by Chris Westerley

Created on: May 29, 2010   Last Updated: May 31, 2010

Honey and cinnamon can help weight loss. They also reverse the metabolic disorders that put overweight people at greater risk of disease. The beneficial effects are measurable after 15-40 days.

This article summarizes the scientific studies on which the above claims are based.  

1. Honey

Healthy volunteers consumed honey solution daily for 15 days. At the end of this period, blood lipid levels (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides) were lower than at the start of the study.

Levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL-cholesterol) increased. Repeating the study in  people with hypertriglyceridemia (high blood levels of triglycerides) or high cholesterol levels gave the same results.

Honey also decreased blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation.
Reference: Noori S. Al-Waili, Natural Honey Lowers Plasma Glucose, C-Reactive Protein Homocysteine, and Blood Lipids in Healthy, Diabetic, and Hyperlipidemic Subjects: Comparison with Dextrose and Sucrose, Journal of Medicinal Food, 2004, vol. 7 pp. 100-107

Overweight people consumed honey solution daily for up to 30 days. The same beneficial effects on blood lipids and CRP were found as well as a decrease in blood glucose levels.

Subjects also showed a decrease in percent body fat and in weight.
Reference: Yaghoobi N et al. Natural honey and cardiovascular risk factors; effects on blood glucose, cholesterol, triacylglycerole, CRP, and body weight compared with sucrose. Scientific World Journal, 2008, vol. 8 pp. 463-9.

2. Cinnamon

Richard Anderson reviewed the benefits of aqueous cinnamon extract. The studies compared people who took cinnamon daily for 40 days with a group who received placebo .

In subjects with type 2 diabetes, cinnamon decreased blood glucose and cholesterol. Similar results were obtained in subjects with metabolic syndrome (obesity-related condition). This group also showed a decrease in blood pressure and in percent body fat and an increase in lean body mass.

In women with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance, cinnamon decreased blood glucose levels and increased insulin sensitivity.
Reference: Richard A. Anderson, Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2008, vol. 67 pp. 48-53

3. What do these results mean?

Overweight is associated with insulin resistance. This condition progresses to metabolic syndrome (syndrome X). People with metabolic syndrome are obese, with high blood

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