Posts Tagged ‘Blood sugar’
Why is Cinnamon So Healthy for seniors?
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With the onset of the cooler weather brought by Autumn, we typically shift from drinking cool drinks to savoring warmer ones. Hot ciders, hot teas and hot chocolates are the choices for many folks for Autumn beverages, because they warm us up on cold mornings and evenings. The spice that is often chosen to enhance these beverages is cinnamon, because it enhances the taste of the hot drinks. Cinnamon does more than enhance the flavor of hot beverages, it’s water soluble component provides a balanced anti-inflammatory effect for our senior bodies. It turns out that inflammation in our bodies is like a two-edge sword. We need an inflammatory response, because without it infections and wounds would never be healed. The second edge of inflammation acts as an accessory in many serious diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and many others. For good health, especially for good senior health, we need to keep the inflammatory response in balance. As we age the inflammatory processes tend to fall out of balance causing those serious diseases.
Fortunately our bodies have their own balancing mechanisms that utilize certain proteins that can be induced by insulin, which is an anti-inflammatory hormone, and cinnamon extract. Recent research has shown that water soluble cinnamon extract lessens a type of intestinal inflammation. In addition to lessening inflammation, cinnamon has been shown to mimic the effects of insulin, manage blood-sugar metabolism, help regulate fatty acids, help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and act synergistically with insulin. Working together with insulin cinnamon reduces the type of inflammation in order to improve cardiovascular health.
Cinnamon Can Help Seniors Stay Healthy
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According to a recent health report from London, cinnamon may provide health benefits for seniors, because we typically suffer from increasing blood sugar levels despite making the recommended changes in our daily diet. The London study reported dramatic positive results when patients with type 2 diabetes took cinnamon. The researchers concluded that supplementing with cinnamon should be considered as an added dietary supplement, in order to regulate blood glucose and blood pressure levels in parallel with conventional medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Additional information about taking cinnamon for controlling blood glucose specifies that one should take the water-soluble extract and avoid the fat-soluble portion of cinnamon for optimum results. It turns out that type 2 diabetes is one of several diseases that are triggered by inflammation in our bodies. Recent research has shown that water soluble cinnamon extract lessens a type of intestinal inflammation. In addition to lessening inflammation, cinnamon has been shown to mimic the effects of insulin, manage blood-sugar metabolism, help regulate fatty acids, help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and act synergistically with insulin. Working together with insulin cinnamon reduces the type of inflammation that is known to the increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Vinegar Aids Seniors’ Blood Sugar Levels
Image by AndyRob via Flickr
As we age our bodies undergo changes. One of the changes that seniors face is rising blood sugar levels that can lead to type 2 diabetes unless some measures are taken to deal with this change. Some of the measures that can contribute to lowering blood sugar levels in seniors include changes in diet, exercise, weight loss, and supplements. Seniors who are interested in taking preemptive aging steps to foster their senior health should certainly includes these measures in their daily routines. In the event that blood sugar levels are still too high another step can be taken; it requires a prescription medication. The alternative to that well known prescription is a common household item that is often used in salad dressings. The household alternative is none other than common vinegar. Numerous studies over the years have documented the ability of vinegar to reduce blood sugar levels by 25-35% provided it is taken before or with meals. Vinegar lowers the glucose levels by inhibiting the enzymes required to digest starches and complex carbohydrates. Similarly taking vinegar upon retiring in the evening will result in lower morning fasting blood sugar levels. In this case it turns out that vinegar acts in a manner parallel with the well known prescription drug metformin to lower blood sugar.
Blood Sugar Control On Your Kitchen Shelf
- Image by AndyRob via Flickr
Reading the reports in the health news a number of articles are promising to control your blood sugar which is of considerable importance to seniors who are concerned about fostering their senior health. A number of articles promise that they can control your blood sugar provided that you purchase their supplement with all the right ingredients at a price that benefits the seller. It turns out that seniors can access some common inexpensive items typically found on the selves in their kitchens that will assist in lowering blood sugar. It seems hard to believe, but cinnamon and vinegar can both be taken separately in the manner appropriate for each, so that they can produce the desired effect of lowering blood sugar levels. Seniors who take both of these common kitchen items will be taking preemptive aging steps to promote their senior health. The appropriate manner recommended for cinnamon is to add a half a teaspoon of it to tea or coffee before brewing. Vinegar is best taken right before a high-glycemic meal in this way. Mix two tablespoons of vinegar in water with a sweetener other than sugar such as stevia or xylitol. An alternate way is to put it on a salad.
Green Tea Extract For Blood Glucose Control
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Recently a study about the effects of green tea extract on blood glucose control was conducted in the Far East. The study was conducted over a four month period in the following manner. The participants include both men and women who showed elevated blood glucose levels prior to the start of the study. The volunteers were divided into two groups such that one group drank a supplement of green tea extract every day for two months and then ceased taking the supplement for two months. The second group followed the same schedule but in reverse order. Prior to the initiation of the study all the volunteers were borderline diabetics or prediabetic. Their blood glucose levels measured at the start of the study provided the baseline against which any changes would be compared. The blood glucose levels were measured using the hemoglobin A1c levels.
The first group that started taking the green tea extract saw a reduction in their hemoglobin A1c levels. This group started at a baseline of 6.2% which declined to 5.9% after two months. Their levels continued to decline to 5.8% after two more months during which time they did not supplement with the green tea extract. For the second group that delayed two months before starting to take the green tea extract the results were nearly as good with the hemoglobin levels coming in at 6.1%, 6.1% and 5.9%. Healthy hemoglobin levels range from 4% to 5.9%, so supplementing with green tea extract modulated the long-term control of blood glucose. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about their senior health in regard to controlling their blood glucose levels and avoiding diabetes.
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