Affecting more than 20 million Americans, diabetes is characterized by the inability to regulate the body’s blood sugar. Of the different types of diabetes, the most common is type 1 diabetes mellitus. Formerly referred to as noninsulin-dependent diabetes, type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 percent of all cases. Although type 2 diabetes is considered an inherited condition, its development is principally a consequence of lifestyle. That is, in most cases, it can be prevented and treated with diet, exercise, and weight control. People who are unable to control their blood sugar with lifestyle changes are treated with oral blood-sugar-lowering medications. In turn, those who are unable to adequately control their blood sugar with oral medications are treated with insulin.

Dire Consequences
Serious health complications are associated with uncontrolled blood sugar: namely, kidney failure, heart disease, and blindness. Faced with these grave risks, the medical community has focused its efforts on measures to prevent the onset of diabetes in at-risk populations and to prevent the complications associated with diagnosed individuals.

Though a variety of medications are available to treat diabetes, scientists are looking to alternative ways to treat this widespread disease. A nutritional supplement marketed toward the diabetic patient, NutraLab Cinnergen is used to enhance the effects of the body’s natural insulin and to decrease the effect of elevated blood sugar. Cinnergen contains a variety of natural substances (16 active ingredients in all); however, the most widely studied of these are cinnamon bark, blueberry leaf extract, and cranberry extract.

In the Spotlight
Though used for centuries in other countries, these supplements have gained recent attention in the current medical literature on the treatment of diabetes. Cinnamon bark appears to improve the sensitivity of the body’s cells to insulin. Studies on blueberry leaf extract suggest that this nutrient may directly decrease the body’s blood sugar. Furthermore, it is well known that cranberry extract can help prevent the development of bladder infections, a condition that occurs frequently with diabetes.

The Jury is Out
Since Cinnergen is not well known in the medical community, as with many nutritional supplements, health-care providers meet it with caution. Cinnergen is not meant to replace insulin or oral diabetes medications, but it may be a useful addition to current medication and lifestyle changes. Thus, the hope is that diabetic patients may be able to reduce the amount of medication they are using and to reduce the harmful health consequences of diabetes by lowering blood-sugar levels. Although there are no known side effects for the main ingredients of Cinnergen, some of its other ingredients, such as ginkgo biloba and green-tea extract, may warrant attention. Ginkgo biloba may not be well tolerated in persons using blood thinners or in pregnant women. In addition, green-tea extract contains a good deal of caffeine, which some people try to avoid.

Before using Cinnergen or any other nutritional supplement, check with your health-care provider to see whether you need to take any precautions.

—Marie President, M.D.