Cinnamon is one of the world’s most popular spices. In fact, in the United States and Europe, cinnamon ranks No. 2 in spice usage after black pepper.
Cinnamon has been a global favorite for a long time. It was imported to Egypt as early as 2000 B.C. and was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for a deity.
Cinnamomum is an evergreen tree characterized by oval-shaped leaves, thick bark and a berry fruit. Cinnamon is made by cutting the stems of the Cinnamomum tree. The inner bark is then extracted and the woody parts removed from it. When it dries, it forms strips that curl into rolls, called cinnamon sticks. The sticks can be ground to form cinnamon powder.
The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon is due to the oily part, which is very high in a compound called cinnamaldehyde. It is this compound that is responsible for most of cinnamon’s powerful effects on health and metabolism.
There are two main types of cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and cassia, or Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum). Ceylon cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. Some people call it “true cinnamon.” Cassia cinnamon, on the other hand, originates from southern China. Cassia is cheaper than Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is very expensive, so most foods in the U.S. — including sticky buns and breads — contain the cheaper cassia cinnamon.
The flavor of cinnamon is due to an aromatic essential oil that makes up 0.5 to 1% of its composition. All in all, cinnamon constituents include some 80 aromatic compounds, including eugenol found in the oil from leaves or bark of cinnamon trees.
Like so many plants thought of as medicinal, the cinnamon tree fills the scorecard with alleged health benefits.
Heading the list are heart health benefits. Various compounds in cinnamon may improve the cardiovascular system. Cinnamaldehyde, for example, may help lower blood pressure. It’s also believed to reduce levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while HDL cholesterol remains stable. When combined, cinnamon lovers claim that all these factors may drastically cut the risk of heart disease.
Another major claim is that cinnamon has anti-diabetic effects by lowering blood sugar levels, acting in a manner similar to insulin.
Insulin is one of the key hormones that regulate metabolism and energy use.
It’s also essential for transporting blood sugar from your bloodstream to your cells. When people become resistant to the effects of insulin, this is known as insulin resistance, a hallmark of serious conditions like metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
It’s believed that cinnamon can dramatically reduce insulin resistance, helping this key hormone do its job. Additionally, compounds found in cinnamon may help to lower blood sugar levels even more by lowering insulin resistance, which in theory would increase insulin’s effectiveness.
It’s also thought that cinnamon may help slow the breakdown of carbs in your gut, preventing your blood sugar levels from spiking after meals. In other words, cinnamon may actually help regulate blood sugar levels and control sugar cravings since it can be rewarding without any of the negative consequences of sugar.
This insulin-like action in the body may also help with losing weight. Many believe cinnamon can improve body metabolism, targeting the fat deposited in the abdominal area.
There’s also the health claim that cinnamon may improve memory while helping to prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The idea is that CEppt, an extract present in cinnamon bark, contains properties that could prevent symptoms from developing and improve a person’s ability to think and reason.
There are also compounds found in cinnamon that may inhibit the buildup of a protein called tau in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. So it’s possible that cinnamon helps protect neurons, normalize neurotransmitter levels and improve motor function.
Cinnamon might also protect regulatory T cells (Tregs), which regulate immune responses. This could benefit those inflicted by multiple sclerosis (MS) because people with MS appear to have lower levels of Tregs than people without the disease.
A cinnamon treatment could also potentially restore myelin levels. MS occurs when the myelin coating on nerve cells becomes damaged.
There’s a variety of other health claims that originate from cinnamon’s reputation for being loaded with antioxidants such as polyphenols. Antioxidants protect our bodies from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Additionally, antioxidants have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
This is why cinnamon lovers believe their favorite spice can help with everything from bad breath to inhibiting the growth of certain bacteria as well as treating fungi. There’s even the hope that cinnamon could be used to treat and heal chronic wounds.
The truth of the matter is, people either don’t like the smell/taste of cinnamon or they are way too fond of it — maybe not to the point of needing to join a 12-step program, but near cinnamon addictions do exist. It can become mentally addictive in the same way as sugar since it has a sweetness to it and can stimulate the reward pathways in the brain.
Consuming moderate amounts of cinnamon as a spice or as a supplement is considered safe for most people. However, cinnamon contains coumarin. This is a natural flavoring, but it also plays a role in creating warfarin, the common blood-thinning drug.
Consuming too much coumarin can lead to liver damage and affect coagulation. Consequently, people should speak to their doctor before adding cinnamon to their diet if they have a liver condition, take anticoagulants (or other drugs) or have diabetes.
You know you’re consuming too much cinnamon if you develop mouth sores.
That’s because cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, a compound that may trigger an allergic reaction when consumed in large amounts.
In addition to mouth sores, other symptoms of a cinnamaldehyde allergy include:
– tongue or gum swelling
– a burning or itching sensation
– white patches in the mouth
A lot of people don’t realize that cinnamon is also available as a supplement. If that’s something that interests you, keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements, so it’s important to consult with your doctor before taking cinnamon or any other supplements.
Most people are familiar with cinnamon in powder or stick form – both are readily available in most grocery stores. Ground cinnamon is cinnamon bark that has been ground to a powder; cinnamon sticks consist of the same bark rolled up into quills.
You sprinkle ground cinnamon while you generally add cinnamon sticks to a liquid so that it can infuse into that liquid. In both cases, the results will be similar enough but cinnamon sticks generally offer a subtler flavor when compared to ground cinnamon.
Cinnamon sticks are most effective when you use them in applications like mulled wines, stews, and curries. Also, some methods of preparing hot chocolate call for cinnamon sticks.
You should also opt for cinnamon sticks over ground cinnamon if the dish that you are making will be cooked for a long time. This is because cinnamon in quill form releases its flavor over a longer period. Use ground cinnamon in applications like cinnamon rolls and cinnamon toast where a whole cinnamon stick would be impractical.
Cinnamon tea has also become popular the past few years. It may be purchased commercially (like green tea) or you can make it at home with cinnamon sticks. One simple but popular cinnamon tea recipe requires the placing of one Ceylon cinnamon stick in a mug. Add one cup of boiling water, cover and steep for 10 minutes. Add a black tea or herbal tea and steep for two additional minutes. Remove tea bag and cinnamon stick. Sweeten with honey if desired.
It should be mentioned, that most cinnamon experts believe there’s a big difference between Ceylon and cassia cinnamon. They say the more expensive Ceylon cinnamon has greater health benefits with a sweeter, more delicate flavor.
Unlike the ubiquitous cassia cinnamon, you will probably need to visit your health food store to find Ceylon cinnamon. It’s also available online through Amazon, etc.
A 2003 clinical trial of 60 people with type 2 diabetes showed that cinnamon improves glucose and lipids. Reported in the National Library of Medicine, results of this study demonstrated that intake of 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. The study also suggested that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases.
However, another study nine years ago that evaluated the effects of cinnamon in patients with diabetes mellitus (more commonly known as just diabetes), proved to be inconclusive. Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is vital to your health because it’s an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It’s also your brain’s main source of fuel.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, sexual dysfunction and periodontal disease. While several animal studies have shown that cinnamon may be effective in improving glycaemic control, this study concluded that these findings are not necessarily verifiable for humans.
Yet another study from 2010 suggested that cinnamon extracts may help reduce weight, therefor reducing a major risk for diabetes and heart disease. As reported in Science News, the study involving 22 obese volunteers demonstrated that water-soluble cinnamon extract improved a number of antioxidant variables by as much as 13 to 23%, and improvement in antioxidant status was correlated with decreases in fasting glucose.
Regarding dementia, researchers have specifically looked into the effects of cinnamon extracts on some of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, cinnamon bark extracts have been shown to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer’s disease in mouse and fruit fly models of the disease.
However, according to the Alzheimer’s Society United Against Dementia:
“Though some of the extracts of cinnamon may warrant investigation to try and establish new treatments, cinnamon itself is not a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.”
And:
“The levels of cinnamon a person would have to eat to replicate the results of many of the experiments that have taken place would actually be toxic. More research is needed into these chemicals but, if beneficial, they will need to be provided in a drug form rather than in cinnamon.”
There have also been encouraging but inconclusive studies done on the impact of cinnamon on Parkinson’s disease. For example, neurological scientists at Rush University Medical Center have found that using cinnamon can reverse the biomechanical, cellular, and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease.
Cinnamon is metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, which is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment for hepatic metabolic defects associated with hyperammonemia. It is also widely used as a food preservative due to its microbiocidal effect. It is known that some important proteins like Parkin and DJ-1 decrease in the brain of PD patients.
The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which then enters into the brain, stops the loss of Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.
But, mice aren’t people, so researchers have cited the need for human studies regarding cinnamon and Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers from the Rush University Medical Center also examined the effects of cinnamon on mice models of MS – with similar results to their Parkinson’s research. The findings on the mice models demonstrated that there was a very significant inhibition of clinical symptoms of MS accompanied by a reduction in disease incidence.
Cinnamon tastes good (at least, I like it). Its health claims, however, are a bit sketchy. In comparison to other medicinal plants, most health claims attributed to Cinnamomum may be barking up the wrong tree. In other words, most claims have yet to be verified empirically. It would probably help if there were more trials involving humans rather than lab rats.
That said, it appears cinnamon does have some health benefits, especially using the Ceylon variety. Sprinkling cinnamon on your food or drinking tea made with a cinnamon stick may help with symptoms in type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels. It may also promote weight loss, improve cognitive functions, reduce inflammation – even cut your risk of heart disease. The problem is that no one really knows how much cinnamon to take to reap maximum health benefits. How much is enough? How much is too much?
When cinnamon dosages are better understood, the Cinnamomum tree as a medicinal plant will become significantly more valuable.
