You probably didn’t even know cinnamon was good for you! It turns out that cinnamon has some surprising potential health benefits.
#1: Preliminary results from studies have indicated that cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. Cinnamon has been found to be effective in fighting vaginal yeast infections, oral yeast infections, stomach ulcers and head lice. (Source)
#2: Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties. (Source) Many of us eat lots of fried, fatty and processed foods, and these foods cause inflammation of our internal tissues and organs, and this inflammation has been linked to one of the most life-threatening diseases of our time – heart disease. Andrew Weil, M.D. writes on the topic of anti-inflammatory diets as a means of reducing our chances of suffering heart attacks, strokes and heart disease. This is from his book Natural Health, Natural Medicine:
“A growing consensus among cardiologists pinpoints abnormal inflammation in artery walls as a root cause of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.”
So, cinnamon could be a potential ally in our fight to decrease inflammation
#3: Cinnamon may actually help people with Type 2 diabetes control blood sugar levels, and may significantly lower LDL “bad” cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides (fatty acids in the blood). A now almost famous study, was conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2003 that showed that 60 people in Pakistan who had Type 2 diabetes, who ate 1 gram of cinnamon each day over a period of 40 days, experienced a significant decrease in their blood sugar levels, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides.
Dr. Frank Sacks, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health warned in a Boston Globe article that people with cholesterol problems should not substitute cinnamon for their prescription cholesterol medications, but also noted (in this Boston Globe article) the unusual potency and efficacy that cinnamon seemed to display in the USDA study:
“But it’s also ‘a little weird,’ he said, that the USDA study found that the beneficial effects of cinnamon lasted for at least 20 days after people stopped taking it. ‘I don’t know of any drug or product whose effects persist for 20 days.’”
#4: Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese, dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber can help to remove bile, which prevents damage to colon cells, which helps prevent colon cancer. Fiber also can help with the relief of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. (Source)
#5: If that’s not enough for you, doctors have performed studies that show that just smelling cinnamon improves our memory and performance of certain tasks. (Source)
Please do not …
- start eating large amounts of cinnamon every day to attempt to extract these health benefits in increasing amounts. Cinnamon is known to be toxic in large doses.
- abandon your statins and other prescription cholesterol medications in favor of cinnamon. Cinnamon is not yet proven to be as effective at lowering cholesterol levels.
- start eating a lot of fatty, calorie-dense foods just because they have cinnamon on them or in them.
Please do …
- enjoy cinnamon occasionally in small amounts and feel great doing so because you now know that something that you love to eat is also providing you more health benefits than you ever imagined!
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13 responses so far ↓
1 E3 Success Blog » Blog Archive » E-3 Carnival of Health and Wellness - November 14, 2007 // Nov 14, 2007 at 7:00 pm
[…] presents The Top 5 Health Benefits of Cinnamon posted at The Healthy Snacks […]
2 Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 24 | FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog // Nov 19, 2007 at 10:59 am
[…] presents The Top 5 Health Benefits of Cinnamon posted at The Healthy Snacks […]
3 kevin // Nov 24, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Does ‘cassia ‘ have the same healthy effects as cinnamon? I heard we get cassia, not cinnamon when we buy in spice section at grocery stores.
4 LEAH ZIMMERMAN // Nov 24, 2007 at 5:27 pm
CAN CINNAMON BE PURCHASED FROM A HEALTH FOOD STORE IN CAPSULE FORM?
THANKS.
5 Chris Davis // Nov 25, 2007 at 6:23 pm
(Refers to Comment #3)
(Also see Comments #7 and #8 below for more on Kevin’s question from Comment #3)
Dear Kevin,
Thanks for your comment and your questions were good ones. Unfortunately, they are not so easy to answer, but I think we can come to a pretty reliable conclusion. Most of the research that I have found does not distinguish the cinnamon that was used in the studies as being either “cassia” or “Ceylon cinnamon” – these are two most common forms of “cinnamon.” Because of this, it is difficult to know definitively whether cassia has the same health benefits as what everyone is calling “cinnamon.”
And, I have also found conflicting reports about whether it is cassia or Ceylon cinnamon that we buy in the spice section of the grocery store, but more accounts say that it is “cassia” that we buy in stores.
Here’s my conclusion: I would assume that when scientific journals are published saying that cinnamon was used in the studies performed, that they are referring to the cinnamon that we buy in grocery stores, and if this were not the case, if they were actually using some different form of cinnamon, or some other closely related spice in their studies, that they would have a responsibility to make that clear. So, I think we can count on the fact that what is sold in the grocery store is the same cinnamon that was used in the scientific studies mentioned above.
DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that I am not a doctor and therefore am not qualified to prescribe anything, or provide medical advice of any type to anyone. Please carefully read paragraph 6 of this site’s Terms of Use, and please consult your doctor before beginning any new medical program or supplements program.
Here are a few sites I used to research this:
(HINT: When you visit these sites, if you can’t immediately find the section that talks about cassia just use your browser’s Find function. In both Internet Explorer and Firefox use: CTRL+F.)
Food Network Site
USDA Agricultural Research Service (1)
USDA Agricultural Research Service (2)
Massachusetts General Hospital Web Site
World’s Healthiest Foods Web Site
Sincerely,
Chris Davis
6 Chris Davis // Nov 25, 2007 at 6:47 pm
(Refers to Comment #4)
Dear Leah,
Yes, I’ve found several different health food stores online that carry cinnamon in capsule form. Here are a few:
GNC
Nature’s Bounty
But, please consult your doctor before beginning any new program of taking supplements.
- Chris Davis
7 BIll Campbell // Nov 30, 2007 at 3:39 pm
From About.com:
The Pakistani study does list cinnamomum cassia as the cinnamon that was used.
I hope this helps. I didn’t have the money to buy the full text study. I presume About.com did!
the source: http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatsonthehorizon/qt/cinnamon.htm
8 Chris Davis // Nov 30, 2007 at 6:07 pm
(Refers to Comment #7)
Bill,
That’s a great find - thanks very much for posting that! Very helpful.
- - - - -
Kevin (from Comment #3),
To answer your question (better than I did) see Bill’s link above in comment #7. The article is written by Debra Manzella, R.N., who appears to be a registered nurse, and this article, and all of About.com’s Health Disease and Condition content is reviewed by a medical review board, so that sounds pretty solid to me.
Thanks again to Bill!
- Chris
9 Idetrorce // Dec 15, 2007 at 10:42 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
10 Healthy Snack Idea: Oatmeal and Bananas // Mar 14, 2008 at 1:27 pm
[…] flavors beautifully, making the experience even richer than I expected. A little cinnamon might add a nice spice to the mix as well. I even found myself slowing down as I ate because of how […]
11 Elizabeth // Mar 27, 2008 at 9:55 pm
How much cinnamon is too much? Is it okay to consume one cinnamon stick per day or is that considered to much and cause toxin build up?
12 Pat // May 30, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Try using real Cinnamon in your recipe and reduce on the sugar. You could also avoid the toxic effects of Coumarin in Cassia.
The Cinnamon that we buy in the US is actually Cassia which could be toxic.
Click this link to learn how to identify real Cinnamon from Cassia
13 George // Jun 16, 2008 at 2:13 am
Thanks Pat for the link. The Ceylon Cinnamon tastes so different from what we get in the US. I purchased the Cinnamon online and the package arrived within 4 days.
Now I know what real Cinnamon is
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