High blood pressure, Diabetics (known as Blood Sugar), and Obesity are the most common diseases in Pakistan.
These can make a person prone to risks of heart disease and stroke.
Eating healthy and exercising regularly is considered to be the best way for keeping your blood pressure and blood sugar under control.
It has now been found that eating cinnamon may give a lot of health benefits.
Benefits of Cinnamon
Cinnamomum cassia, called Chinese cassia or Chinese cinnamon, is an evergreen tree originating in southern China, and widely cultivated there and elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia.
It is one of several species of Cinnamomum used primarily for its aromatic bark, which is used as a spice.
What is Cinnamon?
For thousands of years, this spice has been used in cooking and baking.
It has been used as an ingredient across many countries, dating back as far as Ancient Egypt.
There are two main types of cinnamon in use today – Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon.
The Ceylon cinnamon is also called the “true” cinnamon. On the other hand, the Cassia cinnamon is the more common one widely used today.
Why is cinnamon good for the body?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (2.6 grams) contains about
- 2.1 grams of Carbohydrates,
- 26 mg of Calcium
- 2 mg of Magnesium
- 2 mg of Phosphorus
- 2 mg of vitamin C
- 2 mg of vitamin A
- 2 mg of vitamin B
- 2 mg of vitamin K.
Cinnamon has been used medicinally around the world. It’s used daily in many cultures, because of its widespread benefits. In fact, it’s one of the most popular herbs and spices in terms of its antioxidant levels.
1 – Does Cinnamon help with Blood Sugar?
Cinnamon has been shown to significantly help patients with type II diabetes manage their condition.
It appears to help control and normalize the glucose levels of diabetics who have an inability to respond to insulin. The compound in cinnamon responsible for its insulin-like behavior is still up for debate.
People who are diabetic can resort to cinnamon as the spice is said to have anti-diabetic properties. Cinnamon can reduce fasting blood sugar levels.
2 – Does Cinnamon Reduce Blood Pressure?
Cinnamon the very reasonable and easily available spice can help in reducing systolic blood pressure. According to a paper published US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, eating cinnamon helped in reducing systolic blood pressure by 5.39 mm
3 – Cinnamon May Cut the Risk of Heart Disease
Cinnamon has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, the world’s most common cause of premature death.
In people with type 2 diabetes, 1 gram or about half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to have beneficial effects on blood markers.
It reduces levels of total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, while “good” HDL cholesterol remains stable.
More recently, a big review study concluded that a cinnamon dose of just 120 mg per day can have these effects. In this study, cinnamon also increased “good” HDL cholesterol levels.
In animal studies, cinnamon has been shown to reduce blood pressure.
When combined, all these factors may drastically cut your risk of heart disease.
4 – How does Cinnamon Promote weight loss?
Cinnamon acts in multiple ways to keep weight off. For one thing, it is a well-known anti-diabetic spice.
It can help lower and maintain blood sugar levels. Also, it helps improve cell sensitivity to the action of the hormone insulin, which transports glucose from the blood into the cell to be used as energy.
Cinnamon can also aid in blocking the activity of many digestive enzymes, thus slowing the absorption of sugar from the blood after eating a high-carbohydrate meal.
Aside from diabetes, cinnamon has shown promise in promoting weight loss.
Cinnamon is high in fiber. The spice can therefore help reduce food cravings by promoting a feeling of satiety and fullness. Cinnamon can boost metabolism since the body uses more energy to process the spice than it does for other foods.
Cinnamon may have an insulin-like action in the body, which is seen in the way sugar is broken down in the body. Cinnamon can also improve body metabolism, targeting the fat deposited in the abdominal area.
Cinnamon can help weight loss in many ways. For instance, research says that cinnamon supplementation can result in a significant improvement in all components of metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic comprises multiple conditions existing simultaneously, like insulin resistance, high blood pressure, increased coagulation risk, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Many of these individuals are also obese or overweight.
In another recent study, the researchers found that when mice were high-fat foods with cinnamon, they had lower weight and less belly fat than controls who weren’t given cinnamon.
It all boils down to cinnamaldehyde, the essential oils that give cinnamon its flavor. This leads to reduced food consumption and prevents weight gain. However, the experiment hasn’t been tried on humans, so the scientists aren’t sure if the same effect will be seen in humans.
5 – What is Cinnamomum cassia used for?
Some people use it for erectile dysfunction (ED), hernia, bed-wetting, joint pain, menopausal symptoms, menstrual problems, and to cause abortions.
Cassia cinnamon is also used for chest pain, kidney disorders, high blood pressure, cramps, and cancer. People apply cassia cinnamon to the skin to repel mosquitos.
What is a safe amount of cinnamon to consume daily?
Some experts suggest 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2-4 grams) of powder a day. Some studies have used between 1 gram and 6 grams of cinnamon.
High doses might be toxic. Sachet’s Dia-Go contains only 250mg of Cinnamon which is a very safe dose.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469078/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5220230/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3862724/
- https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03219411
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170506103245.htm
