While some studies suggest modest benefits of cardamom for insulin sensitivity, its practical effects in typical coffee drinks are minimal. Experts warn that added sugars in café beverages could have a greater impact on blood glucose than the spice itself.
Cardamom has become a familiar addition to autumn coffees and lattes, but the idea that it can meaningfully lower blood sugar is overstated, according to Verywell Health. The spice may add aroma and flavour to a drink, yet the small amount usually sprinkled into a cup is unlikely to make a noticeable difference to glucose levels. The bigger question, the article suggests, is not the cardamom itself but what comes with the coffee.
A Health Chosun summary of a 2022 meta-analysis found that studies using 3 grams of cardamom a day, over periods of eight to 12 weeks, showed improvements in insulin resistance and glycated haemoglobin, a marker of longer-term blood sugar control. Even so, fasting blood sugar did not fall significantly. That distinction matters: the research points more to improved insulin sensitivity than to a direct, strong effect on glucose readings.
The broader evidence base is still limited, but several meta-analyses suggest cardamom may have modest benefits beyond blood sugar. Research indexed on PubMed in 2023 found that cardamom was linked with lower levels of inflammatory markers and reductions in blood pressure, while earlier reviews in 2020 and 2022 reported similar signals for glycaemic control, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. Those findings are encouraging, but the authors of the studies warned that more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
For people who enjoy cardamom in coffee, the practical advice is simple: treat it as a flavouring, not a treatment. Verywell Health notes that café drinks often contain milk, syrups and other added sugars that are far more likely to affect blood sugar than a pinch of spice. Even packaged cardamom lattes can include ingredients that push glucose levels up. In other words, cardamom may make coffee taste warmer and more complex, but its health effects are probably modest at best in everyday amounts.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
