Anyone have the straight dope on cinnergen? Are there any good independant studies that validate or dispute its claims?
What is “cinnergen?” What claims? Throw us a bone here.
It is pretty new and I haven’t seen any independant studies.
My question would be why do you ask? Any of the supposed benefits of cinnergen can be had by proven safe methods, so why are you considering it? Blood sugar levels in non-diabetic people are easy to regulate with proper diet and exercise and educating yourself about those methods would, I think, do you more good than taking cinnergen. A “diabetic” diet, by the way, is very good for anyone!
I ask because my mother asked me. I did the google thing and researched it as far as I could. Then I came here in case a doper had seen or read an article that wasn’t on the first few pages of google.
While your advice might be spot on, it is hardly anything that my mother hasn’t heard from her doctor for years. At the age of 67 I can hope that she may one day follow it, but I am realistic in my belief that she is unlikely to. (She will also likely never give up cigarettes - other good advice from her doc and from me.)
I am often skeptical of these types of supplements, and I can of course simply dismiss it and tell her to get more excercise - but If she has her mind set on taking this, I want to try to be sure that at the very worst she won’t harm herself. A bonus would be to find out that it will actually help her.
I’m diabetic, and I’ve added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of blueberries (usually mixed with yogurt) to my daily diet. It’s a whole lot cheaper than any “supplement.”
If your mother is diabetic and a smoker and getting no exercise, I think this supplement is the least of the health issues she has to deal with.
You think? And how was that comment useful to me? Was it just a casual cruelty or did you think that somehow it would help me help her? If so, how? I can suggest she quit smoking, I can suggest she get excercise but I can’t make her do it.
Dad died two years ago of emphysema and it was a horrible thing to watch. He never listened to the doc either. Now mom is in her latter years and she is not watching her health in the way that the doc wants - and I have to watch that too.
I can ignore her questions or I can look into them. I’ve chosen to look into them to, as I have already said, try to make sure that it is not harmful to her and if it is helpful to her in some small way that will be a bonus.
Thanks for the opinion - it brightened my night. :rolleyes:
The website for this supplement (“Cinnergen”) demonstrates a number of problems common to supplement marketing.
There is a small section on “clinical trials”. Of the three items listed, one has a couple of general statements about how cinnamon supplementation might be helpful (in other words, no actual research is cited). Another mentions studies in progress but no results. A third actually notes a small clinical trial which showed a benefit to cinnamon supplementation in patients with type II diabetes. There are zero studies showing that Cinnergen itself does anything.
There does not appear to be convincing evidence that cinnamon supplementation is a valuable long-term adjunct for treating diabetes. Of the two latest small clinical trials, one showed a modest benefit and the other none at all.
The Cinnergen website devotes a lot more attention to testimonials, which are worthless as a means of evaluating a treatment.
Khadaji’s mother might want to ask her doctor about whether it’s OK to add small amounts of cinnamon to her diet on a regular basis (as an adjunct to mainstream-type care). I suspect that would be cheaper and just as effective (or ineffective) as a brand-name supplement whose quality and effectiveness are unknown.
[hijack]A supplement that I have seen improve the quality of life in veterinary patients (and the original work was in humans) is chromium picolinate. It seems diabetics have a greater need for this trace mineral.
Cite:
http://www.healthbulletin.org/diabetes/diabetes3.htm
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/17/6/548
[/hijack]
vetbridge thanks. 