Cinnamon is a spice which gives foods like pumpkin pie a nice nutty flavor. It is also used in chai tea and even some savory dishes around the world. While cinnamon is used to make foods and beverages taste better, it can also provide many different health benefits. Some people even buy supplements containing cinnamon extracts. You don't need to buy supplements to attain their benefits, you can simply add cinnamon onto more of your foods.
Blood Sugar Control
One health benefit that cinnamon provides is the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, cinnamon slows down digestion and reduces the spike in blood sugar levels that carbohydrates cause. Therefore, diabetics can help maintain good blood sugar levels by adding cinnamon onto their carbohydrates like rice pudding. While the carbohydrates will still spike blood sugar levels, the effect will be reduced by cinnamon which will help decrease the effects of Type 2 diabetes.
Heart Disease Prevention
Adding cinnamon to your foods can also help to prevent heart disease, according to the journal "Diabetes Care." The journal states that 60 people with Type 2 diabetes were separated into groups and given specific doses of cinnamon supplements, such as 1 g, 3 g or 6 g daily. At the end of the 40-day study, all three of the study groups had lower triglyceride levels, lower LDL cholesterol levels and lower total cholesterol levels. Therefore, using cinnamon often or taking cinnamon supplements may help to prevent heart disease, especially in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.
Brain Health
In addition to improving the health of the body, using cinnamon can improve brain health as well. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, people who chew cinnamon gun or smell the scent of cinnamon experienced enhanced mental functions, such as greater focus and longer attention span. The scent of cinnamon can also improve memory, according to World's Healthiest Foods. Further testing is being done to determine whether or not cinnamon may improve long-term memory in the elderly population.
Anti-Microbial Agent
According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, cinnamon can act as an anti-microbial agent. The website states that cinnamon can stop the growth of both bacteria and fungus. This is helpful especially to people with the fungal overgrowth condition Candida. People with Candida can add cinnamon to their foods to help improve symptoms like yeast infections and thrust. World's Healthiest Foods states that adding cinnamon to foods can stop the growth of foodborne illnesses for up to 60 days. If you have a weakened immune system and are at risk of getting sick from foodborne illnesses, adding cinnamon to your foods may help to protect you.
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