5 SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS OF CINNAMON
Cinnamon is a spice commonly utilized as a condiment. We add it in different meals to add flavor and aroma to make our food delicious. Cinnamon is stemmed from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum. Researchers had identified almost 250 species of the genus cinnamon. The cinnamon bark is cultivated in the West Indies and Southeast America. It is dark brown and has a sweet aroma.
But the cinnamon does not play its role only in our kitchens. It is widely used in medicine. Active ingredients extracted from cinnamon bark are blended with other excipients to formulate a medicine.
1. Antioxidant Properties
Cinnamon has potent antioxidant properties. Its antioxidant properties are due to flavonoid compounds. According to a 2005 study, an abundance of polyphenol compounds makes it a powerful antioxidant.
Its antioxidant properties facilitate its use in food storage and many medicines. During the formation, distribution, processing, and packaging of medicine and canned foods, oxidation can occur. It helps prevent the formation of free radicals, thus making the stability of food and drugs possible.
2. Can Prevent Heart Diseases
Heart diseases are becoming more prevalent day by day among people due to lifestyle modifications. One of the major factors leading to cardiovascular disease is high cholesterol in the blood. High cholesterol block your arteries leading to stroke, heart failure, and myocardial infarction.
A review article published in the National Library of Medicine concludes that cinnamon supplementation reduces low-density cholesterols (LDC) and triglycerides. It also increases high-density cholesterols that are suitable lipids. Another study showed that intake of cinnamon in the diet could reduce the risk factors for hypertension.
3. Anti-Diabetic Properties
Research proved the influential anti-diabetic role of cinnamon. It can decrease blood glucose level up to 10-29% by two mechanisms. In patients with diabetes type 2, there is sufficient insulin. But the insulin lost sensitivity to receptors. Cinnamon intake increases insulin sensitivity. Increased insulin sensitivity leads to an increase in glucose uptake by cells.
4. Can Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers are putting their effort into discovering the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. There are drugs for the symptomatic management of Alzheimer's disease. But there is no cure to slow its progression.
According to many research pieces, cinnamon's chemicals have potential benefits in treating Alzheimer's disease. But, no sufficient data is available, and further research is needed.
5. Can Prevent Cancer
Cancer is also one of the leading causes of death. All the drugs for the treatment of cancer show some limitations. So, many herbal medicines are being studied for their anti-cancerous effects.
Cinnamon has been proved to show anti-cancer effects. It does so by altering apoptosis-related pathways. It prevents the formation of blood vessels in tumor cells, thus reduce the growth of cancer cells.
The Bottom Line
Cinnamon is a common spice used to flavor and spice up foods. It also has many health benefits. Studies have shown that cinnamon possesses many antioxidant compounds and can prevent heart diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Regular consumption of cinnamon in a daily diet can show compound health benefits.
