Cinnamon: 7 Ways You Can Improve Your Health by Including Cinnamon in Your Diet

Cinnamon is a spice that is very easy to incorporate in your diet and the good news is that as little as one-third of a teaspoon taken daily can have beneficial effects on your health.

The best cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka formerly known as Ceylon and hence the name "Ceylon cinnamon" or Cinnamomum zeylanicum. However, nowadays Ceylon cinnamon is relatively hard to find. Most of the cinnamon readily available in markets today comes from a related tree called cassia (Cinnamonium cassia) which grows in China. It has the same properties of the Ceylon cinnamon which is often dubbed "true cinnamon" but it has a rougher, slightly bitter taste.

Cinnamon is obtained by cutting the young shoots of a cinnamon tree and removing the outer bark. As the inner bark dries it curls up to form 'quills' which are then folded into each other to form 'sticks' and or ground to form a powder.

The spice gets is scent and flavour from a chemical compound called cinnamaldehyde.

So what are some of the health benefits of cinnamon?

1. It reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics and can do the same for individuals who have not been diagnosed with diabetes but have blood sugar problems.

In this case, the active ingredient in cinnamon is a water-soluble polyphenol compound called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP). It behaves like insulin and works synergistically with insulin in cells.

2. It lowers blood levels of fats and 'bad' cholesterol (low density lipoproteins - LDL). The lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.

3. It is a top antioxidant food and therefore has anti-ageing properties. Antioxidants help to prevent cellular damage in the body and it is the view of many imminent scientists including Dr Richard Cutler, Director of US Anti-Ageing Research that Department that:

"The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live."

4. It is helpful in treating digestive upsets such as indigestive, general sluggishness, colic and chronic diarrhoea.

5. It is warming and drying and so is an excellent remedy for colds and poor circulation. Used on a daily basis it can help to clear up problems with cold extremities.

6. In a study at a Copenhagen University, when taken with honey, cinnamon was shown to reduce the pain of arthritis.

7. Cinnamon extracts have been used to treat cases of the yeast Candida which were proving to be resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication - fluconazole. The success of this treatment is due to the anti-microbial properties of cinnamon's essential oils.

The bad news is that it's not advisable to start eating lots of sticky, cinnamon buns. Ground cinnamon is not water soluble. If you want to supplement your diet with cinnamon it is best to do so using cinnamon capsules and it is also advisable to seek the advice of a doctor or qualified nutritionist.

Pregnant women should avoid excessive intake of cinnamon and should not take it as a supplement as it is a uterine stimulant.