Don’t you just love natural approaches to staying healthy? Herbs and spices are a surprisingly good source of antioxidants and other natural chemicals that offer a variety of health benefits. If you peep into your spice cabinet, you’ll discover a spice that can lower the blood sugar response you get after a meal. It’s a spice you’re probably already familiar with, one you might already sprinkle on your hot cereal in the morning – cinnamon.
You’ve probably bitten into one or two cinnamon buns in your life, but nibbling on cinnamon buns isn’t the healthiest way to get the benefits of this spice with a distinctively upbeat flavor. Cinnamon comes from the bark of evergreens trees that grow in various areas of the world, including Ceylon. Cinnamon derived from the Cinnamomum Verum tree is called “true cinnamon” or “Ceylon cinnamon” while cinnamon from the Cinnamomum genus is referred to as “cassia cinnamon.” As you’ll soon see, Ceylon cinnamon is the kind you want in your cabinet.
Blood Sugar Benefits of Cinnamon Spice
Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome are at epidemic proportions in Western countries and the risk goes up with age. With age, cells become less sensitive to insulin and it’s not uncommon for blood sugar levels to slowly rise during the second half of life, leading to health problems like type 2-diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The most important things you can do to lower your risk for these conditions is to eat a whole food diet and exercise – but adding a little cinnamon to your diet can help tame the glucose rise you get after a meal and enhance your metabolic health.
Does science support cinnamon’s blood sugar benefits? A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed adding 6 grams (a little over a teaspoon) of cinnamon to rice pudding reduced the rise in blood glucose that occurs after a meal. Other studies also support the blood sugar lowering benefits of cinnamon.
Another study published in the journal Diabetes Care showed you can get the blood sugar benefits of cinnamon consuming amounts as low a one gram of cinnamon daily (about one-fifth of a teaspoon) and the effects can be sustained over several days, meaning you don’t necessarily have to eat cinnamon every day to enjoy the benefits. How much can a pinch of cinnamon lower your blood sugar? Between 18 and 29%, based on research.
Since cinnamon reduces the blood sugar response to a meal, you might wonder whether it also helps with weight loss. So far, there hasn’t been a lot of research focused on cinnamon and weight control, but it does slow how rapidly food empties from your stomach, which may increase satiety.
Other Health Benefits of Cinnamon
Along with lowering blood sugar, cinnamon also appears to lower blood lipids, including LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides by between 7% and 30%. Cinnamon has other heart-healthy benefits as well. Consuming moderate amounts of cinnamon, less than a teaspoon a day, helps keep platelets circulating in your bloodstream from sticking together to form a clot. When these clots become large enough to rupture, they can lead to a heart attack or stroke. A little prevention is good, but it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before using cinnamon if you’re taking a blood thinner.
Here’s a surprising benefit of cinnamon. If you’re suffering from a case of diarrhea, a dose of cinnamon may help. Cinnamon is a natural source of compounds called tannins that help relieve diarrhea. This lively spice also appears to have anti-bacterial properties.
Even more compelling is cinnamon’s effects on brain function. One study found this zesty spice improves cognitive processing and alertness. Next time you’re dozing off when you should be working, add a little cinnamon to a hot cup of coffee and slowly sip it. Just last year, a study showed metabolites of cinnamon may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Cinnamon is broken down to a chemical called sodium benzoate, which protects nerve cells against damage and improves the motor symptoms of people with Parkinson’s disease experience.
One word of caution. Cassia cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin that’s linked with liver toxicity. If you consume a lot of cassia cinnamon, the most common kind you find at the supermarket, it could be toxic to your liver. Ceylon cinnamon contains only tiny amounts of coumarin and is safe to consume in larger amounts. You can buy Ceylon cinnamon at some spice stores and online.
How to Use Cinnamon
One benefit to using cinnamon is the slightly sweet flavor means you need less sugar. That’s why it’s a natural for baked goods and desserts where you’re trying to reduce the sugar content.
Other Ways to Enjoy the Health Benefits of Cinnamon
Toss a pinch into soups for more flavor
Add cinnamon to savory dishes. It’s a staple in Moroccan cooking.
Add cinnamon to your next healthy smoothie.
Spread almond butter on whole wheat toast and add a sprinkle of cinnamon
Add a pinch of cinnamon to a container of Greek yogurt
Add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon to desserts to reduce the blood sugar rise that will surely follow.
Stir a quarter teaspoon into coffee.
Use cinnamon where you would normally use brown sugar.
A sprinkle of cinnamon can liven up sweet potatoes, squash, or hot carrots.
Dip slices of fresh fruit into Ceylon cinnamon.
Add cinnamon to your next healthy smoothie.
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy cinnamon, now you have more reasons to enjoy this slightly sweet spice with a fiery kick. You only need a pinch to get the blood sugar benefits that cinnamon offers. Adding a little to your diet each day could pay off with better blood sugar and insulin regulation.
References:
World’s Healthiest Foods website.
Drugs.com. “Cinnamon”
J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Sep 7;53(18):7274-8.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.
Diabetes Care December 2003 vol. 26 no. 12 3215-3218.
Andrew Weil. “Cinnamon for Diabetes”
Proceedings from the Nutrition Society. “Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity” 30 January 2008.
Science Daily. “Cinnamon may be used to halt progression of Parkinson’s disease, study suggests”
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