"Cinnamon for weight loss – The metabolic syndrome connection

Most of the research on cinnamon for weight loss relates to blood sugar and insulin management. Most of the obesity related problems can be traced back to some form of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition where your body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. When you consume a carbohydrate meal, the digestive enzymes break this down to simple sugars such as glucose. Refined carbohydrates are digested at a much faster pace causing the blood stream to be flooded with glucose.

Glucose is used for the production of energy in cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps drive glucose into cells that need it. When the blood stream is flooded with glucose, the body reacts by releasing high levels of the insulin hormone. The challenge is that that the cells soon become numb to the effects of insulin. As such more insulin is required to drive the same amount of glucose into the cells. This is a downward spiral with the cells becoming more and more resistant to the effects of insulin over time. This is called insulin resistance."

Insulin is a very potent fat storage hormone. In its presence, the body wants to store fat rather than burn it. Insulin resistance results in high levels of insulin being released into the bloodstream. This insulin lingers on in the body, thus effectively putting you in fat storage mode. This is also the condition known as metabolic syndrome. Cinnamon acts by dampening the sugar released into the blood stream after a meal and consequently the insulin spikes.