Cinnamon
This ingredient can be found in: Pop A Purple
Cinnamon from the bark of the cassia tree (an evergreen tree native to Asia) exerts a variety of biological effects, including antioxidant effects. Consumption of cinnamon taken as a supplement results in lower blood pressure and reduced blood glucose. These effects reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both growing public health concerns. Cinnamon has been found to reduce blood glucose levels by slowing the rate of stomach emptying and by making the body’s tissues more sensitive to insulin. In addition, cinnamon improved body composition by increasing lean body mass and decreasing body fat.
Risk of cardiovascular disease increases considerably with diabetes. Cinnamon supplements can improve triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, with greater improvement seen when cinnamon was taken daily long-term.
In addition, cinnamon has potent antimicrobial properties. It’s been shown to be effective against Mycobacterium avium, which may play a role in the development of diabetes and gastrointestinal disease. It is also effective against food-borne pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enteric.
Herbs have been used medicinally since ancient times until synthetic drugs were developed. Because they contain bioactive compounds, they are still used as ingredients in convention prescription drugs. In fact, cinnamon has one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of all culinary herbs.
References
- Dragland S, Senoo H, Wake K, Holte K, Blomhoff R. Several culinary and medicinal herbs are important sources of dietary antioxidants. J Nutr. 2003 May;133(5):1286-90. View Source
- Hlebowicz J, Darwiche G, Björgell O, Almér LO. Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1552-6. View Source
- Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8. View Source
- Wong SY, Grant IR, Friedman M, Elliott CT, Situ C. Antibacterial activities of naturally occurring compounds against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Oct;74(19):5986-90. Epub 2008 Aug 1. View Source
- Ziegenfuss TN, Hofheins JE, Mendel RW, et al. Effects of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on body composition and features of the metabolic syndrome in pre-diabetic men and women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006 Dec 28;3:45-53. View Source




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