Spice Fights Syndrome X

Your fancy latte with cinnamon just may deliver more than a taste sensation:

"The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s professional journal, JISSN, recently published a landmark study on the effects of a specific cinnamon extract (Cinnulin-PF) in pre-diabetic subjects.

Prediabetes is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease and a metabolic condition known as Syndrome X. Researchers from The Ohio Research Group reported that supplementing with 500 mg per day of Cinnulin-PF significantly reduced fasting blood sugar and systolic blood pressure, while simultaneously improving body composition. Impressively, these beneficial effects occurred without changes in diet or exercise.

Cinnamon is the real deal when it comes to overall health and wellness. Look for the specific extract used in the study."

Glucose Disposal

Glucose Disposal — Cinnamon and Brewer's Yeast:

"I have a question concerning low-carb diets. In Dan Duchaine's BodyOpus book, he mentions the use of brewer's yeast and cinnamon as potent glucose disposal agents. Do you have any idea of the amount of these items that should be taken to help with glucose disposal? Thanks.

S. Morgan

Both cinnamon and brewer's yeast substantially potentiate insulin. There is one caveat, however — albumin levels. At baseline albumin levels in blood, cinnamon is more effective than brewer's yeast, showing an insulin-potentiating effect of about 12-fold. But as albumin levels increase, cinnamon's effects are inhibited, making it ineffective.

In contrast, brewer's yeast actually becomes more effective as albumin levels increase, maxing out with an insulin-potentiating effect of about sixfold. So, to cover both situations, it makes sense to take cinnamon and brewer's yeast together.

Regarding dosages — this is a guess — try taking 250 mg of cinnamon and two tablespoons of brewer's yeast, three times a day. Be careful with cinnamon, though. Some people are allergic to it. So test a small amount before you start taking larger dosages.

But I have to tell you that my favorite, over-the-counter insulin potentiator is alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). I don't take cinnamon or brewer's yeast, but I do take ALA. And, it's a super-powerful antioxidant, too. Take 200 mg three times a day."

A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs

A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs:

"A Paleolithic diet has been suggested to be more in concordance with human evolutionary legacy than a cereal based diet. This might explain the lower incidence among hunter-gatherers of diseases of affluence such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to experimentally study the long-term effect of a Paleolithic diet on risk factors for these diseases in domestic pigs. We examined glucose tolerance, post-challenge insulin response, plasma C-reactive protein and blood pressure after 15 months on Paleolithic diet in comparison with a cereal based swine feed.

This study in domestic pigs suggests that a Paleolithic diet conferred higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure when compared to a cereal based diet."

Effects of curcumin on retinal oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetes

Effects of curcumin on retinal oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetes:

"Thus, the beneficial effects of curcumin on the metabolic abnormalities postulated to be important in the development of diabetic retinopathy suggest that curcumin could have potential benefits in inhibiting the development of retinopathy in diabetic patients."

Eggs modulate the inflammatory response to carbohydrate restricted diets

Eggs modulate the inflammatory response to carbohydrate restricted diets in overweight men:

"A CRD with daily intake of eggs decreased plasma CRP and increased plasma adiponectin compared to a CRD without eggs. These findings indicate that eggs make a significant contribution to the anti-inflammatory effects of CRD, possibly due to the presence of cholesterol, which increases HDL-C and to the antioxidant lutein which modulates certain inflammatory responses."