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Blood Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice
This Week's Tips
It's great on french toast. It's lovely in apple pies, oatmeal, and eggnog. And now, it may be good for your blood sugar, too.
Give up? It's cinnamon. People with diabetes who eat three-eighths of a teaspoon a day enjoy better blood sugar levels after a little over a month. Here's what else will get your blood sugar under control.
It's In Your Blood
How does cinnamon work its magic? Researchers aren't sure yet. It's possible that something in cinnamon helps make insulin receptors more sensitive. But more research is needed before doctors recommend it as a mainstay of diabetes treatment. Still, there are lots of other ways to help stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep type 2 diabetes at bay. (How likely are you to get diabetes? Answer these questions to find out.)
True Diabetes Dashers
- Change the way you eat. A balanced, moderate diet is key to preventing and controlling the disease. Look up diabetes-friendly recipes at EatingWell.com.
- Find your workout soul mate. Regular exercise helps improve your blood sugar profile. Find a fitness buddy on the RealAge community boards.
- Trim -- just a little. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight could help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent! And maintaining a healthy weight helps control the disease if you already have it. Get slim-down advice from RealAge experts Mehmet Oz, MD, and Michael Roizen, MD.
Did You Know?
To thwart diabetes, you don't have to give up bread. Just eat the right kind.
RealAge Benefit:
Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.
Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Khan, A., Safdar, M., Ali Khan, M. M., Khattak, K. N., Anderson, R. A., Diabetes Care 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-3218.
