Cinnamon and Diabetes

When Westerners were first introduced to stevia diabetes subjects scored yet another option to enjoy delicious palate teasers without fearing the consequences later.  .

The condition diabetes may have been around for a very long time. According to surviving scrolls, a malady that sounds suspiciously like it is mentioned by Egyptians over 2500 years back. A curing strategy though has been harder to pinpoint. Up until the last century, the results have been variable. The word ‘mellitus’, which is Latin for ‘honey’ originated with the practice, from medieval times, of diagnosing a patient through tasting his or her urine.    

The early 19th century introduced a greater sophistication when chemical tests were devised that could detect diabetes. Apollinaire Bouchardat, a pharmacologist from France found out that limiting the meals to certain items affected the glucose content of the urine.  To manage the condition, he advised patients to limit their meals to items low in carbohydrates. He also placed emphasis on the value of exercising regularly. Today, some of his suggestions are still incorporated.

As scientifically minded scholars began to dissect the human body to learn more of its functioning, they discovered the organ responsible for it all, the pancreas. Some of the researchers who probed this necessary, but sometimes problematic organ included Oskar Minkowski, Joseph von Mering and Claude Bernard. Thomas Cawley, an English doctor noted that the pancreas of a diabetic differed showed a marked deviance from that of a person who did not suffer from the condition. Armed with such medical knowledge, authorities from the first part of the 20th century began to devise cures, most of them based on what the patient would consume. There was the ‘oat cure’, the milk diet, potato therapy and the rice cure. Some went as far as to recommend opium.  Meanwhile, the dedicated botanist Dr Bertoni was just commencing with a detailed study into the properties of the humble Stevia plant.

Insulin first entered the equation in the 1920s when Dr Banting proved its potential in treating diabetes. He found that a dog thrived on the treatment after a pancreatectomy. Two key symptoms of prolonged undiagnosed diabetes were singled out in the 1940s. These were visual disturbances and problems with the functioning of the kidney. At the end of the 1950s, a new discovery was made, when medical practitioners became aware that there were two related, but different types of diabetes.

The second part of the 20th century was characterized by greater understanding towards diabetics. Insulin was commercially produced and became readily available. Various organizations were created with the specific aim of improving conditions for diabetics. Scientific studies introduced new knowledge.  More products are available that make life a little easier for persons with diabetes. Stevia is but one of these newer innovations.  

Although a regular injection of insulin certainly helps, the main challenge of the diabetic remains in limiting harmful elements from the diet. In the past, the diabetes authority Cantoni imprisoned patients to force them to eat only the right food. Today it can be so much easier. With the taste of stevia diabetes sufferers might imagine themselves to be transgressing, but in reality they have nothing to worry about.

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Following the introduction of stevia diabetes sufferers around the globe have showed an interest in exploring the product’s benefits for themselves. In several countries in the Far East, such as Japan, Thailand and China stevia has been used for years. The Chinese have even emerged as the world’s largest supplier of the powder form, stevioside.  Soft drink manufacturers Coke and Pepsi have also come onboard by using it in some of their products.  Other than its beneficial effect on blood glucose levels, stevia is good for dieting, since it has no calories, and helps cuts and lacerations to heal quickly. A number of nations are reluctant, though, to give stevia the green light for mass distribution.

The native people of Paraguay had always treasured the stevia plant for its sweet taste and as a folk remedy. When the Spanish first began to explore their land, a botanist named Petrus Jacobus Stevus (Pedro Jaime Esteve) stumbled upon it and bequeathed it his name.  

Dr Moises Santiago Bertoni, a botanist from Italia first learnt of the potential of the stevia herb in the 1880s. Someone gave him some dried leaves that were already crumbling, but it took more than twelve years before he finally got hold of a growing plant in 1903. The generous donor had been a priest at the Villa San Pedro.  

Wide scale use of stevia was considered in the twenties by none other than George Brady, then affiliated with the American Trade Commission, but the plan was never followed through.  Britain likewise gave some thought to growing stevia during the Second World War when the country experienced serious food shortages. The United Kingdom’s climate proved less than ideal for this enterprise.  When the Japanese restricted the use of artificial food additives in the seventies, food manufacturers had to look towards organic products instead.

When Stevia is measured against regular sugar, it is shown to contain lower calories and lower carbohydrates despite also tasting sweeter.   A single teaspoon of stevia is the equivalent of a whole cup of sugar.  A few consumers noted a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it satisfies the palate of many diabetes sufferers.  

Due to restrictions in the United States, Stevia and stevioside may not be promoted as a sugar substitute. Instead, it is available as diet product.  Food authorities claim that more detailed study is needed before it can be commercially released.  

Analysis of existing stevia research hints at its ability to benefit insulin production and combat hypertension, but sadly, not enough is known.  Stevia can be purchased as dried leaves, fine powder or in fluid form.  To grow your own stevia, you would need plenty of heat and illumination. The plant does not thrive in cooler climates.  

A thoroughly detailed study into stevia and diabetes aids will probably be needed before the final verdict on its value can be determined.  

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With the discovery of stevia diabetes sufferers gained an unexpected ally in the balancing of glucose levels, without sacrificing all enjoyment in sweet treats.

Although the disease of diabetes might have been mentioned in records as far back as the Egypt of 2500 years ago, its successful treatment has been hit and miss until the last century. During the middle ages, the disease was diagnosed by tasting the urine. From this, the term ‘mellitus’ derives. It was the Latin word for ‘honey’.  

Only in the early 19th century were chemical tests initiated to diagnose sufferers. The French pharmacist Apollinaire Bouchardat first discovered that restricting food intake influenced the amount of glucose in the urine, an important breakthrough.  

Recommending a low carbohydrate diet, he also stressed the significance of exercise. His strategies are still considered valuable today.

Research into the function of the pancreas was conducted by Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering and also separately by Claude Bernard. A related discovery was that of English physician Thomas Cawley. From the autopsy of a diabetic, he learnt that there was a difference in appearance between the pancreas of a healthy person and someone with diabetes.  Some treatments from the early 20th century included the ‘oat cure’, which consisted of little but oatmeal, the milk diet, potato therapy and the rice cure. Even opium, the wonder drug of that era, was employed. It was also around this time that Dr Bertoni began his study of the Stevia plant in earnest.

In the 1920s, Dr Banting first settled on the idea of treating diabetes with insulin and the success of this strategy was proven when a dog that had its pancreas removed, responded well to insulin therapy. During the 1940s diabetes was linked with kidney complications and failing eyesight. Another breakthrough, in 1959, came when it was first realized that there is in fact two types of diabetes.

As insulin became more easily accessible and health bodies and organizations for persons with diabetes were formed, the prospects became brighter. Today both types of diabetes can be managed with the help of new devices, strategies and knowledge. Additives such as stevia have also made a difference.

While the use of insulin as a treatment has given many sufferers with Diabetes Type 1 new control in the control of their condition, the key still lies in what persons with diabetes eat. It is illegal to lock people up to force them to eat the right food, as an early diabetes expert Cantoni tried to do, but with stevia diabetes sufferers may be surprised at the possibilities this new additive offers.

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With the discovery of stevia diabetes sufferers worldwide have been granted a new option in the quest to sweeten up their daily intake. It is widely employed in Japan,  China, Thailand and Brazil. China is in fact the world’s biggest exporter of stevioside.  Both Coke and Pepsi have begun using it in a few of their soft drinks. Besides regulating blood sugar, the plant can also promote the speedy healing of wounds, either through the use of fresh leaves or extracts, and as it contains zero calories, it similarly helps in weight control. In certain countries, though, the availability of stevia is restricted.

The original inhabitants of Paraguay had known the properties of the stevia herb for centuries. They used it to sweeten their food and beverages for over 500 years. The first westerner to learn of it was the Spanish botanist Petrus Jacobus Stevus (Pedro Jaime Esteve), who died in 1555.

Word of its benefits reached the Italian botanist Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni in the late 1880s.  For more than a decade it remained an unsubstantiated legend. Twelve years later he finally obtained a mysterious packet of dried and broken fragments of leaves, but in 1903, when the priest of Villa San Pedro gave him a live plant sample, his studies into this fascinating organism truly began.

In the early 1920s its potential was discussed and promoted by American Trade Commissioner George Brady, but no commercial application resulted. Similarly, with the rationing of World War Two, Britain considered stevia’s benefits, but as the country was too cold for mass cultivation, this too was abandoned. In Japan in the 1970s, however, a ban on carcinogenic chemical food additives led to the exploration of natural alternatives and stevia was incorporated.

Stevia compares favorably to sugar in a number of ways, boasting less calories and less carbohydrates. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar, meaning that a little goes a long way. One teaspoon of stevia equates a cup size of sugar. While some people complain of a bitter after taste, many prefer it to other sugar substitutes.

In the United States of America, stevia and the powder product steviaside are sold, not as an alternative to sugar, but rather as a diet supplement. One reason for this limited status is that not enough tests have been conducted to insure its safety.  

Some limited investigation has suggested that the herb stimulates the production of insulin and can help to counter high blood pressure. Stevia is available in liquid, powder or leaf form. To cultivate, the stevia plant needs warmth and light. They are not adapted to Europe’s cold winters, though.

Although more research is needed on the topic, stevia and diabetes treatment could possibly be considered a working solution.

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