Cinnamon Improves Memory in Prediabetics

by | Aug 31, 2016 | 2016, Brain Health, Cinnamon, Cognitive Health, Diabetes

Written by Joyce Smith, BS. A study of 93 aging prediabetic Taiwanese revealed that cinnamon usage was associated with improved working memory compared to cinnamon nonusers.

Cognitive impairment is on the rise in both diabetics 1,2 and prediabetics3; however, controlling glucose levels can slow it down. 4 Herbs and spices continue to be inexpensive and safe treatment options. For example, turmeric improves postprandial and medium-term working memory (WM) 5 and may contribute to less dementia in India, where curry is part of the daily diet. Ginger has also been shown to improve cognitive function.6

Researchers hypothesized that culinary herbs and spices such as ginger, curry (turmeric) and cinnamon (common ingredients in the Chinese and Taiwanese diets), may reduce the incidence of memory loss related to prediabetes and/or age.

To test their hypothesis, researchers selected 93 healthy prediabetic Taiwanese, 60 years and older (47 men and 46 women), who had fasting blood glucose levels of 100-125 mg/dL, body mass indices (BMI) within 18.5-30 kg/m2, and no evidence of cognitive impairment. The participants were also non-drinkers and had no history of chronic disease, acute illness and hospitalization, or medication for diabetes.

Researchers administered WM and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) tests to all participants to determine their degree of memory loss. Participants also answered a semi- quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) that included 5 additional questions pertaining to culinary herbs and spices. In addition, researchers assessed body composition and measured the fasting glucose and insulin levels of all participants to confirm they were prediabetic. Insulin resistance was also calculated using the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Student t test was used, where appropriate, to determine differences between cinnamon users and non-users and linear regressions were used to determine the degree of influence of diet, body fat, and insulin resistance (IR) on WM. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

Cinnamon users had a significantly higher WM than nonusers (2.9 vs 2.5) P<0.001. This validated that cinnamon usage is associated with better WM in older healthy, untreated prediabetics, independent of education, diet quality or insulin resistance.

The researchers suggest that cinnamon has potential practical significance in aging populations where cognitive impairment and dementia have become major contributors to the burden of disease. Furthermore, cinnamon improves insulin resistance in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, and is very inexpensive and safe compared to the cost of pharmaceuticals that are required to treat diabetes.

The authors also suggest that this cross-sectional study has limitations because it analyzed the data collected from a representative subset of the population (prediabetic Chinese), at one specific point in time; however, they add that this subset is a growing group that represents 1/5th of our world population and many cultures use cinnamon extensively. Finally, they remind us that cinnamon contains small amounts of warfarin, which may be contraindicated for those taking blood thinners.

Source: Wahlqvist Mark L, Lee Meei-Shyuan, Lee Jiunn-Tay et al. Cinnamon userswith prediabetes have a better fasting working memory: a cross-sectional function study. Nutrition Research 36 (2016) 305-310; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2015.12.005

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted August 30, 2016.

References:

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  2. Ohara T, Doi Y, Ninomiya T, et al. Glucose tolerance status and risk of dementia in the community The Hisayama Study. Neurology. 2011;77(12):1126-1134.
  3. Crane PK, Walker R, Hubbard RA, et al. Glucose levels and risk of dementia. New England Journal of Medicine. 2013;369(6):540-548.
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  5. Lee M-S, Wahlqvist ML, Chou Y-C, et al. Turmeric improves post-prandial working memory in pre-diabetes independent of insulin. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2014;23(4):581-591.
  6. Saenghong N, Wattanathorn J, Muchimapura S, et al. Zingiber officinale improves cognitive function of the middle-aged healthy women. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2011;2012.