Cinnamon, it's not just for toast and oatmeal!

The Health Benefits of Cinnamon

You may know cinnamon as a delicious spice that is great to top off your baked apples or morning oatmeal. Did you know cinnamon has a lot of really great health benefits in addition to being a delicious spice?

Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. It has been used as an ingredient dating back to ancient Egypt and at one time was a very rare and valuable product. Lucky for us, it is now a very affordable spice and supplement.

So, what exactly is cinnamon? Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum Verum tree that is grown in Sri Lanka. It is scientifically known as Cinnamomum.

There are a total of four different kinds of cinnamon: Cinnamomum Verum (Ceylon Cinnamon), Cinnamomum Burmannii (Korintje Cinnamon), Cinnamomum Cassia (Saigon Cinnamon), and Cinnamomum Loureiroi (Royal Cinnamon).

What are some of the health benefits of cinnamon?

• It has anti-inflammatory properties – While inflammation isn't all bad, as it does help your body repair tissue damage and fight infections, it is a health concern when it becomes chronic. Cinnamon has been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory properties (Source, Source).

• It is loaded with antioxidants, such as polyphenols - Antioxidants protect your body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. In a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, outranking garlic and oregano (Source). Cinnamon is so powerful that it can be used as a natural food preservative (Source).

• It shownlowers blood sugar levels - Cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal. It does so by dampening the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract (Source, Source). Then a compound in cinnamon acts on cells by mimicking insulin (Source, Source). This greatly improves glucose uptake by your cells, though it acts much slower than insulin itself. Several human studies have confirmed the anti-diabetic effects of cinnamon, showing that it can lower fasting blood sugar levels by 10–29% (Source, Source, Source).

• It supports heart health – Cinnamon reduces levels of bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while good HDL cholesterol remains stable (Source). Cinnamon has been shown to reduce blood pressure in animal studies (Source). With these factors, cinnamon may drastically cut your risk of heart disease.

• It helps fight bacterial and fungal infections – Cinnamon has been show to inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, including Listeria and Salmonella (Source, Source). The antimicrobial effects of cinnamon may also help prevent tooth decay and reduce bad breath (Source).

Additional Therapeutic Benefits:

Alternative practitioners also attribute numerous therapeutic properties to cinnamon, especially from Ceylon cinnamon. Among the conditions cinnamon is believed to treat are (Source):

· Hypertension (high blood pressure)

· Metabolic syndrome

· Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

· Yeast infections

· Common cold

· Allergic rhinitis

Cinnamon has also been used since ancient times to treat digestive discomfort. It has proven beneficial in helping gastrointestinal problems due to its digestive, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Cinnamon can help treat the digestive imbalance. To relieve digestive discomfort, cinnamon should be consumed in the form of hot drinks like tea. The mix of cinnamon and honey is a good choice for treating digestive problems.

To learn more about cinnamon supplements such as dosage, which type to take, when to take it, and more, reach out to TheNutritionalAdvisor@gmail.com.

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