Cinnamon has been used for thousands
of years to add flavor and also for many medicinal and ceremonial purposes. It
was used for embalming in Egypt, as a treatment for digestive ailments, and as
a fragrance during funeral ceremonies in ancient Rome (1).
Now, scientific research is revealing
that cinnamon also has health benefits. Most prominently, cinnamon consumption
has been shown to improve symptoms in type 2 diabetes by improving insulin
sensitivity and cholesterol levels. Cinnamon seems to mimic the effects of
insulin, allowing the body to remove glucose from the bloodstream (4, 12).
Cinnamon has also been shown to reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood,
which can be dysregulated in diabetics among others (2). Cinnamon can also
improve sugar balance in the brain, which helps to improve cognitive functions.
Studies in animals show that cinnamon alone protects brain cells from the harmful
effects of a high sugar diet, including high levels of sugars in the blood and
reduced sugar utilization in brain cells (3).
Even in healthy individuals, drinking
cinnamon tea after dinner can also reduce blood sugar levels at night, which
can protect your metabolism, prevent metabolic disease, and promote weight loss
(6, 7, 12).
Additionally, this spice appears to reduce appetite, which is a great way to
curb late-night snacking. The amounts of cinnamon required in these studies
ranges from a few milligrams to 3 grams. There are various cinnamon extracts
that can be easily dissolved in water, making it easy to take large amounts as
a dietary supplement (5).
Other studies show that cinnamon can decrease
stiffness in arteries (5), reduce inflammation (8), and act as an antioxidant (9). The exact amounts
of cinnamon required for these health effects aren't yet known and further
research is needed to determine the full effect of cinnamon compounds on the
body (10,
11). Nevertheless, these
studies show results that are promising for using cinnamon as a natural
therapeutic product. References
1) Kawatra P., Rajagopalan R. “Cinnamon: Mystic powers of a minute ingredient.” Pharmacognosy Research. 2015;7(Suppl 1):S1-S6. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.157990.
2) Allen, Robert W., et al. “Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.” The Annals of Family Medicine 11.5 (2013): 452-459.
3) Anderson, Richard A., et al. “Cinnamon counteracts the negative effects of a high fat/high fructose diet on behavior, brain insulin signaling and Alzheimer-associated changes.” (2013): e83243.
4) Howard, Molly E., and Nicole D. White. "Potential Benefits of Cinnamon in Type 2 Diabetes." American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 7.1 (2013): 23-26.
5) Markey, Oonagh, et al. "Effect of cinnamon on gastric emptying, arterial stiffness, postprandial lipemia, glycemia, and appetite responses to high-fat breakfast." Cardiovascular diabetology 10.1 (2011): 78.
6) Medagama, Arjuna B. "The glycaemic outcomes of Cinnamon, a review of the experimental evidence and clinical trials." Nutrition journal 14.1 (2015): 108.
7) Bernardo, Maria Alexandra, et al. "Effect of Cinnamon Tea on Postprandial Glucose Concentration." Journal of diabetes research 2015 (2015).
8) Hong, Joung-Woo, et al. "Anti-inflammatory activity of cinnamon water extract in vivo and in vitro LPS-induced models." BMC complementary and alternative medicine 12.1 (2012): 237.
9) Mancini-Filho, J., et al. "Antioxidant activity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Breyne) extracts." Bollettino chimico farmaceutico 137.11 (1998): 443-447.
10) Rafehi, H., K. Ververis, and T. C. Karagiannis. "Controversies surrounding the clinical potential of cinnamon for the management of diabetes." Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 14.6 (2012): 493-499.
11) Gruenwald, Joerg, Janine Freder, and Nicole Armbruester. "Cinnamon and health." Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 50.9 (2010): 822-834.
12) Jitomir, Jean, and Darryn S. Willoughby. "Cassia cinnamon for the attenuation of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance resulting from sleep loss." Journal of medicinal food 12.3 (2009): 467-472.
