Pour on the Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a much-loved warming spice that has many uses.  A warming spice means that it tends to warm the body (sort of like hot peppers) from the inside.  This is why it can be great to add to smoothies in the winter.  Your smoothie is usually cold, but the cinnamon’s heat can help counter that.

I personally love to add it to smoothies and oatmeal…but it’s also great in hot water (think cinnamon tea), on sweet potatoes or squash as well as in chia porridge just to name a few.

But cinnamon offers more than just good flavor.  There are some medicinal benefits as well that are worth looking into.

Cinnamon has the following properties:¹

• Anti-cancer
• Cardio protective
• Anti-inflammatory 
• Anti-diabetic (great for blood sugar)
• Cognitive enhancer (helpful to the brain)
• Antioxidant 
• Anti-microbial
• Helps with cholesterol imbalances

A couple of nuances to consider:

1. When using culinary foods like this for health purposes, be warned, a dash won’t likely move the needle.  The easiest way to take high doses is typically in a smoothie, protein shake or oatmeal.
2. And know that it won’t take the place of the needed lifestyle changes.  No short cuts.
3. There are lots of different varieties of cinnamon.  Their profiles are not the exact same but very similar.  Get the freshest organic cinnamon you can find.  My favorite is organic Vietnamese Cinnamon.  

That said…let’s highlight a few special uses…

Blood sugar– To use cinnamon to help balance the blood sugar, you’d need between 1-3 tsp/day.²  Yes, that’s A LOT of cinnamon!  But for sure worth adding to your program while you’re working to get things back under control.  

PMS cramps– Another one of my favorite clinical uses of cinnamon is for ladies with PMS challenges such as cramping and/or heavy bleeding.  You would need ¼-1 tsp/day.  Studies have shown this to produce significant relief for pain due to menses³.   Along these lines, cinnamon has also shown to be helpful for PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)⁴.

Cholesterol– Cinnamon can be helpful at reducing total cholesterol as well as reducing LDL (low density lipoprotein).⁵  This is likely due to it’s polyphenol content and anti-inflammatory properties.

Here’s the bottom line, if you like cinnamon and have any of the above concerns, you will likely need between ½ tsp and 2 tsp/day…and depending on the study you look at, you will need to do this for anywhere from 8 weeks to 4 months.  The risks of high dose cinnamon are super low…and so is the cost. 

If you need help, don’t wait!  You’re worth investing in.  We’d love to support you on your path to radiant health!

Call the clinic to schedule your consultation… 269-204-6525

References:

1. Kawatra P, Rajagopalan R. Cinnamon: Mystic powers of a minute ingredient. Pharmacognosy Res. 2015;7. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.157990

2. Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ. Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5). doi:10.1370/afm.1517

3. Jaafarpour M, Hatefi M, Najafi F, Khajavikhan J, Khani A. The Effect of Cinnamon on Menstrual Bleeding and Systemic Symptoms With Primary Dysmenorrhea. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015;17(4). doi:10.5812/ircmj.17(4)2015.27032

4. Dastgheib M, Barati-Boldaji R, Bahrampour N, et al. A comparison of the effects of cinnamon, ginger, and metformin consumption on metabolic health, anthropometric indices, and sexual hormone levels in women with poly cystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial. Front Nutr. 2022;9. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1071515

5. Sarmadi B, Musazadeh V, Dehghan P, Karimi E. The effect of cinnamon consumption on lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation biomarkers in adults: An umbrella meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2023;33(10). doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2023.03.010

Nothing said or implied in this post is intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease.  It does not take the place of a qualified health care practitioner and is intended for educational purposes only.