Issue 118 Item 8 Apple Pie Improves Blood Sugar Regulation and Insulin Sensitivi

Apple pie spices (typically cinnamon and nutmeg) were responsible for the beneficial effects. As we grow older, our bodies’ ability to regulate blood sugar declines, and that sets the stage for diabetes. When the disease does take hold, it accelerates the aging process, in part through glycation, in which carbohydrate molecules react with protein molecules to form complex structures called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The accumulation of AGEs in our tissues causes then to stiffen somewhat, resulting in a gradual immobilization of body functions. One example of glycation occurs in the blood, when glucose reacts with hemoglobin. The resulting complex, called hemoglobin Alc, is actually used as a diagnostic test for diabetes.

Dr. Anderson a leading diabetes researcher and his team examined foods that had a positive impact on blood sugar, and their attention was drawn to – believe it or not – apple pie! Because apple pie improved blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity so much, they started examining its components to find out what produced these effects, and how they did it. They found that apple pie spices (typically cinnamon and nutmeg) were responsible for the beneficial effects. Looking further, they found that it was cinnamon that had a particular component with the catchy name methylhydroxychalcone polymer (MHCP) that was primarily responsible.

Dr. Anderson discovered that MHCP can stimulate glucose uptake by our cells. It can even help in the synthesis of glycogen, a polymer of glucose that our bodies produce as a means of storing energy for later use, when it is depolymerized back to glucose. Most of our glycogen is found in the liver, but some is found in our muscles – a handy place to be when we start exercising and need quick energy. Producing adequate amounts of glycogen is a principal function of blood sugar metabolism, and MHCP can help.

Dr. Anderson says that MHCP has effects similar to those of insulin and works almost as well. Both of these substances work by chemically modifying our cells’ insulin receptors in a manner that activates them to do their job, which is to allow glucose molecules to pass through the cell wall into the insulin cascade–the series of molecular events triggered by insulin’s interaction with its receptor-is also triggered by MHCP. He also discovered that when MHCP and insulin act together, the effect is synergistic, i.e., the total effect is greater than the sum of its parts.

Eating cinnamon right out of the spice rack, however, is not a good idea, Cinnamon contains hundreds of compounds, not just MHCP, and one of these is the anticoagulant drug coumarin, which you do not want to get too much of. While it is too soon to recommend the spice as a regular treatment for type 2 diabetes, Dr. Anderson said patients could try adding 1/4 – 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to their food. "The worst that will happen is it won’t do any good and the best is that it will help dramatically," he stated.

Dr. Richard A. Anderson, is lead scientist at the Beltsville, Maryland-based Human Nutrition Research Center, a branch of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Findings Announced by the USDA August, 2001.