You probably know cinnamon as the familiar flavor sprinkled on your apple pie, but this exotic spice has more to explore. Beyond its use in food, it’s also used as a tea and herbal supplement for conditions that affect millions of older adults, such as high cholesterol and diabetes.
For more than 4000 years, we’ve been enjoying the aromatic scent and sweet flavor of cinnamon. Ancient Egyptians used it as a perfuming agent during the embalming process, and cinnamon was even mentioned in the Old Testament as an ingredient in anointing oil.
There are actually two kinds of cinnamon. True cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka and is known as Ceylon Cinnamon. It’s mild, sweet and quite expensive. The cinnamon that’s popular in grocery stores is cassia cinnamon. It’s a less expensive spice with a stronger scent and flavour. Both have similar health benefits, since they both contain the same beneficial oil called cinnamaldehyde.
Why Cinnamon Is Good for Older Adults
1. Cassia cinnamon can help control blood sugar levels.
A study of 60 older adults with Type 2 diabetes found that taking as little as 1 gram of cinnamon a day for 40 days lowered blood sugar and improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels, compared to taking a placebo. (One gram of cinnamon is about 1/4 teaspoon ground.) Cinnamaldehyde in cassia cinnamon is one of the compounds that may help slow down glucose (sugar) entering the bloodstream, which helps people with diabetes avoid blood sugar spikes. Cinnamon also helps reduce fasting plasma glucose concentrations in people with poor blood sugar control.
It’s important to note that in these clinical studies, benefits are seen when cassia is taken in doses ranging from 120 milligrams to 6 grams per day. Most studies use high doses (1-6 grams) of cinnamon in pill or tea form. That means a little sprinkle of cinnamon on your oatmeal will not have the same therapeutic effect that’s seen when people take in 6 grams of cinnamon (about 3 full teaspoons). While the benefits of cinnamon seem promising, herbal supplements should be treated like medicine and you should check with your doctor before taking anything.
2. Cinnamon helps lowers cholesterol levels.
In addition to blood sugar, the same 1-6 gram daily dose of cinnamon is also associated with decreased total cholesterol levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. (Again, these results are found in clinical settings using cinnamon in pill form, not with cinnamon used in cooking and baking.)
3. Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory.
Cinnamon can also counter the effects of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases; studies found reduced arthritic effects after treatment with a cinnamon bark extract.
How to Use Cinnamon
Buying
Cinnamon is created from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree in a process where strips of inner bark are dried until they curl into rolls. You can buy these rolls as cinnamon sticks, but it’s more common to get the resulting ground powder.
The more expensive Ceylon cinnamon, also known as “true cinnamon,” is usually found in gourmet specialty stores. It’s produced in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), and has a milder, sweeter flavor than popular cassia. The more common cassia cinnamon is found in grocery stores, and has a stronger smell and flavour. It comes from China and is the cinnamon you likely have in your pantry.
Storing
Store cinnamon sticks or powder in a cool, dark cupboard, away from direct heat or sunlight. Make sure the package is tightly sealed to lock in freshness. Cinnamon sticks last for up to three years, while powder tends to stay potent for about six months.
Enjoying
Cinnamon is a versatile spice because it can work equally well in sweet and savory dishes. In sweet, it marries well with fruit. Try it on poached pears, baked apples, grilled pineapple or in crumbles or pies. It’s also lovely with granola, oatmeal, and oat-based cookies.
In savory applications, it mixes well with other Indian spices like cumin, cardamom, coriander and turmeric. Cinnamon is often one of the spices used in curry powder, including the popular blend known as garam masala. Try it in curry or stew. Cinnamon is commonly used with pork, chicken, lamb, squash and carrots — perfect for autumn cooking.
In beverages, cinnamon adds a spike of flavor to hot cocoa and is an important spice in warming chai tea. To add pizzazz to your water bottle, toss in a cinnamon stick. You can also brew hot tea using cinnamon sticks.
Cinnamon and Weight Loss
Whether it’s blended with honey or apple cider vinegar, there’s no shortage of recipes for “weight loss drinks” that contain cinnamon. While one laboratory study showed that cinnamon can help increase the number of brite cells, which helps to increase energy expenditure and reduce obesity, cinnamon alone can’t be the sole plan for weight loss. The truth is that obesity is a multi-faceted disease that’s not easily cured by sipping honey-cinnamon tea.
Cinnamon and Acid Reflux Relief
Have you heard that it’s helpful to take cinnamon if you are suffering from heartburn or acid reflux? It’s often reported as a natural remedy, but a deep dive into the literature finds no clinical studies on the link between cinnamon and indigestion. A quick online search reveals as many hits for cinnamon causing heartburn as it does for cinnamon curing heartburn. Let’s put the rumor to rest — to date, there’s no clinical evidence that cinnamon quells acid reflux.
Important Safety Considerations
Reviews of people who use therapeutic cinnamon (supplements) have found that adverse reactions are infrequent and generally mild in nature. About 2-3% of the population have an allergy to spices, and cinnamon is the most common culprit. Symptoms of a cinnamon allergy include tingling, itching, hives, rashes, stomach ache, diarrhea and nausea. If you suspect a cinnamon allergy, work with an allergist who can recommend suitable diagnostic tests.
If you have liver problems, choose Ceylon cinnamon instead of cassia, which contains a liver toxin called coumarin. A high intake of coumarin from cassia can be harmful to the liver. Cassia contains approximately 1% coumarin, while Ceylon cinnamon contains 250 times less (only 0.004%). If you take cinnamon supplements or tea, look for ones made from Ceylon or true cinnamon, rather than cassia.
