Some of this work shows it may curb blood sugar by lowering insulin resistance. In one study, volunteers ate from 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon for 40 days. (One gram of ground cinnamon is about half a teaspoon.) The researchers found that cinnamon cut cholesterol by about 18% and blood sugar levels by 24%.
How long does it take for cinnamon to work? Cinnamon may take around 4 to 18 weeks to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels (26).
Adding Cinnamon to Your Diet
In studies that found cinnamon had a positive effect on blood sugar levels, subjects ingested the equivalent of one teaspoon per day6—amounts small enough to easily work into a regular diet simply by sprinkling it on morning oatmeal, adding it to a chili recipe, or sipping it in tea.
In the morning:
This can help with clearing up redness and breakouts, which often look worse in the mornings. ☀️Fighting infections: The immune boosting effects of Cinnamon are renowned, and many scientific studies back this up.
Per WebMD, a daily intake of ½ to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon per day is the limit, per some experts. This equals 2 to 4 grams of cinnamon a day, with the U.S. Department of Health saying that up to 6 grams of cinnamon per day is safe (via The Whole U).
To get the health benefits of cinnamon without having to worry about the hazards of coumarin, you can sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon on your food or occasionally drink cinnamon tea.
Because cinnamon is unproven as a treatment, there isn't a set dose. Some experts suggest 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2-4 grams) of powder a day. Some studies have used between 1 gram and 6 grams of cinnamon. High doses might be toxic.
As a result, cinnamon seems to be as effective as metformin in increasing the Insulin sensitivity. In line with this study, Maleki et al. showed that HDL and insulin sensitivity were increased by the cinnamon supplementation while LDL, TG, and blood glucose were decreased in patients with PCOS (17).
This helps glucose metabolize in the liver, according to research . Ceylon cinnamon is a promising treatment for people looking for alternatives to synthetic insulin therapy. To use cinnamon as an insulin stabilizer, at least 120 milligrams (mg) per day are recommended .
Results from a clinical study published in the Diabetes Care journal in 2003 suggest that cassia cinnamon (cinnamon bark) improves blood glucose and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and may reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
An average teaspoon of cinnamon weighs about 2.6 g, which means that each teaspoon of a non-Ceylon cinnamon contains 6.9-18 mg of coumarin. At these levels, a single teaspoon per day could put many average sized adults at risk of liver damage.
Cinnamon when consumed in smaller quantities has excellent health benefits. A glass of cinnamon water daily can help you tackle weight loss, improve digestion and fight a host of diseases. It even improves heart health and helps us fight infections.
Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to a meal that is high in carbohydrates can lessen the impact this food will have on your blood sugar levels. After eating, blood sugar rises as your stomach empties, but adding cinnamon can help to slow this process down and thus lower the rise in your blood sugar levels.
Coumarin is a flavouring substance which is contained in relatively high concentrations in cinnamon varieties collectively known as "Cassia cinnamon". In especially sensitive persons, even comparatively small quantities of coumarin can cause liver damage, although the effect is usually reversible.
Cinnamon can boost metabolism, since the body uses more energy to process the spice than it does for other foods. Cinnamon may have an insulin-like action in the body, which is seen in the way sugar is broken down in the body. Cinnamon can also improve body metabolism, targeting the fat deposited in the abdominal area.
Ceylon cinnamon – this contains only trace amounts of coumarin, so can be consumed in larger amounts of up to 5g (2.5tsp) a day. Avoid taking cinnamon supplements if you are: pregnant or a child – it hasn't been proved safe.
“Cinnamon works wonders in relaxing your muscles and removing tension from your body,” says Pasricha, and might help you drift off to sleep.
What are the benefits? "Adding cinnamon to your water is not only hydrating and delicious, it can also supply an array of health benefits, such as: delivering antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties, supporting heart health, lowering cholesterol, and potentially aiding in weight loss," says Poon.
Cinnamon contains the chemical coumarin which is moderately toxic to the liver and kidney if ingested in large amounts. The cinnamon challenge can be life-threatening or fatal. In the first three months of 2012, American poison control centers received over a hundred phone calls as a result of the cinnamon challenge.
The bioactive compounds within cinnamon, such as cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate, can mitigate oxidative stress, inflammation, hyperglycemia, gut dysbiosis, and dyslipidemia, which are common complications in patients with CKD.
Turmeric, mostly at doses of 500–1000 mg per day, might help reduce pain levels and inflammation. Cinnamon, on the other hand, has been shown to help reduce blood sugar levels. Since doctors consider diabetes to be an inflammatory condition, a person could benefit from consuming both cinnamon and turmeric.
If you're substituting a cinnamon stick for ground cinnamon, a stick equals ½ a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Here's more info about this versatile spice.