Summary
Cinnamon has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for Type 2 Diabetes. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Cinnamon to Type 2 Diabetes: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00237640). The largest enrolment is 200 participants (NCT06515652). Registration activity spans 2005 to 2024. The literature layer holds 14 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2020 to 2025. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ranks 767 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 1.6-1.7% at 7 years on standard care (population-level cohorts UK and US).
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | C · Preliminary |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 56.5 (trials 21.5, literature 30.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 5 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 14 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Supplement (Herbal) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Preclinical |
| Mechanism / class | Potential dietary and lifestyle interventions for decreasing insulin resistance · Halma MTJ, Syed M, Marik PE · 2023 |
| Data sources | OSMF Chronic Disease Review |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00846898 | Is There a Metabolic Effect of Cinnamon on HbA1c, Blood Pressure and Serum Lipids in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus? 2008 | completed | Phase 2 | 58 |
| NCT00237640 | Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose and Lipid Levels in Non-Insulin Dependent Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 2005 | completed | Phase 2 | 85 |
| NCT00479973 | The Anti-Diabetic and Cholesterol-Lowering Effects of Cinnamon and Cassia Bark 2007 | status unknown | Phase 2 | 70 |
| NCT01027585 | The Effects of Cinnamon on Postprandial Blood Glucose, and Insulin in Subjects With Impaired Glucose Tolerance 2009 | completed | Not applicable | 10 |
| NCT03711682 | Reducing Plasma Glucose Effect of Cinnamon in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in the Municipality of Comasagua 2018 | completed | PHASE2, PHASE3 | 30 |
| NCT05145673 | Effect of Aqueous Cinnamon Extract on the Postprandial Glycaemia Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 2016 | completed | Not applicable | 36 |
| NCT06496893 | A Study to Assess Effect of Glucocil® on Metabolic Health in Individuals With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. 2024 | not yet recruiting | Not applicable | 100 |
| NCT06515652 | To Compare the Effects of Herbal Medicines With Traditional Allopathic Medicines in Cases of Patients With Metabolic Syndrome 2023 | recruiting | Not applicable | 200 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Efficacy and Safety of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) for diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialRanasinghe P, Galappatthy P, Constantine GR et al. · Diabetes & metabolic syndrome · 2025 · PMID 41412108
- Clinical trial publication Olfactory training improves cognition and modifies brain networks in type 2 diabetes patients with mild cognitive impairment: A 16-week randomised controlled trialChao Y, Tong X, Zhang B et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025 · PMID 40908892
- Clinical trial publication Efficacy of cinnamon in reducing anthropometric measurements in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a clinical trialLira Neto JCG, Araújo MFM, Penha JCD et al. · Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2025 · PMID 40667904
- Clinical trial publication The efficacy and safety of berberine in combination with cinnamon supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trialMansour A, Sajjadi-Jazi SM, Gerami H et al. · European journal of nutrition · 2025 · PMID 39998703
- Cochrane review Effects of cinnamon supplementation on metabolic biomarkers in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysisde Moura SL, Gomes BGR, Guilarducci MJ et al. · Nutrition reviews · 2025 · PMID 38917435
- Clinical trial publication Suppression of the postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes by a raw medicinal herb powder is weakened when consumed in ordinary hard gelatin capsules: A randomized crossover clinical trialMoreira FD, Reis CEG, Gallassi AD et al. · PloS one · 2024 · PMID 39383145
- Cochrane review The effect of cinnamon supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsMoridpour AH, Kavyani Z, Khosravi S et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2024 · PMID 37818728
- Meta-analysis Effect of Aromatic Herbs and Spices Present in the Mediterranean Diet on the Glycemic Profile in Type 2 Diabetes Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisGarza MC, Pérez-Calahorra S, Rodrigo-Carbó C et al. · Nutrients · 2024 · PMID 38542668
- Meta-analysis The effect of cinnamon consumption on lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation biomarkers in adults: An umbrella meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsSarmadi B, Musazadeh V, Dehghan P et al. · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD · 2023 · PMID 37500345
- Meta-analysis Comparative effectiveness of six herbs in the management of glycemic status of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsKumar S, Sharma SK, Mudgal SK et al. · Diabetes & metabolic syndrome · 2023 · PMID 37451111
- Systematic review Sweetly Improving Sugars? Reviewing Cinnamon's Effects on Blood GlucoseNuffer W, Tall Bull S, Bakhach H et al. · Journal of medicinal food · 2023 · PMID 36206028
- Cochrane review Cinnamon as a Complementary Therapeutic Approach for Dysglycemia and Dyslipidemia Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Molecular Mechanism of Action: A ReviewSilva ML, Bernardo MA, Singh J et al. · Nutrients · 2022 · PMID 35807953
- Cochrane review What is the influence of cinnamon supplementation on liver enzymes? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsMousavi SM, Jayedi A, Bagheri A et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2021 · PMID 34212447
- Cochrane review The effect of cinnamon supplementation on lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trialsJamali N, Kazemi A, Saffari-Chaleshtori J et al. · Complementary therapies in medicine · 2020 · PMID 33220625
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: Potential dietary and lifestyle interventions for decreasing insulin resistance · Halma MTJ, Syed M, Marik PE · 2023.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinnamon approved for Type 2 Diabetes?
Cinnamon has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for Type 2 Diabetes. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Cinnamon in clinical trials for Type 2 Diabetes?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Cinnamon to Type 2 Diabetes: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00237640). The largest enrolment is 200 participants (NCT06515652). Registration activity spans 2005 to 2024.
What does the evidence show for Cinnamon in Type 2 Diabetes?
Cinnamon has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Type 2 Diabetes. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.