Background: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder and the incidence of cardiovascular is increased two- to fourfold in its complications. Cinnamon is expected to have some degree of anti-diabetic efficacy without troublesome side effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate the anti-diabetic effect of cinnamon cassia powder in type 2 diabetic patients

Material and method: Sixty type 2 diabetic patients were randomized either 1.5 g/d of cinnamon cassia powder or placebo. Both groups were in combination with their current treatment (metformin or sulfonylurea) according to single blind randomized, placebo-control trial in a 12-week period. Efficacy was evaluated by HbA1c fasting plasma glucose, Lipid profile, BUN, creatinine, liver function test and adverse effects were recorded.

Results: After a 12-week period, HbA1c was decreased similarly in both groups from 8.14% to 7.76% in the cinnamon group and from 8.06% to 7.87% in the placebo group. This was not found statistically significantly different. However the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c < or = 7% was also greater in patients receiving cinnamon compared with patients receiving placebo, nevertheless, it was not found statistically significantly different (35% vs 15%, x2 = 3.14, p > 0.05). No significant intergroup differences were observed in lipid profile, fasting plasma glucose except in SGOT 27.1 (8.75) to 22.1 (5) in cinnamon group and 24.08 (8.5) to 23.63 (8.88) in the placebo group (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: The cinnamon cassia powder 1.5 g/d did not have any significant difference in reducing fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and serum lipid profile in type 2 diabetes patients who had mean fasting plasma glucose 154.40 +/- 24.72 mg/dl.