Cinnamon - dumb it down for me

[Cameron_R]

This sparked my interest:

http://www.nzbodybuilding.co.nz/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=18573&p=363783

"Cinnamon has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity or help insulin remove glucose out of the body faster".

Can anyone dumb that down for me? I am the first to admit I know nothing about insulin or glucose or any technical shit like that. I just want to know what effect would there be in my body composition, weight, energy level, whatever, by adding 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon to my coffee every morning.

ie what's the end result - why do bodybuilders bother to take cinnamon - which bodybuilders goal would this help achieve?

[farrout]

In a nutshell, cinnamon is high in the mineral chromium which is great for stabilising blood sugar levels.

[Cameron_R]

Thanks, but why should I care about that? (Serious question)

Does it help me gain muscle, loose fat, increase my energy levels or anything BB related?

[vracula]

Thanks, but why should I care about that? (Serious question)

Does it help me gain muscle, loose fat, increase my energy levels or anything BB related?

Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that helps the uptake of glucose into your liver,fat and muscles.

Insulin sensitivity means that the body knows what to do with all that glucose it just acquired from your meal,Insulin is like a truck that carries all that sugar/glucose, The body namely the pancreas secretes appropriate amounts of Insulin to deposit glucose into your muscles or fat depending on the amount of glucose or fructose(fructose goes to the liver first) you just acquired from your meal

So yes You want to have good insulin sensitivity ,You feel better ,you have less carb crashes (that sleepy feeling after a big meal or a shitty meal),Reduced carb (sweet)cravings and post workout your body prefers to shove all that glucose into your muscles as opposed to store it round yr belly.

On the other end of the spectrum is insulin resistance where Insulin cant carry enough glucose and it floats around in your bloodsteam dangerously increasing your blood sugar levels also known as hyperglycemia.Excessive or chronic hyperglycemia is known as Type 2 Diabetes.That's why patients with "diabeetus" need shots of insulin to function normally because their body cant produce enough.

have you heard of the GI index, low gi /high gi? Gi stands for Glycemic index and you will commonly find it on health foods or shit food claiming that it is healthy.Gi is basically how quickly your blood sugar levels increase after a meal,for example sugar is 100 on the gi index and an apple is like 30 ,The lower the better. So In order to remain Insulin sensitive majority of your carbs should come from the Low gi part of the index. Ideally you would need "fast" carbs (high gi) post workout although that is debatable.

Insulin is one of the most important hormones when it comes to maintaining a healthy body composition.Please don't expect miracles from Cinnamon it's just a little something to add to an already healthy diet.

[Cameron_R]

Thanks vracula. Great post. Appreciate your help (and patience!).

So it ain't some miracle, and really the benefit is a small amount of 'regulation' for my blood glucose levels. That sounds like something anyone, not only BB'ers, could do with.

I think my diet is as good as it's going to get, given my personal circumstances, so it sounds like it could be a useful thing to whack a bit of Cinnamon into my morning coffee.

[Diab0lic]

If chromium is the active ingredient then it would only help if you were already chromium deficient. Most people with a decent diet are probably not, esp if you take a multi or eat lots of grain and veges.

Cinnamon is great though. Provides sweetness without sugar and can be used in so many dishes, savoury and sweet. Has other health benefits too

There's a internet fad diet called the cinnamon honey diet which claims you can lose 10 pounds in a week. Seems to have gained attention again. I girl I know posted on facebook recently that she was going to do this diet because beach season is coming, and posted a picture of a saucepan boiling up water honey and cinnamon...

[vracula]

If chromium is the active ingredient then it would only help if you were already chromium deficient. Most people with a decent diet are probably not, esp if you take a multi or eat lots of grain and veges.

Cinnamon is great though. Provides sweetness without sugar and can be used in so many dishes, savoury and sweet. Has other health benefits too

There's a internet fad diet called the cinnamon honey diet which claims you can lose 10 pounds in a week. Seems to have gained attention again. I girl I know posted on facebook recently that she was going to do this diet because beach season is coming, and posted a picture of a saucepan boiling up water honey and cinnamon...

correct , Before cinnamon there was chromium picolinate ,It's the same bullshit in a new wrapping.

[milkisforbabies]

Great summary Vracula. I find it awesome for spicing up a bit of oatmeal etc - going low glycemic carb really helped me drop weight and actually gave me more sustained energy. There was (from my looking around) too much evidence saying cinnamon was effective to not try it. I wanted to reduce triglycerides and with diet and exercise I dropped from 3.1 - 0.5 in 6 weeks. I don't know how much the cinnamon played in that but it's cheap as chips and it made my oatmeal, apple and all bran go down a lot easier in the morning.

[Cam0505]

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[vracula]

Love cinnamon

Healthy or not it adds flavour/variety which is something a lot of people who eat "healthy" seem to overlook.

This isn't related to cinnamon, however do you guys know/heard of Eric Helms research? Once he has finished it and his finding are published we should really start a forum on it, given how extremely relevant it is to the bodybuilding/powerlifting lifestyle.

I can start a forum explaining the basis of his research if you would like...

Sorry for hijacking the forum, just didn't want to start one without knowing if you guys are aware/interested in it.

u have a link?

[Cam0505]

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[Cameron_R]

I can start a forum explaining the basis of his research if you would like...

Yeah. Do it.

[vracula]

I can start a forum explaining the basis of his research if you would like...

Yeah. Do it.

Yeah I would be keen to see his findings.