The Health Benefits of Cinnamon

The cinnamon you put in your French toast or sprinkle in your beverage at your favorite coffee shop is not only a popular spice, it was once considered as valuable as a precious metal and has medicinal properties dating back to early civilizations.

Cinnamon was used to stop bacterial growth and has long been used to cure everything from athlete’s foot to indigestion and was even used in embalming by the Egyptians. During the Middle Ages, cinnamon was mixed with cloves and warm water, and placed in the sick rooms of victims of the Bubonic Plague. Studies show that the antiseptic power of cinnamon makes it great for battling bacteria that upset the stomach, cause ulcers, urinary tract infections and the fungus associated with yeast infections. Recent research indicates that cinnamon can have favorable effects on brain function, improving memory functions and the ability to process information quickly.

The most astounding recent discovery came when USDA scientists found that apple pie with cinnamon helped lower blood glucose levels. They did further research on diabetics who were not taking insulin and found that doses of cinnamon reduced their blood sugar levels and increased their natural production of insulin as well as lowered their blood cholesterol, even 20 days after the 40 day cinnamon treatment ended. This is a wonderful discovery for more than 50 million Americans who suffer from diabetes and/or heart disease because all the patients in the study showed better glucose metabolism and natural insulin production when they took cinnamon capsules that delivered less than two teaspoons a day of the spice. Lowering blood sugar levels and improving cholesterol ratios can help reverse prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, and in fact may actually prevent the worsening of health to full diabetes and help you lose weight, particularly belly fat which is sensitive to glucose levels.

Adding cinnamon to your diet

You can start right now to get the recommended 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day using the spice in your food. The cinnamon you have in your pantry or pick up in your supermarket in either stick or ground form will work and comes from the bark of the evergreen cinnamon tree. As with any herb or spice you choose, make sure it’s fresh for the best flavor, aroma, and benefits. Open the jar in your kitchen and if the smell is strong and sweet your cinnamon is fresh. If not, throw it away. Once open, be sure to seal the container tightly and store it away from light. Enjoy cinnamon by:

• Add a cinnamon stick to flavor your favorite tea
• Add to unsweetened applesauce, cereal or oatmeal
• Sprinkle on toast or add to butter or cream cheese
• Sprinkle on coffee, cocoa, fruit juices, and ciders
• Add cinnamon to your favorite baked goods

If you want to take cinnamon as a supplement consult with your physician before beginning to use cinnamon in medicinal quantities, especially if you are already taking a diabetes medication since cinnamon may have an impact on your blood sugar.

Are you at Risk?

Are you at risk for the leading cause of death? I know I am! In fact, we’re all at risk, but we can do something about it – right now.

If not you, someone you love will be affected by one or more of the leading causes of death in our nation soon. The #1 killer is heart disease, which is preventable, even if you already have risk factors, followed by cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents and diabetes which are also preventable by taking some action. Protect yourself and the people you love right now by taking some action.

What are the Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease you can’t control?

• Increasing age: Over 83percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. Diabetes is more prevalent as we age because our bodies become more resistant to insulin.
• Male gender: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women, and they have attacks earlier in life.
• Heredity -including Race: Children of parents with heart disease, African Americans (due to greater occurrence of severe high blood pressure) and Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans (due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes) are at higher risk of heart disease.

What can you do right now to reduce the major risk factors you can control?

• Don’t smoke: Smoking and breathing second-hand smoke increase your risk of heart disease2–4 timesthat of nonsmokers and put you at greater risk for developing cancer.
• Reduce high blood cholesterol: As cholesterol rises, so does risk of heart disease. Combined with other risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking, this risk increases even more. Take medications and change your diet as recommended by your doctor.
• Tackle high blood pressure: High blood pressure increases the heart’s workload, increasing your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure. When combined with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times. Take medications and change your diet as prescribed by your doctor.
• Get physical: Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease, can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as help lower blood pressure in some people. The more vigorous the activity, the greater the benefit.
• Lose weight: Excess body fat, especially at the waist, puts you at greater risk to develop heart disease and stroke even with no other risk factors. Excess weight increases the heart’s work, raises blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. It can also increase the risk of diabetes. By losing even as few as 10pounds, you can lower your heart disease risk.
• Control your diabetes: Diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke, even when glucose (blood sugar) levels are under control, with increased risks if blood sugar is not well controlled. About 75% of people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease. If you have diabetes, work with your physician to manage it and control any other risk factors you can.

Other things you can do…

Control stress, change your lifestyle, and discuss your options with your physician. People under stress may overeat, start smoking, or drink too much. Drinking in excess can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke, contribute to high triglycerides, cancer and other diseases, and produce irregular heartbeats. It can also contribute to obesity, alcoholism, suicide and accidents. Get creative, try yoga or other exercise to keep you relaxed and help you sleep better. Talk to your doctor about a Mediterranean diet or adding cinnamon to your diet. These are great, flavorful ways to help you get the nutrients you need, enjoy the foods you love and combat diabetes and heart disease and even protect you against some forms of cancer.