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Cinnamon & Heart Disease

May 30, 2011 | By Bonnie Vanaman
Cinnamon & Heart Disease
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More than 81 million American adults have a form of heart disease, estimates the American Heart Association. The total cost of health care services, lost productivity and medications in 2010 was $316.4 billion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One-third of heart patients choose to spend their money on complementary and alternative medicine for treatment. Cinnamon is one such alternative, both readily available and inexpensive, which shows some potential in helping fight this deadly disease.

Antioxidant Potential

Antioxidants are substances that prevent harmful oxidation in your blood cells. In oxidation, free radicals steal electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in damage to blood vessels and your heart. Many plants, including cinnamon, contain potent antioxidant properties, an effect demonstrated in a study published in 1999 in the "Indian Journal of Experimental Biology." The researchers found that rats fed both high-fat diets and cinnamon had significantly increased antioxidant enzymes.

Atherosclerosis

Scientists in Korea studied water-based extracts of ground pepper, rosemary, ginger, clove and cinnamon in vitro and also in zebra fish with high cholesterol. They found that cinnamon and clove had the strongest protection against harmful LDL cholesterol oxidation, according to "Food and Chemical Toxicology" in April 2011. Another study, published in "Diabetes Care" in 2003, found that as little as ½-tsp. cinnamon daily reduced LDL and total cholesterol. This is important because too much LDL circulating in your blood builds up in the walls of arteries that feed your heart, creating plaque and a condition called atherosclerosis that can block arteries and cause heart attacks.

Blood Clots

Blood clots that form on atherosclerotic plaque in arteries are a primary cause of heart attacks and strokes. A study published in May 1987 in the "Journal of Pharmico-bio Dynamics" found that cinnamic aldehyde extracts from one type of cinnamon were able to reduce the grouping together of platelets, blood components responsible for forming clots.

Blood Pressure

High blood pressure contributes to heart disease by making the heart work harder to pump enough blood and oxygen to meet your body's needs. Over time, this can even enlarge your heart and make it less able to maintain proper blood flow. High blood pressure also contributes to atherosclerosis. Research in the United Kingdom, published in "Diabetic Medicine" in October 2010, found that adult diabetic patients given 2 g of cinnamon daily for 12 weeks had significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to a group receiving a placebo.

Considerations

There have been few studies investigating cinnamon's effects on preventing and treating heart disease in the lab or on animals, let alone on human subjects. There are no known recommended doses for that purpose, nor have long-term side effects been tested. Cinnamon can play a healthy and tasty role in a heart-healthy diet, although it should not replace other good dietary and lifestyle habits. Also, if you have heart disease, you should not use it instead of traditional therapies.

References

Article reviewed by Chuck Goldberg Last updated on: May 30, 2011

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