The Best Health Benefits of Cinnamon

There are more health benefits of cinnamon than you might expect. People have been consuming cinnamon for thousands of years, even since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Back in the ancient days, people reserved this substance for royalty. Today, of course, you can find plenty of cinnamon at your local grocery store.

Cinnamon is actually a type of bark from the inside of Cinnamomum trees. What many people do not know is that there are two types of cinnamon: Cassia cinnamon (which is the most commonly used type) and Ceylon cinnamon which is commonly regarded as “true” cinnamon. To get cinnamon, you need to harvest the inner bark from the tree and let it dry until it curls up.

Keep reading to learn about the health benefits of cinnamon.

Cinnamon Is Anti-Inflammatory

Inflammation is healthy in small amounts to fight off infections, but too much inflammation can cause all sorts of problems. There are many chronic diseases characterized by inflammation throughout the body, especially autoimmune diseases. Inflammation may occur for many reasons, but one common reason is due to free radicals.

Free radicals are unstable atoms that damage cells upon interacting with them. Specifically, when free radicals interact with cellular fat, also known as lipids, a reaction known as lipid peroxidation will occur. This will damage the cell and cause inflammation as a result.

Cinnamon is full of polyphenols which have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are famous for their ability to reduce inflammation and free radical damage. Of course, eating cinnamon once in a while won’t be able to make much of a difference in your health. To see any significant changes, you will want to consume cinnamon on a regular basis.

Cinnamon Improves Heart Health

Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the United States and it is one of the highest causes worldwide. It happens for a variety of reasons, but it is usually linked to genetics and poor diet. Heart problems are especially common in those who have high bad cholesterol levels.

Bad cholesterol is also known as LDL. Some scientific studies have found that those who consumed a certain amount of cinnamon every day seemed to experience decreased levels of LDL. More than that, the levels of good cholesterol, also known as HDL, remained the same.

This is important because lowering the levels of bad cholesterol can greatly improve your heart’s health, especially as you age and your heart naturally becomes weaker. In another study, cinnamon not only decreased levels of LDL but also increased levels of good cholesterol.

Cinnamon May Have Beneficial Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the slow decline of one’s mental function. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are both examples of this. They both involve the degeneration of the brain until the affected individual is unable to complete daily tasks on their own. Eventually, these diseases result in death.

Neurodegenerative diseases have no cure and treatment options are limited. Some studies have found that cinnamon may be able to help prevent the progression of these diseases. In particular, there are a couple of compounds in cinnamon that seem to be able to inhibit the tau protein in the brain.

The tau protein is the protein that builds up in the brain in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. This protein creates fibrous plaques which interfere with the ability of neurons to send information to each other. By preventing these plaques from forming in the first place, you can imagine that the procession of Alzheimer’s would be much slower.

Cinnamon also seems to regulate neurotransmitter function. This is important for other neurodegenerative diseases that involve neurotransmitter imbalances such as Parkinson’s disease.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon Final Thoughts

People have been using cinnamon for thousands of years. You can brew it into a tea, sprinkle it over a dessert, and even add it to certain meals. There are many health benefits of cinnamon due to its antioxidant properties and its ability to affect the brain and heart.

Even if you don’t like cinnamon, adding a bit into your meals certainly will do your body a lot of good.