5 Health Benefits of Cinnamon You Need to Know

Cinnamon, the spice that is globally renown, and used in hundreds and hundreds of various recipes, is also a super spice that’s said to have lot of health benefits. Some cinnamon-related studies have been known to be associated with benefits such as helping against certain fungal infections¹, reducing blood sugar levels². In addition to that, some research suggests that spices like cinnamon, saffron, rosemary, turmeric, and ginger, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for people with Alzheimer’s disease³. And the benefits go on…

In this article, we’re going to briefly cover some of the studies, and benefits that Cinnamon has been associated with. While this is certainly not a piece to offer you precise medical advice, this article hopes to share some benefits that could perhaps help enhance your life, and the lives of those around you.

1. Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease, which some have called a “prevalent dementia in the elderly”, is an ailment that is sometimes a reason of great distress amongst family and friends.

According to an abstract dated 2021⁴, certain studies have shown that some spices like cinnamon, saffron, rosemary, turmeric and ginger, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties, “act in inhibiting the aggregation of acetylcholinesterase and amyloid” in Alzheimer’s Disease.

The same abstract, also states that although there is somewhat a lack of robust evidence on the effects of theses spices in neurodegeneration, the abstract mentions that what is suggested is that the spices have “bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions associated with neuroprotection“.

neurodegenerative disorder

“A type of disease in which cells of the central nervous system stop working or die. Neurodegenerative disorders usually get worse over time and have no cure. They may be genetic or be caused by a tumor or stroke. Neurodegenerative disorders also occur in people who drink large amounts of alcohol or are exposed to certain viruses or toxins. Examples of neurodegenerative disorders include Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.”⁵

Many people today love having Cinnamon, be it with their desserts, or in adding a touch of delicious flavoured spiciness to their other savoury dishes.

With what we understand of Alzheimer’s Disease as to what is mentioned in the abstract, Cinnamon alongside the other excellent spices are definitely a choice of flavour to have in every kitchen.

2. Blood Sugar / Diabetes

So what is the effect of Cinnamon on people with diabetes? Is it a good natural remedy? Let’s take a look.

A very reliable article published in 2009, references an animal study where lower blood glucose levels were noticed in male rats that were given an extract of cinnamon. It also mentions a human study that found “that giving cinnamon extract to type 2 diabetes significantly reduced their blood sugar levels”⁶.

Further a research paper published in 2016 concluded, that 1g of cinnamon taken daily for 12 weeks reduces fasting blood glucose, and glycosylated Hb among poorly controlled type 2 diabetes patients. The paper goes on to mention the “beneficial effect of adjuvant cinnamon as anti-diabetic and antioxidant along with conventional medications to treat poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus.”⁷

And in addition to that, one article by MedicalNewsToday states that “cinnamon is unlikely to cause blood pressure spikes or disrupt blood sugar.” And in the same article, it does also consider cinnamon as “not effective as an isolated treatment for any condition.”⁸

What we can perhaps derive is that, cinnamon does have a positive effect, and reduces blood sugar levels of those with type 2 diabetes. And thus certainly a recommended spice to have in your kitchen.

3. Heart Disease?

Healthline another publisher on the internet, after referencing some studies, summarises that cinnamon could actually improve certain risk factors for heart disease including cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.

4. So What About Cancer?

Well, in a research paper, a study appeared to support the potential use of cinnamon in cancer prevention and treatment⁹. The study looked at whether a natural, diet-based alternative to cancer treatment, like cinnamon could be effective in blocking a specific protein that helps cancer grow. The study thereby appeared to conclude it’s abstract, with the support of the potential use of cinnamon in cancer prevention and treatment.

5. Tooth Decay & Bad Breath

Bad breath, or perhaps here more specifically referred to as halitosis, affects approximately 1 in 4 people around the globe reports an article. And when it comes to tooth decay, it too is quite a very common phenomenon amongst many people. So does cinnamon help with tooth decay and bad breath?

Well, one review that focused primarily on the “antimicrobial effects of cinnamon essential oil (EO), cinnamon extracts, and pure compounds against different oral pathogens and the oral biofilm and the possible effects on soft mouth tissue“¹⁰, suggests that Cinnamon essential oil, cinnamon extracts, and pure compounds actually showed “significant antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens”.

The review concluded that cinnamon essential oil, extracts, and the main components, show significant antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens. They wrote that this “could be beneficial in caries and periodontal disease prevention, endodontics, and candidiasis treatment”, and recommended that further research should be conducted that focused on the clinical use of cinnamon essential oil-containing mouth care products.

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All things considered, when it comes to the delicious cinnamon spice, it’s immense health benefits should be enough to want to integrate this spice into one’s daily life.

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8834832/[↩]
2. https://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/fnhly-cinnamon-has-many-healing-benefits.cfm[↩]
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34279199/[↩]
4. Seibel R, Schneider RH, Gottlieb MGV. Effects of Spices (Saffron, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Turmeric and Ginger) in Alzheimer’s Disease. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2021;18(4):347-357. doi: 10.2174/1567205018666210716122034. PMID: 34279199. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34279199/[↩]
5. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/neurodegenerative-disorder[↩]
6. Cinnamon Has Many Healing Benefits – https://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/fnhly-cinnamon-has-many-healing-benefits.cfm[↩]
7. Anti-diabetic and antioxidant effect of cinnamon in poorly controlled type-2 diabetic Iraqi patients: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27104030/[↩]
8. Cinnamon, blood sugar, and diabetes – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317207[↩]
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27253180/[↩]
10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7571082/[↩]