What Is Cinnamon?
Cinnamon is a spice made from certain types of trees. Extracts from the bark as well as leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of the cinnamon tree have been used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years. It’s used in cooking and baking and is added to many foods.
What Types of Cinnamon Are There?
There are four major types of cinnamon. Darker-colored cassia cinnamon is the one most commonly sold in the U.S. It’s grown in southeastern Asia. Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, is often used in other countries.
The cinnamon you buy at the store could be one of the two main types, Ceylon or cassia, or a mixture of both. Ceylon is easier to grind and has more health benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Cinnamon?
One of the most important active ingredients in cinnamon is cinnamaldehyde. It’s used in flavorings and fragrances. It may be responsible for some of cinnamon’s possible health benefits. Cinnamon does have antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties, but more research is needed to confirm these benefits before health care practitioners recommend cinnamon as a treatment.
Cinnamon contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Potassium helps counteract sodium’s effect on blood pressure and controls the heart rate. Potassium is also involved in nerve function.
Magnesium and calcium work together to maintain a healthy heartbeat. These two minerals are essential for skeletal health and play a key role in preventing the weakening of bones, a condition called osteoporosis.
Anti-inflammation
There is a lot of research, mostly in the lab or in animals, that finds that cinnamon is an effective anti-inflammatory. Researchers tested the plant chemicals found in cinnamon and discovered antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In one study, certain cinnamon compounds also targeted free radicals with promising results.
Cancer prevention
One of the key approaches to treating cancer is to stop angiogenesis — the formation of new blood vessels to feed tumors. A study showed that cinnamon can slow down or hold off angiogenesis, cell growth, and cellular signaling. This suggests that cinnamon could be a tool in preventing or treating cancer. It’s important to know that the research into cinnamon as a cancer treatment is all based on studies in the lab or in animals. There is also research that suggests that eating cinnamon may not be an effective way to gain any of its potential benefits. So, at this point, there is no evidence that merely eating or taking cinnamon can treat cancer.
Antibiotic properties
The compound cinnamaldehyde is responsible for cinnamon’s odor and flavor. This plant chemical also has proven widespread antibiotic effects. Cinnamaldehyde was tested against several bacteria and viruses, including staphylococcus, E. coli, salmonella, and candida. Researchers found that it was able to prevent these bacteria from growing.
Protection from oxidative stress
Cinnamon has a ton of antioxidants, like polyphenols, which are substances that can prevent or slow cell damage. Some of its antioxidants are so strong that cinnamon can sometimes be used as a natural food preservative.
Experts have seen that taking cinnamon supplements can boost antioxidant levels in your blood as well as lower inflammation markers.
Heart disease prevention
Cinnamon could lower your triglycerides and total cholesterol levels, which could help prevent heart disease. If you take supplements with at least 1.5 grams of cinnamon a day, it may lower your total cholesterol, LDL (or bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar — especially if you have metabolic disease.
It may also lower blood pressure if you consistently take it for more than eight weeks.
Cinnamon also might help with:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- HIV
- Tooth decay
- Allergies
- Weight loss
- Irritable bowel syndrome or other stomach or intestinal problems
But studies are limited or have only been done in cells or animals. Many of the studies don’t say what type of cinnamon was used or have other problems that make their findings uncertain.
Recommended cinnamon dosage
Getting normal amounts of cinnamon isn’t likely to have a big impact on your health, especially because most of the scientific research uses a kind of cinnamon that is not commonly found in the spice aisle of North American grocery stores. If you would like to use the most-studied type of cinnamon in your cooking, look for Ceylon cinnamon, also called “true cinnamon,” which is richer in potentially beneficial plant chemicals.
Because cinnamon is unproven as a treatment, there isn’t a set dose. Some experts suggest 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2-4 grams) of powder a day. Some studies have used about 1-6 grams of cinnamon. High doses might be toxic.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of Cinnamon?
“In lots of investigations, cinnamon has been demonstrated to be fairly safe,” says Susan Arentz, PhD, editor-in-chief of Advances in Integrative Medicine and Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine.
The most common side effects of cinnamon use are irritation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and allergic reactions. “Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree and can be quite demanding on the digestive system to metabolize [break down],” says Arentz. “So you wouldn’t want to have too much of it because it’s irritating.”
Irritation and allergies
Cinnamon usually causes no side effects. But heavy use could irritate your mouth and lips, causing sores. Some people are allergic to it. It might cause redness and irritation if you put it on your skin.
Toxicity
Eating lots of cassia cinnamon (the most commonly sold type of cinnamon) could be toxic, especially if you have liver problems. Coumarin, an ingredient in some cinnamon products, can cause liver problems, but the amount you’d get is so small that it probably won’t be a problem. Given the lack of evidence about its safety, children, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding should avoid cinnamon as a treatment.
Lower blood sugar
Cinnamon may affect your blood sugar, so if you have diabetes and take cinnamon supplements, you might need to adjust your treatment.
Interactions
If you take any medication regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using cinnamon supplements. They could affect the way antibiotics, diabetes drugs, blood thinners, heart medicines, and others work.
What Are the Nutrition Facts for Cinnamon?
Cinnamon contains almost no protein or fat and won’t play a big role in your overall nutrition. But a teaspoon of ground cinnamon does include these and trace amounts of many other vitamins and nutrients:
- About 6 calories
- About 0.1 gram of protein
- About 0.03 grams of fat
- About 2 grams of carbohydrates
- About 1 gram of fiber
- About 26 milligrams of calcium
- About 11 milligrams of potassium
- About 3 micrograms of beta-carotene
- About 8 international units (IU) of vitamin A
How to Use Cinnamon
You can usually find cinnamon powder in the baking section at most grocery stores and supermarkets. It is often available rolled in sticks or already ground into a fine powder. Ground cinnamon has many uses and adds flavor to savory dishes as well as sweet desserts.
Cinnamon stick uses
You can eat cinnamon sticks, but they're more commonly used to add flavor to drinks or dishes. Many people enjoy cinnamon sticks in warm beverages such as hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and mulled wine. You can also add them to pickling brine, fruit compotes, and many recipes for stews, sauces, and marinades, especially those from Asia and South Asia.
Cinnamon powder uses
Mix some cinnamon powder with sugar, then sprinkle it on buttered toast. It can also be a delicious topping for sweet potatoes. Or you can use it to spice up plain yogurt or your morning coffee. Simply combine 2 teaspoons of cinnamon with 1 cup of granulated sugar and keep it in a sealed container.
Try making an apple cinnamon oatmeal topping.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add apple and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add sugar and cinnamon powder and mix well. Cook for one minute more or until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the apple mixture over prepared oatmeal.
Is cinnamon water good for you?
Cinnamon water or cinnamon tea can help lower your blood sugar levels after dinner. This can help your metabolism, aid in weight loss, and prevent metabolic disease.
Cinnamon water or cinnamon tea may also lower your appetite. This can help you avoid late-night snacking and cravings.
There are many cinnamon extracts that you can buy. You can dissolve these into hot or cool water and drink it as a dietary supplement. Just like with any other supplement, make sure you ask your doctor first.
Takeaways
Cinnamon is a great addition to flavor various foods and drinks. Cinnamon contains many plant chemicals that can be good for our health. Cinnamon is generally considered safe, but it should not be eaten or taken in large amounts.
Advantages of Cinnamon FAQs
Does cinnamon help with weight loss?
There is some research suggesting that cinnamon may help lower body weight.
What does cinnamon do in the body of a man?
There is a lot of chatter on the internet suggesting that cinnamon may help with erectile dysfunction in men, and some studies have looked at possible ways it might. For instance, one study found that it may help relax the part of the penis (and clitoris) that enables blood flow to those areas, which could improve erectile dysfunction. However, there are many limitations to this kind of research, and it does not prove that cinnamon will help with erectile dysfunction in men.
Can pregnant women eat cinnamon?
Cassia cinnamon, the kind most commonly found in the grocery store, is safe to eat in normal amounts during pregnancy. Ceylon cinnamon, the kind usually connected with health benefits in scientific studies, should not be taken in large amounts during pregnancy.
