can ameliorate HFr diet-induced IR, the researchers conduced an experiment using 30 Wistar male albino rats.
• They divided the rats into five groups (n=6) that had free access to food and water.
• Groups I and II, the normal control and HFr control, received two percent gum acacia and 60 percent w/v fructose diet, respectively.
• Groups III, IV and V were orally given pioglitazone (PGZ 50 mg/kg/b.wt), aqueous C. zeylanicum bark extracts (CBAE, 1 g/kg/b.wt) and ethanolic C. zeylanicum bark extracts (CBEE, 1 g/kg/b.wt), respectively, from day 28 until the end of the treatment.
• All the groups except the normal control were put on an HFr diet for 42 days.
• The researchers then evaluated weight gain, adiposity, adiponectin levels and cardiometabolic markers (C-reactive protein and uric acid), as well as cardiovascular (CV) risk, IR and insulin sensitivity (IS) indices.
• Compared with the normal control, HFr feeding significantly increased weight gain, adiposity and cardiometabolic markers but decreased adiponectin levels.
• CV risk also significantly increased in the HFr control while IS indices decreased compared with the normal control.
• In groups III to V, adiposity significantly decreased while weight gain decreased in the cinnamon-treated groups.
• PGZ and CBAE significantly increased adiponectin levels, while PGZ, CBAE and CBEE decreased cardiometabolic markers and improved IS indices.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that C. zeylanicum bark extracts can improve insulin sensitivity and associated with metabolic risk factors by modulating adiponectin in HFr-fed rats. These activities make cinnamon a potential functional food supplement that can be used for the management of diabetes and obesity.

Journal Reference:

Bayya MHRK GBayya, Adiga MNS, Roy AD, Nayak IMN, Adiga US. AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF CINNAMOMUM ZEYLANICUM EXTRACTS ON ADIPOSITY, INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INSULIN RESISTANCE IN HIGH FRUCTOSE-FED RATS. International journal of Green Pharmacy. 2019;3(1):72. DOI: 10.22377/ijgp.v13i01.2338