Cinnamon may improve blood sugar control in people with a condition known as prediabetes and may slow the progression to type 2 diabetes, according to a new pilot study of 51 people with elevated blood sugars.

"We are looking for safe, durable and cost-effective approaches to reduce the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes," said study author Dr. Giulio Romeo, a staff physician at Boston's Joslin Diabetes Center and the division of endocrinology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The study published Tuesday in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.