Health benefits of cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice derived from the inner bark of the cassia tree. Some studies have also shown that it has health benefits.

The spice which is called in Hausa language can be incorporated into food through use in stews, meat dishes, and veggies. It can also be used in fruit dishes, yoghurt, breads, pie crusts, oat meals , coffee and chocolates among others.

A dietician at Cleveland Clinic, Anna Taylor cinnamon helps people with diabetes respond to insulin. She said the spice is high in fiber and calcium which is good for colon health, and that the essential oil has been shown to have antibacterial properties.

“The natural sweetness means you can cut the amount of sugar in some recipes,” she said.

According to MedicalNewsToday some studies have also shown cinnamon’s benefits for fungal infections, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, wounds, and multiple sclerosis and reducing fat levels.

Cinnamon oil may help treat some types of fungal infections, such as Candida, according to results of a lab study, published in 2016. Animal studies have suggested that cinnamon may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Also a study of extracts of Indian medicinal plants found that cinnamon may help protect against HIV.

“Of the 69 extracts tested in a lab, Cinnamomum cassia, or cinnamon bark, and Cardiospermum helicacabum, the cinnamon shoot and fruit, were most effective in reducing HIV activity,” said MedicalNewsToday.

This does not mean that foods containing cinnamon can treat or prevent HIV, but cinnamon extracts could one day be useful as part of a therapy.

Cinnamon has been tested for activity against multiple sclerosis (MS).The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is supporting more research into how cinnamon may be effective in treating MS.

MedicalNewsToday reported that in 2011, researchers concluded that diets rich in “antioxidant spices,” including cinnamon, may help reduce the body’s negative response to eating high-fat meals,. Six people consumed dishes containing 14 g of a spice blend. Blood tests showed that antioxidant activity increased by 13 percent and insulin response fell by 20 percent.

Also research published in the journal ACS Nano suggests that scientists have found a way to package antimicrobial compounds from peppermint and cinnamon in tiny capsules that can both kill biofilms and actively promote healing.

In this way, peppermint and cinnamon could become part of a medicine for treating infected wounds.

However, some experts warn that cinnamon should be used in moderation as over-use could have side effects.