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A Spoonful of Cinnamon
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
Whether as apple cinnamon or as part of the infamous pumpkin spice, it’s cinnamon season. Perhaps you’ve also heard about its effect on blood sugar? Does it really work? What else can cinnamon do? Read on!
There are two common types of cinnamon:
- Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, is less common. You’d probably have to go to a specialty spice store to find it and you’ll notice it’s more fragrant than what we usually see.
- Cassia cinnamon is the more common variety, the one we’re most familiar with. It’s less expensive and what you’ll find in your grocery store to use in baking.
The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon come from the oily part which is high in cinnamaldehyde. This compound may also be the source of cinnamon’s health benefits.
In looking at the health benefits of cinnamon, let’s start with its antioxidant properties. Cinnamon is packed with antioxidants (polyphenols). In fact, in a study comparing cinnamon to 25 other spices, cinnamon had the best antioxidant activity, even compared to “superfoods” like garlic and oregano. When we think about antioxidants and our health, we know they have anti-inflammatory properties.
