Cinnamon: Spice, Stick or Trick?

Health Benefits of Cinnamon are Still Under Scrutiny

A Brief History

Cinnamon is as old as history can date back to. It was considered to be an elixir for diseases in Ancient Egypt and priced almost 15 times more than silver during the Roman Empire. Even though cinnamon is popular more as a spice, extracts from the bark of the cinnamon tree were traditionally used as medicine worldwide.

Cinnamon Cakes or Bronchitis Aids?

While there are different types of cinnamon, cassia cinnamon (native to China) and Ceylon cinnamon (native to Sri Lanka) are the most popular ones.

Certain research supports the fact that cassia cinnamon helps to lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and is also used in the preparation of essential oils. But certain other studies deny the use of cinnamon as a diabetes aid and results are inconclusive.

Although people use cinnamon as a dietary supplement to treat gastrointestinal problems, loss of appetite and diabetes, studies done in humans do not support the role of cinnamon in curing any of these health problems. These problems can be controlled with healthy diet plans and physical exercise. To get a customized diet plan for your health problem, get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com.

How Much Cinnamon Should You Eat?

As medicinal use of cinnamon is not clinically established, there are no definite doses established. While some studies recommend consuming 2-4 grams (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) of cinnamon powder daily, certain other studies recommend using between 1 and 6 grams.

Risk Factors Associated with Cinnamon Consumption

Cassia cinnamon contains a chemical called coumarin which can cause or aggravate liver disease. While normally, cassia cinnamon does not have too much coumarin to make you sick, it can worsen the problem in people with liver disease.

It is recommended to eat only small quantities of cinnamon and some people might even have allergic reactions to cinnamon. Heavy cinnamon use might cause mouth and lip sores while in some other people it might cause redness and irritation when applied to the skin.

For people on medication, it is advisable to talk to your doctor before taking cinnamon supplements regularly. Cinnamon could interact with antibodies, blood thinners, heart medicines and diabetic drugs and affect your health.