Diet gun

Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices and is used in both cooking and confectionery.

Almost every part of the cinnamon tree (root, leaves, bark, flowers and fruits) has medicinal properties.

It contains essential oils and resinous derivatives such as cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid.

Cinnamon is known to have many benefits for our body as it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic properties and has beneficial effects on neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cardiovascular diseases.

Antioxidant action

The flavonoids contained in cinnamon are a powerful antioxidant that neutralize free radicals, protecting cells from oxidative stress, strengthening blood vessels and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Anti-inflammatory action

Hydroxycinnamaldehyde, present in cinnamon bark, inhibits the production of nitric oxide, which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammation.

Its anti-inflammatory action is associated with the prevention of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and arthritis.

Antimicrobial action

The cinnamaldehyde contained in cinnamon has antimicrobial action against several infections by microbes such as candida, listeria and salmonella, and helps to limit their spread. It contributes to the prevention of caries by limiting the microbes that create dental plaque.

Anticancer action

The procyanidins contained in cinnamon are an important flavonoid that can prevent angiogenesis or the overgrowth of blood vessels associated with cancer.

Antidiabetic effect

The polyphenols present in cinnamon act as insulin-like molecules and cinnamon has been shown to increase the entry of glucose into cells.

Cinnamon also has an inhibitory effect on enzymes involved in the catabolism of carbohydrates.

Neurological disorders

Cinnamon has been shown to have beneficial effects on neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease by protecting dopaminergic neurons, and has an inhibitory effect on the tau protein that accumulates in neurons and forms filaments, which are characteristic features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cardiovascular diseases

The components cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid contained in cinnamon act against myocardial ischemia.

They also have an inhibitory effect against the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, which are involved in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

Cassia (Chinese cinnamon) and Side Effects

Cassia or Chinese cinnamon, a species used in processed foods due to its intense flavor and low cost, contains large amounts of coumarin (it is toxic to the liver) compared to other types of cinnamon and it is recommended that its consumption should be avoided, especially by children or people with liver problems or chronic diseases.

Cassia contains from 7 to 18 milligrams of coumarin per teaspoon (about 2.6 grams), while e.g. Ceylon cinnamon contains traces.

The maximum permissible dosage of coumarin is 0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight, that is, 6.5 mg per day for a person weighing 65 kg, so they should consume much less than 1 teaspoon to be safe, and this is because coumarin is also contained in other foods in very small quantities such as tea, chamomile, strawberries, apricots, cherries, celery, mint, carrots, in spices, beverages and bakery products (as a flavor additive and to enhance the taste of the product).