Cinnamon... Cinna-YUM

Updated: Oct 10, 2018

Today, cinnamon is one of the most popular spices used in cooking and baking. But did you know, its not just good for flavor?

Here are some nutritional benefits to our favorite spice:

► it’s an antioxidant

► it's an anti-inflammatory

► cinnamon can help control blood sugar levels

► cinnamon has an antimicrobial effect

► many more benefits…

Cinnamon as an antioxidant

In a study that examined 26 different spices, cinnamon showed the highest antioxidant activity. So what does this mean for you? Antioxidants provide protection against free-radicals in the body. This helps your body in the aging process, can help your body fight inflammation, and even lower your risk for certain cancers. In short, antioxidants protect your cells from damage (and that’s a good thing)!

Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties

Inflammation is the source of so many different disease (diabetes, arthritis, & cardiovascular disease to name a few). It should come as no surprise, cinnamon can help combat inflammation! Cinnamon has various compounds (mainly found in the extracts and essential oils of cinnamon) that trigger and anti-inflammatory response.

Cinnamon can help with diabetes

Quick lesson: diabetics lack either any insulin or enough insulin to carry blood sugars into the cell, therefore, they have high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can lead to an array of other issues (but that’s another story). Moral of the story, anyone (diabetic or not) wants normal blood sugar readings. So what does cinnamon have to do with this?

Cinnamon as been shown to reduce blood sugar levels by decreasing insulin resistance. Interestingly, in another study, cinnamon lowered blood sugar more when eaten with carbohydrates (carbs).

It's important to note that results are inconclusive, so we cannot determine that cinnamon directly causes blood sugar to lower. But it doesn't hurt...

Cinnamon can fight bacteria

When tested on bacteria and fungus, cinnamon was shown to be an effective natural disinfecting agent. The powerful essential oil (cinnamaldehyde) from cinnamon is responsible for this antimicrobial effect.