Spicy Benefits: Using Herbs & Spices Can Improve Your Blood Sugar Control
Are you interested in a delicious way to improve your blood sugar?
If you are diabetic, pre-diabetic, or just interested in maintaining more stable blood sugar, something almost everyone can benefit from, a recently published study offers practical and actionable tips on how to do this.
This meta-analysis, a type of study that pools the results from several previous studies, has shed some evidence on the powerful blood sugar-lowering effects of several common herbs and cooking spices.
Methods of Measuring Blood Sugar Handling.
Before exploring the benefits of the scpies, let's briefly review some methods used to measure blood sugar control.
First, we can measure your blood glucose levels. This measurement indicates your blood's glucose (sugar) level at a given time. This can be informative, but it only gives us a point-in-time estimate of what your sugar is now. This number is highly variable and reflects your recent eating habits, stress levels, sleep issues, and more.
Another measure is hemoglobin A1c. This measure reflects roughly what your average blood sugar has been over the past three months or so. This measurement is often used as a screening test and is tracked in people with prediabetes or diabetes to gauge their glucose control.
A third measure of blood glucose control is the fasting insulin level. Insulin is a hormone that supports the entry of blood glucose into our cells so that it can be utilized. Insulin levels fluctuate throughout the day, but there is growing recognition that one of the earliest signs of blood sugar dysregulation is rising insulin levels—also called insulin resistance.
What the study showed
This study evaluated the impact of various herbs and spices, often included in a Mediterranean diet, on the blood sugar control of individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.
The herbs and spices evaluated included black cumin (nigella), clove, parsley, saffron, thyme, ginger, black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, basil, oregano, and cinnamon. The analysis included 77 studies.
The meta-analysis found that cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, black cumin, and saffron significantly improved fasting glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. Black cumin, cinnamon, and ginger had the greatest effect, lowering glucose levels 17-27 points. Improvements in A1c were found with black cumin and ginger. Cinnamon and ginger also lowered insulin levels. The number of studies for some of the other herbs and spices was small, and while many of the individual studies showed positive results, these effects were not always seen when results were pooled together. More studies are needed to reliably assess the impact on measures of glucose control.
This systematic review and meta-analysis offers the first comprehensive evaluation of the effects of aromatic herbs and spices on blood sugar control in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes. The findings underscore the potential therapeutic benefits of certain herbs and spices as part of a comprehensive lifestyle management strategy for Type 2 diabetes and other conditions of glucose handling (such as prediabetes and insulin resistance).
Applying these results to your life
How can you easily incorporate the benefits of herbs and spices into your day-to-day life?
First, make sure that you have them available to use.
When you can purchase organic food, while they are a bit more expensive, you will be sure you are getting the most benefits. Higher levels of pesticide exposure have been associated with increased rates of diabetes - thus potentially defeating some of the benefits of why you are using them.
Some ways to find affordable (organic) herbs and spices:
If you have a local food coop, they will often sell spices by ounce in their bulk food section, and this can be much more affordable than buying them in a full bottle. They are often fresher as well.
Trader Joe’s and other bargain/specialty retailers carry organic versions of several commonly used spices, often at very affordable prices.
You may already have some or all of these herbs and spices in our cabinet. Consider updating your supply if they have been in your cabinet for 6-12 months or more. Herbs and spices lose their potency and flavor over time. And once you are stocked up on fresh herbs and spices, how do you use them?
When it comes to incorporating these spices into recipes, the possibilities are endless. Add cinnamon and ginger to your morning oatmeal and turmeric to soups, beans, or smoothies. Add ginger in stir-fries or teas. While this study only touched on a limited number of herbs and spices, Do not limit yourself to just these. Add some dill to your eggs and some coriander and curry to your soups. Try new recipes with herbs and spices that might be new to you - or find ways to use new-to-you spices in some of your favorite dishes. Many herbs and spices improve not only the taste but the digestibility of food. Improving our digestion has many health benefits, including improved blood sugar control.
Conclusion
We know that herbs and spices offer a wide range of benefits for both the flavor of our cooking and our health. This is one reason why foods generously flavored with herbs and spices have been foundational to many of the cooking traditions of the world. This recent study underscores this wisdom and provides specific evidence in blood sguar control. What could be more sustainable than making richly flavored foods with herbs and spices a foundational part of your cooking routine?
What are you cooking up these days?
What herbs and spices do you like to use?
To your health.
Dr. Nicole 🌿
Dr. Winbush provides integrative and functional medicine health consults through her Sankofa Healing Arts & Functional Medicine practice. Based in Durham, NC, and working with people in North Carolina, Georgia, California, and Minnesota, she provides an array of approaches to support individuals in their unique healing path and goals. To learn more, visit sankofahealingarts.com. For additional inquiries, you can contact the office here.
