Cinnamon extract and insulin sensitivity in obese mice
What it found
In obese and diabetic mice, cinnamon extract improved insulin action in the brain, increased physical activity, and lowered liver fat.
The same extract did not change blood sugar or fat in lean, high-fat-fed mice.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Brain insulin action
In obese and diabetic mice, cinnamon extract improved insulin sensitivity in the brain. Insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of AKT in the brain was 32% higher than in mice given a vehicle solution.
Brain activity and movement
Cinnamon extract increased cortical brain activity in the theta frequency band and made the obese mice more active during the day and night. Insulin given into the brain also improved their movement.
Blood sugar and insulin
In obese and diabetic mice, cinnamon extract lowered fasting blood sugar and greatly improved glucose tolerance. Insulin secretion after a glucose load was unchanged.
Liver fat and glycogen
Cinnamon extract reduced fat accumulation in the liver and increased liver glycogen content by 68% in the obese mice. It also improved insulin signaling in liver tissue.
No effect in lean mice
In lean mice fed a high-fat diet, cinnamon extract did not change body weight, fat mass, fasting blood sugar, glucose tolerance, or insulin secretion.
Lab tests on cells
In mouse brain cells, eugenol (a cinnamon compound) promoted glycogen formation, while cinnamaldehyde reduced it. In rat liver cells, cinnamon compounds did not change insulin signaling.
What the authors conclude
“Together, cinnamon extract improved insulin action in the brain as well as brain activity and locomotion.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that cinnamon extract improved insulin action in the brain as well as brain activity and locomotion.
- They suggest that this specific effect may represent an important central feature of cinnamon in improving insulin action in the brain, and mediates metabolic alterations in the periphery to decrease liver fat and improve glucose homeostasis.
- They state that eugenol may represent the relevant compound to mediate this effect.
How it was done
Cinnamon has been reported to improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes, but how it works was unclear. The authors wanted to see if cinnamon's effects might come from its action on the brain.
They gave cinnamon extract from Cinnamomum zeylanicum to obese and diabetic ob/ob mice and to lean mice fed a high-fat diet for 6 weeks. They also tested cinnamon compounds on mouse brain cells and rat liver cells in the lab.
What it can’t tell you
- These are animal and cell studies. They cannot show what happens in people.
- The mice were given a specific cinnamon extract for 6 weeks. The results may not apply to other cinnamon products or doses.
- The study cannot prove that the brain effects directly caused the liver changes, only that they occurred together.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Authors work at
- University of Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany; Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tuebingen (IDM), Germany
The paper
- Title
- Cinnamon extract improves insulin sensitivity in the brain and lowers liver fat in mouse models of obesity
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Sartorius T, Peter A, Schulz N, et al (2014). Cinnamon extract improves insulin sensitivity in the brain and lowers liver fat in mouse models of obesity. PloS one. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092358Free full textPubMed 24643026DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error