{"id":568550,"date":"2010-05-18T12:15:31","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T16:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/?p=12612"},"modified":"2010-05-18T12:15:31","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T16:15:31","slug":"smart-spice-cinnamon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/568550","title":{"rendered":"Smart Spice: Cinnamon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Cinnamon\" src=\"http:\/\/i247.photobucket.com\/albums\/gg158\/MDA2008\/MDA2009\/cinnamon.jpg\" alt=\"cinnamon\" width=\"320\" height=\"212\" \/>We mostly see them as flavorants, as the little jars of powder that line our cabinets and the bags of dried roots, barks, and leaves tucked away in drawers, designed to subtly or drastically alter the flavor profile of our &#8220;<a title=\"Smart Fuel Category\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/category\/smart-fuel\/?submit=view\" >smart fuel<\/a>&#8221; creations in the kitchen, but for most of human history, <a title=\"10 Ways to Make Your Meals Pop\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/healthy-ways-season-flavor-meal\/\" >spices<\/a> were also prized for their medicinal qualities. <a title=\"Turmeric: A Spice for Life\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/turmeric-a-spice-for-life\/\" >Turmeric<\/a> for GI disorders and inflammation. <a title=\"A Visual Guide to Peppers\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/a-visual-guide-to-peppers\/\" >Chili peppers<\/a> for pain management. Ginger for diarrhea. These aren\u2019t just exaggerated cases of \u201cfolk medicine\u201d or \u201c<a title=\"Old Wives' Tales\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/true-old-wives-tales\/\" >old wives\u2019 tales<\/a>,\u201d either. Current research has confirmed that many common spices do indeed have medicinal properties. One of the most beneficial is also the most common: cinnamon.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-12612\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to realize that there are multiple varieties of cinnamon.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There\u2019s <strong>Ceylon cinnamon, or \u201ctrue cinnamon,\u201d or cinnamomum zeylanicum<\/strong>. Ceylon cinnamon comes from the crumbly inner bark of the cinnamomum zeylanicum tree, and its flavor is sweet and delicate. It is light brown. You should be able to snap a stick of real cinnamon in half quite easily. If you\u2019ve ever had cinnamon candies, that\u2019s real Ceylon you\u2019re tasting.<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s <strong>Cassia, or cinnamomum aromaticum<\/strong>. It\u2019s usually sold as cinnamon in the United States. Recipes calling for cinnamon can use cassia instead without issue, but cassia has a harsher, more overpowering flavor with less sweetness and more brute force. It is a darker, redder brown. Cassia sticks are rather hardy.<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s also <strong>Saigon cinnamon, or cinnamomum loureiroi<\/strong>. Saigon cinnamon is the most prized member of the Cassia family. It has a full, complex flavor with even less sweetness. Saigon cinnamon is generally pretty expensive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As for the purported health benefits of cinnamon consumption, you\u2019d think that \u201ctrue cinnamon\u201d is best. I mean, it\u2019s the real stuff, right? A quick look across the web seems to confirm that suspicion, with most references you\u2019ll find on message boards and herbal medicine sites imploring you to \u201cget real Ceylon cinnamon, not that Cassia crap.\u201d <strong>But what\u2019s the reality? Does \u201ctrue\u201d necessarily indicate \u201cbetter\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, let\u2019s look at the possible benefits of cinnamon consumption, as well as the chemical component that appears to be responsible. Most researchers have focused on cinnamaldehyde, the organic compound that gives cinnamon its signature flavor. Hold on to your seat. We&#8217;re about to get a little technical.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cinnamaldehyde\u2019s benefits include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rather than merely mask a person\u2019s bad breath, cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon-flavored chewing gum actually <a title=\"Popular Chewing Gum Eliminates Bacteria That Cause Bad Breath\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2004\/04\/040401080031.htm\" >exerts an antimicrobial effect on the tongue bacteria<\/a> that cause bad breath.<\/p>\n<p>In human melanomas grafted onto mice, orally-administered cinnamaldehyde <a title=\"The Cinnamon-derived Michael Acceptor Cinnamic Aldehyde Impairs Melanoma Cell Proliferation, Invasiveness, and Tumor Growth\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2650023\/?tool=pmcentrez\" >impaired cancer cell proliferation<\/a>, invasiveness, and tumor growth.<\/p>\n<p>Cinnamaldehyde, by (derived from Cassia bark, in fact) activating a protective antioxidant effect in human epithelial colon cells, <a title=\"The Cinnamon-Derived Dietary Factor Cinnamic Aldehyde Activates the Nrf2-Dependent Antioxidant Response in Human Epithelial Colon Cells\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1420-3049\/15\/5\/3338\/\" >evinced potential chemoprevention against colon cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cinnamon oil, most of which is cinnamaldehyde, is an <a title=\"Cinnamon Oil Kills Mosquitoes\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2004\/07\/040716081706.htm\" >effective insect repellant<\/a> with the ability to specifically target and kill mosquito larvae.<\/p>\n<p>Cinnamaldehyde was <a title=\"Cinnamaldehyde--a potential antidiabetic agent\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17140783\" >shown to decrease HbA1c, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels<\/a> while increasing plasma insulin, hepatic glycogen, and HDL levels. The oral dosage used \u2013 20mg\/kg body weight \u2013 wasn\u2019t an unrealistic amount.<\/p>\n<p>Cassia <a title=\"Cassia cinnamon for the attenuation of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance resulting from sleep loss.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19627193?dopt=Citation\" >may help relieve the muscular insulin resistance<\/a> that occurs following a bad night\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Although it\u2019s \u201ccinnamon oil\u201d that kills bugs and something with \u201ccinnamon\u201d practically right there in the name itself may fight cancer, \u201cfake\u201d cinnamon actually contains more cinnamaldehyde than \u201ctrue\u201d cinnamon. <strong>That\u2019s right \u2013 Cassia oil has the most cinnamaldehyde.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In another study, researchers using both Cassia extract and Ceylon extract found that the <a title=\"Antidiabetic effect of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum in vivo and in vitro.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/sites\/entrez?db=pubmed&amp;uid=15934022&amp;cmd=showdetailview&amp;indexed=google\" >Cassia was more effective in diabetic rats observed in a glucose tolerance test<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Remember c. elegans, those plucky roundworms whose lifespan <a title=\"Signalling through RHEB-1 mediates intermittent fasting-induced longevity in C. elegans\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v457\/n7230\/full\/nature07583.html\" >increased with both intermittent fasting<\/a> and <a title=\"'Spoonful Of Sugar' Makes The Worms' Life Span Go Down\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2009\/11\/091103121605.htm\" >glucose restriction<\/a> (the glucose study\u2019s author, Cynthia Kenyon, has even adopted a low-carb diet in light of the results), and which have been <a title=\"C. elegans  as Model for the Study of High Glucose\u2013 Mediated Life Span Reduction\" href=\"http:\/\/diabetes.diabetesjournals.org\/content\/58\/11\/2450.full\" >deemed suitable models for the study of glucose restriction<\/a> in higher mammals? Cassia bark had a <a title=\"Cinnamomum cassia bark in two herbal formulas increases life span in Caenorhabditis elegans via insulin signaling and stress response pathways.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20179756?dopt=Citation\" >similar effect<\/a> on them, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>That\u2019s not to say that Ceylon doesn\u2019t have its benefits, too:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One study showed that cinnamon oil extracted from Ceylon bark <a title=\"Ameliorative effect of the cinnamon oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum upon early stage diabetic nephropathy.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19876811?dopt=Citation\" >reduced early stage diabetic nephropathy<\/a>, or kidney disease. This particular oil was high (98% by volume) in cinnamaldehyde.<\/p>\n<p>An aqueous solution of Ceylon cinnamon bark <a title=\"Cinnamon extract inhibits tau aggregation associated with Alzheimer's disease in vitro.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19433898?dopt=Citation\" >inhibited two common hallmarks of Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>: tau aggregation and filament formation. Researchers isolated an A-linked proanthocyanidin (a type of polyphenol) and determined it handled the lion\u2019s share of tau aggregation inhibition, with cinnamaldehyde possibly responsible for a fraction of it. Of the cinnamon varieties, only Ceylon carries the proanthocyanidin.<\/p>\n<p>Another Ceylon isolate, a proanthocyanidin called proanthocyanidin B1, was <a title=\"A PROANTHOCYANIDIN FROM CINNAMOMUM  ZEYLANICUM STIMULATES PHOSPHORYLATION OF  INSULIN RECEPTOR IN 3T3-L1 ADIPOCYTES \" href=\"http:\/\/eprints.utm.my\/3661\/1\/JTJun44F%5B5%5D_FADZILAH_ADIBAH.pdf\" >shown to mimic \u2013 and even surpass \u2013 the effect of insulin in certain fat tissues<\/a> (PDF). This particular proanthocyanidin only occurs in three places: Ceylon cinnamon bark, cat\u2019s claw root, and the leaf of the common grape vine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There have been mixed views on cinnamon\u2019s efficacy in diabetic patients. <\/strong>One <a title=\"The effect of cinnamon cassia powder in type 2 diabetes mellitus.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17718288\" >study<\/a> found little overall average difference between lab results in type 2 diabetic patients given either 1.5g\/d Cassia powder or placebo, although the Cassia patients enjoyed slightly larger drops in HbA1c with some experiencing more drastic reductions. The study\u2019s authors didn\u2019t find it statistically significant, but the results may suggest that certain individuals may be especially responsive to Cassia\/Ceylon. At any rate, it\u2019s worth trying, because people are not statistics, and the average\/mean isn\u2019t everything. Some people improved markedly, even though statistical analysis showed little difference. Any benefits in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, another <a title=\"Changes in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity following 2 weeks of daily cinnamon ingestion in healthy humans.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19159947?dopt=Citation\" >study<\/a> noted, are also short-lived, making steady intake necessary for lasting effects.<\/p>\n<p>Note that Cassia contains significant amounts of coumarin, which humans metabolize to 7-hydroxycoumarin, a toxin moderately damaging to the liver and kidneys. Rodents metabolize it to 3,4-coumarin epoxide, a highly toxic compound, making coumarin a common ingredient in rodenticides. A teaspoon of Cassia cinnamon powder contains 5.8 to 12.1 mg of coumarin and, according to the European Food Safety Authority, the tolerable daily intake for humans is 0.1mg\/kg body weight, meaning a daily teaspoon might exceed the limit for smaller individuals. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has <a title=\"High daily intakes of cinnamon: Health risk cannot be ruled out\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bfr.bund.de\/cm\/245\/high_daily_intakes_of_cinnamon_health_risk_cannot_be_ruled_out.pdf\" >gone on record in cautioning against high daily intakes of coumarin<\/a> (PDF).<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the end and for all their differences, Ceylon and Cassia are actually pretty similar<\/strong> (similar enough to pass for each other, for one!). They both have potent pharmacological benefits, and they\u2019re both delicious in curries, <a title=\"The Wonderful World of Coconut Products\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/the-wonderful-world-of-coconut-products\/\" >coconut milk<\/a>, <a title=\"Caffeine Talk\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/coffee-tea-caffeine-talk\/\" >coffee<\/a>, and \u2013 my personal favorite when I eat them \u2013 on sweet potatoes or yams. If it\u2019s cinnamaldehyde you\u2019re after, the general rule is that <a title=\"Influence of composition upon the variety of tastes in Cinnamomi cortex.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19291358?dopt=Citation\" >the sweeter the cinnamon, the more concentrated the cinnamaldehyde<\/a> (although ultra-concentrated doses grow more pungent). There are valid concerns with the amount of coumarin in Cassia, making daily usage of therapeutic doses questionable. Ceylon contains negligible amounts of coumarin, but its blood glucose benefits don\u2019t seem to be as potent as Cassia\u2019s. In my opinion, <strong>using both while never straying too far over 1 teaspoon of Cassia per day (larger individuals can go higher) is a good, safe bet.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One possible way to avoid coumarin and still eat Cassia is to make hot <a title=\"Dear Mark: To Tea or Not To Tea?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/to-tea-or-not-to-tea\/\" >tea<\/a>. From what I could gather online, coumarin is fat-soluble only, meaning steeping Cassia in hot water, broth (fat skimmed), or tea could extract the beneficial compounds and leave out the coumarin. Just strain the solids and drink. It may also be that traditional usage of cinnamon utilized the whole bark form, rather than the powder. Folks may not have been actually consuming the cinnamon solids, but it\u2019s difficult to know. I assume steeping a big piece of Cassia in a pot of curry or other fatty stew would extract plenty of coumarin, provided it\u2019s indeed fat-soluble. Either way, it\u2019s not going to kill you unless you\u2019re consuming heaps and heaps of Cassia powder. I suppose if you\u2019re really worried about it, you could try one of the commercial cinnamon water-extractions on the market, but I\u2019m usually a fan of food-based \u201csupplementation\u201d as long as the supplement in question exists in appreciable amounts in whole food \u2013 which they certainly do in this case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ah, what to use, how to extract it, and how much to consume? \u2013 the eternal question facing us students of health and optimal nutrition. Just eat, steep, grind, or cook with it, and you\u2019ll be fine.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><em><em>Get <a title=\"Mark's Daily Apple Feeds\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/..\/feeds\/\" >Free Health   Tips, Recipes and Workouts<\/a> Delivered to Your Inbox<\/em><\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Related posts:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href='http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/turmeric-a-spice-for-life\/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Turmeric: A Spice for Life'>Turmeric: A Spice for Life<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href='http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/coconut-oil-health-benefits\/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Smart Fuel: Coconut Oil'>Smart Fuel: Coconut Oil<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href='http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/dark-leafy-greens\/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Smart Fuel: Dark, Leafy Greens'>Smart Fuel: Dark, Leafy Greens<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/MarksDailyApple\/~4\/OvZUmVnGJj8\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We mostly see them as flavorants, as the little jars of powder that line our cabinets and the bags of dried roots, barks, and leaves tucked away in drawers, designed to subtly or drastically alter the flavor profile of our &#8220;smart fuel&#8221; creations in the kitchen, but for most of human history, spices were also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-568550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568550\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}