Check out these amazing reasons to eat more cinnamon!
Cinnamon is, without a doubt, one of the healthiest spices in your spice cabinet! It’s not only delicious, but it’s a highly versatile spice that can be added into a wide range of dishes and meals. The list of cinnamon health benefits is long, but here are a few of our fave reasons to sprinkle some on:
- Gives antioxidants — Cinnamon contains a lot of antioxidants, specifically polyphenols. It contains more antioxidants than oregano and garlic, two foods known for their high antioxidant content. The antioxidants in cinnamon act like a natural preservative, and any food that contains the spice will stay good for longer.
- Reduces inflammation –– Cinnamon is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. If you are suffering from inflammation in your joints, your organs, your muscles, or anywhere in your body, eating cinnamon can help to treat the swelling. It can be a useful remedy for autoimmune disorders, and it can lower your risk of disease (a problem for those with chronic inflammation).
- Boosts insulin sensitivity –– When you consume too much sugar, your body produces more insulin as a means of regulating sugar levels. But over time, your body stops receiving the insulin signals, and it develops a resistance to insulin. This can lead to diabetes and other metabolic problems. Thankfully, cinnamon helps your body to receive insulin’s signals more easily, helping to control sugar levels without insulin resistance.
- Improves heart health –– Cinnamon is EXCELLENT for the health of your heart! A small dose of cinnamon (just 120 mg per day) is enough to boost your good HDL cholesterol, as well as lower your bad LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon can help to reduce blood pressure, thereby reducing your risk of heart disease.
- Prevents diabetes –– Cinnamon helps to reduce your risk of diabetes by increasing your body’s sensitivity to insulin, but it also reduces the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal. This means that your body has a much lesser chance of high blood glucose levels, so it’s less likely to develop a resistance to insulin.
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- Improves glucose uptake –– Glucose is turned into glycogen, which is then sent off to the various cells in your body to be used as energy. There is a compound in cinnamon that mimics insulin, which helps your cells to absorb and store the glycogen. It can help to return your blood sugar levels to normal by ensuring that your body uses up the glycogen properly. One of the best cinnamon health benefits, don’t you think?
- Protects against cancer –– While the studies into the cinnamon health benefits against cancer have been limited to animals only, the evidence is fascinating! Cinnamon has proven to reduce cancer cell growth, as well as the development of blood vessels in the tumors. It even acts like a poison to kill off cancer cells.
- Enhances brain function –– If you’re worried about Alzheimer’s later in your life, start eating cinnamon now! Cinnamon can stop a protein called “tau” from building up in your brain, reducing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. It can also protect neurons and normalize levels of neurotransmitters to protect your brain against Parkinson’s.
- Fights HIV –– Cassia cinnamon may be able to help fight the HIV virus, and cinnamon is considered the most effective of medicinal plants for HIV treatments.
- Attacks invaders — Worried about germs and bacteria? Eat cinnamon, and the cinnamaldehyde it contains will attack the bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens. It can even stop Listeria and Salmonella from setting in!
