That pinch of cinnamon you add to your desserts or coffee could be silently helping your heart health without your even knowing it. Research now confirms that cinnamon is a great spice to include in your healthcare regimen, especially if you want to work on cardiovascular health.
1. Offers Antioxidants
According to the American Heart Association, getting in more antioxidants through your diet can help with cardiovascular health. They also suggest these antioxidants should come from your food rather than supplements, due to the possible side effects of taking pills.1
Cinnamon contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that can do your body a world of good. They counter oxidative stress, are anti-inflammatory, and lower the risk of a range of ailments including heart disease.2
2. Lowers Blood Pressure
Cinnamon intake can also lower your blood pressure.3 The cinnamaldehyde in the spice causes dilation of your blood vessels (vasodilatation), which in turn eases high blood pressure.
Multiple animal studies have found cinnamon can expand vascular smooth muscle. Researchers suggest that cinnamon can help pre-empt hypertension in anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes due to this effect.4
3. Lowers Cholesterol And Triglycerides
Keeping track of your lipid profile is important if you need to stay heart healthy. All parameters, whether it is your triglycerides or your cholesterol, must be kept in check. Too much of the bad LDL cholesterol building up in your arteries is a recipe for heart disease. And cinnamon helps you prevent that.
Researchers found that regular intake of cinnamon over 12 weeks brought down total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol levels in test subjects.5
If you have hyperlipidemia, a condition that causes you to have excessive levels of cholesterol, fats, and triglycerides in your blood, cinnamon intake can offset some of the damage.
An aqueous extract of cinnamon was used in one animal study to battle hyperlipidemia successfully. Lipid metabolism improved while insulin resistance came down in test subjects.6
4. Lowers Risk Of Heart Problems In Diabetics
For people with type 2 diabetes, having cinnamon every day can help lower triglycerides, the bad LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels – all risk factors for developing heart disease. This is in addition to lowering blood glucose levels. This combination makes cinnamon invaluable to diabetics who are already at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than a normal healthy individual.
One study found that as much as 6 gm of the spice taken daily can bring on these effects, reducing risk due to these parameters.7
5. Fights Heart Issues Related To Inflammation And Obesity
If you have a weight issue linked to a metabolic disorder or problems like insulin sensitivity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, or diabetes, cinnamon can help by tackling inflammation linked to obesity. By easing the burden of excess weight, you take some pressure off your cardiovascular system.8
Cinnamon can even help prevent metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance in the first place.9 According to one report, 1 to 6 gm of the spice taken daily can lower your mean fasting serum glucose levels significantly in around 40 days.10
All in all, there are plenty of reasons to turn to cinnamon as your spice of choice. So open up that bottle and enjoy the heady aroma of cinnamon in your food and drink!
References
