I have been reading about the health benefits of cinnamon for many years. Since cancer cells consumes 16 times the sugar of normal cells I work to keep our blood sugar as low as possible and have added cinnamon to our fruit recipes for a long time. According to this abstract scientists tested 137 patient using a double study (neither patients nor scientists knew who was given what) and found the cinnamon extract lowered blood glucose. While this is by no means definitive evidence I think adding cinnamon can’t hurt you so why not include it where it is appropriate. The most shocking thing about this article was the mention that 8% of Americans are diabetic. Clearly this problem is rampant in our society.
I sprinkle cinnamon on fruit, toss it into our smoothies and use cinnamon sticks when making Indian style rice dishes. We have yet to try cinnamon extract but I am warming up to that idea. I need to do a little more research to make certain it is safe before I buy it. When I finish that research I will let you know. But for now I will continue to use cinnamon whenever it works with the dish I am preparing.
I am really behind in my "health" reading. There may be another quick health blurb or two to follow this one.
I hope Monday is treating you as well as can be expected. Talk to you again soon.
Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm confused, if no one knew who was given what, how do they know it worked?
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteThat is not a silly question. From what I have been told the person that has the information is separate from the scientists involved in the testing as well as the patients. They do that to not bias the results. They link the data after the fact.
Alicia
Oh, that makes sense. :)
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteNot being a scientist someone had to explain it to me too. ;-)
Alicia
I am a major cinnamon user too. I even have a jar of it at my desk at work.
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any favorite ways you use cinnamon?
talk to you later,
Alicia
I knew cinnamon worked at helping blood flow, but not that it helped gluclose levels as well. I love cinnamon, but rarely use it in anything other than desserts. I will try to start incorporating it in more. Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteBrandi,
ReplyDeleteI love it when something that tastes good (like cinnamon) is also good for you. We have it every morning with breakfast. Glad you liked this post. :-)
talk to you later,
Alicia
I love cinnamon! I put it on just about *everything* I can think of and it is sooooo good. I have read about the myriad of benefits too, and it always makes me smile :-)
ReplyDeleteCourtney
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteWe love cinnamon too. It is a nice bonus that it is also good for us.
Alicia
I just use it in my oatmeal, I love it in Greek yogurt with blueberries, great in smoothies, then of course on apples. I don't use it nearly enough in savory dishes.
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing how you use cinnamon. You just reminded me of a savory dish I used to make with cinnamon. As soon as Dan is feeling a little better I will make it again so I can post it.
talk to you later,
Alicia
i'm all about the cinnamon :)! i use at least 2 tsp each morning in my oats and sprinkle it on fruit throughout the day. if it's possible to use almost lethal amounts, i could be in some trouble ;).
ReplyDeletewhat's the difference between the extract and ground versions? does ground work just as well health-benefit wise?
have a lovely day!
xox
Mandiee,
ReplyDeleteI haven't starting researching cinnamon extract in ernest yet so I can't tell you the difference. I am guessing it has a higher concentration. Currently both Dan and I have low normal blood glucose so I don't know that the extract makes sense for us. When I finish researching this I will post what I learn.
I haven't read anything that indicates you can get too much cinnamon. But I will be looking for that as I think that could be a concern with the supplements.
Thanks for sharing how you use cinnamon. :-)
talk to you later,
Alicia
Hey Alicia -- One caveat per Cinnamon that I had to discover the hard way -- it's an excellent chelating agent (takes metals out of the body), particularly of copper. I suffered from anemia which led to my hair loss and I used to use cinnamon daily in both coffee and smoothies because I knew about the blood glucose thing many years ago.
ReplyDeleteBut so many of us are minerally depleted I think that it like other things should be used in moderation and if you are at all anemic it should be avoided because in my case it help lead to a kind of pernicious Cu/Fe anemia.
As it's a tannin it also blocks iron absorbtion -- which in men is perhaps a plus. But in premenopausal women in particular use caution.
There is a lot of academic info on cinnamon's (in large amounts) amazing chelating and mineral blocking capacity that hasn't yet filtered down to the general public yet fyi. :)
Claude,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight. This is why supplements always make me a little nervous. Too much of a good thing can be bad.
How much cinnamon were you taking before you discovered a problem?
thanks again,
Alicia
Well I used to sprinkle it in my tea or coffee in the morning, which both have tannins too, and then some more in my maybe 3 times a week smoothie. But the coffee/tea I'd say 1/2 teaspoon or so a day? It's over time and cinnamon being in my blood supply pretty much constantly that this mattered as this probably did chelate much copper out of body.
ReplyDeleteBut for me the proof was in my hair mineral analysis tests -- once I discovered its chelating ability I stopped using it and pretty much (after a few months) started having amazing improvements in Cu/Fe results in my HMAT as well as improved hair growth and new growth.
Blood test labs aren't that great for detecting mineral problems and levels fyi. Because what really matters (for hair loss and other stuff) is how much of these minerals your liver stores and your liver releases & circulates into your body (especially at night).
Claude,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the heads up so I know what to expect. You were ingesting much less cinnamon than I expected. I would guess we are at the 1/2 teaspoon a day level too.
Alicia
Oh I used to have multiple cups of coffee/tea/smoothie a day and 1/2 teaspoon is the total amount, not per cup! Cuz I love the taste fyi. :)
ReplyDeleteClaude,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification. I had assumed you meant a 1/2 teaspoon per day but it is good to know for sure. ;-) It is amazing that such a small amount could have such an impact.
thanks again,
Alicia
Well I did this for many years, so it wasn't over night at all. And for some of these years at the SAD diet which didn't exactly help replenish my mineral stores. :(
ReplyDeleteOn the converse there are so many little ways like say nettle tea or blackstrap molasses to get minerals back in the body in extraordinary (read: far better than pills) ways. :)
Claude,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification. Our diet is probably higher in trace minerals than most or I would be more concerned. It is funny you would mentioned nettle tea as I just picked up some on Friday. But blackstrap molasses is something that I only use in smoothies. The taste isn't one I enjoy. :-p
thanks again for the insight,
Alicia