11 Health Benefits of Cinnamon
A Delicious Healing Spice
Everyone knows what cinnamon is… Whether you enjoy it in a delicious bun, cake…or the spiciness of a flavored chewing gum…
Cinnamon bark is popular and easy to get and can add a wonderful zing to many kinds of recipes.
But did you know that it’s also used medicinally?
Yep, for thousands of years, it’s been at the center of traditional medicine practices.
In Western medicine, too, it’s gaining popularity as people look for alternatives to strong, chemical prescriptions that often come with a long list of side effects.
What does the science say?
Well, like many folk medicines, research is growing. For cinnamon, the research is extremely promising, and matches what traditional practitioners have known for millenia.
Here are 11 health benefits some people experience with cinnamon supplements. (sources listed below)
1. A Boost to Your Metabolism
Some research has demonstrated that a specific compound in cinnamon may help boost your metabolism.
This compound is called cinnamaldehyde. It gives cinnamon its unique flavor and smell.
Apparently, cinnamaldehyde can target your fat cells, making them burn more energy.
2. Lowering Your Blood Pressure
More than one study suggests that consuming cinnamon every day can bring down your systolic blood pressure reading by as much as 5 points in 3 months.
It’s good to note that these studies focused on people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. This may mean the improvement is connected to cinnamon’s potential to lower blood sugar levels (see below).
3. Support Better Skin
Cinnamon is used for skincare. It’s known to boost collagen production and crush bacteria. No wonder there are so many face mask recipes out there based on cinnamon!
Of course anyone who wants younger-looking skin understands how important collagen production is, so another checkmark for good ol’ cinnamon!
4. Support Balanced Inflammation
Remember, inflammation is an important healing response. However, chronic inflammation is a sign of imbalance and thought to be the root of disease.
Cinnamon to the rescue? Studies show that this helpful spice may improve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and others that center around unhealthy inflammation.
5. Kills Cancer Cells
Research studies have observed cinnamon killing cancer cells and slowing growth. No doubt this is due to supporting a health inflammation response and proper cell death.
So far these studies are maining in animals, but that’s sure promising.
6. Offer Brain Protection
Could cinnamon help keep your brain sharp? In fact lab studies have reported cinnamon may prevent the build up of proteins connected to Alzheimer’s.
A study with rats showed improved memories when supplemented with cinnamon. It’s not ideal data and more is needed for humans, but again, very exciting possibilities.
7. Lower Your Cholesterol
We have different kinds of cholesterol. One labeled as “good” is HDL, and a “bad” one is LDL.
Well, a study of 60 adults showed a significant decrease in LDLs in patients who ate ¼ teaspoon every day for a period of 40 days.
Similar studies found that taken for as long as 18 weeks, LDL can lower and HDL can go up. down. Pass the cinnamon, please!
8. Fights Bacteria
Remember above we talked about using cinnamon for killing bacteria on your skin? Same may apply to foods. Adding it to foods may help keep food borne toxins at bay.
Salmonella and other bugs may not stand a change against cinnamon.
Science shows cinnamon can help defend against common types of bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli, and even the ever-powerful staph.
Try it next time you have an upset tummy. It may help!
9. Battle Yeast Infections
It’s not just bacteria. Cinnamon has shown it can fend off microbes that create yeast infections (candida albicans).
It’s unclear how you’d treat this externally – maybe consult a great Ayurvedic or Naturopathic doctor, first – but if consuming it helps, go for it.
10. Support PCOS
A particular study had women with PCOS take ½ teaspoon of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks. These women began to have regular periods again, and found some relief. Due to its support of healthy inflammation, it may help with other symptoms of this challenging condition. More research is expected.
11. Help Lower Blood Sugar
Finally, and this is the best one…
Cinnamon can help lower blood sugar.
This may be why cinnamon began to be added to sweet treats way back when… to help curb the sugar crash!
A review of several studies, totalling 543 patients, found “significant decrease” in the fasting blood sugar levels of those taking 120mg to as much as 6g over a timeframe from as little as 4 weeks, up to 18 weeks.
This same review also found significant improvements in other conditions and levels associated with diabetes.
Why is that the best benefit?
Because as we noted in our NB earlier this week…
In 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the number of people with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980 and is now the #1 cause of death, worldwide.
The CDC reported 84.1 million people in the United States are pre-diabetic; having the precursors to developing this type of diabetes fully, unless changes in diet and lifestyle are made.
That’s 34% of the population on the borderline of getting this deadly disease.
Worse… Experts estimate that around 7.2 million Americans are undiagnosed — walking around as type 2, and unaware of the fact.
The great news is there are wonderful people out there looking to do something about it!
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- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767714
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: “Cinnamon.”
- Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: “Cinnamon extract lowers glucose, insulin and cholesterol in people with elevated serum glucose.”
- Nutrition Journal: “The glycaemic outcomes of Cinnamon, a review of the experimental evidence and clinical trials.”
- Journal of Medicinal Food: “Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis.”
- Annals of Family Medicine: “Cinnamon Use in Type 2 Diabetes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: “Cassia Cinnamon.”
- Metabolism: “Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cell-autonomous thermogenesis and metabolic reprogramming.”
- Ancient Science of Life: “The In vitro anti-acne activity of two unani drugs.”
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: “Cinnamon extract promotes type I collagen biosynthesis via activation of IGF-I signaling in human dermal fibroblasts.”
- Carcinogenesis: “Novel angiogenesis inhibitory activity in cinnamon extract blocks VEGFR2 kinase and downstream signaling.”
- Biochemical Pharmacology: “Antitumor effect of the cinnamaldehyde derivative CB403 through the arrest of cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase.”
- International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering: “Cytotoxic Effect of trans-Cinnamaldehyde from Cinnamomum osmophloeum Leaves on Human Cancer Cell Lines.”
- Nutrition: “Effect of short-term administration of cinnamon on blood pressure in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.”
- Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease: “Cinnamon extract inhibits tau aggregation associated with Alzheimer’s disease in vitro.”
- National Institute on Aging: “What Happens to the Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease?”
- Nutritional Neuroscience: “Effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract on scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats.”
- European Journal of Nutrition: “Determination of anti-inflammatory activities of standardised preparations of plant- and mushroom-based foods.”
- Frontiers in Immunology: “Age and Age-Related Diseases: Role of Inflammation Triggers and Cytokines.”
- Food & Function: “Anti-inflammatory activity of cinnamon (C. zeylanicum and C. cassia) extracts – identification of E-cinnamaldehyde and o-methoxy cinnamaldehyde as the most potent bioactive compounds.”
- Diabetes Care: “Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes.”
- Nutrients: “Antibacterial Effects of Cinnamon: From Farm to Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries.”
- Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine: “Mechanisms, clinically curative effects, and antifungal activities of cinnamon oil and pogostemon oil complex against three species of Candida.”
- Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research: “Antifungal Activity of Cinnamon Oil and Olive Oil against Candida Spp. Isolated from Blood Stream Infections.”
- Mayo Clinic: “Yeast infection (vaginal).”
- American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology: “Preliminary evidence that cinnamon improves menstrual cyclicity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.”
- https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics/statistics-report.html
