Medicinal research Cinnamon is used in traditional medicine, and several studies have tested chemicals extracted from cinnamon for various possible medicinal effects. In an experiment testing the effects of various plants used in traditional Indian medicine, an extract of Cinnamomum cassia had an effect on HIV-1.[41] Another study found that eugenol, a chemical found in cinnamon essential oils, and in other plants, inhibited the replication of the virus causing herpes in vitro.[42] The compound cinnzeylanine, from C. zeylanicum, also had antiviral properties in a model system using silkworm cells.[43] Two studies have shown that including cinnamon and cinnamon extract in the diet may help type 2 diabetics to control blood glucose levels. One study used C. cassia,[44] while the other study used an extract (made from Chinese Cinnamomum aromaticum, an older name for C. cassia).[45] Apart from the most common flavanol (epi)catechin and (epi)afzelechin, cinnamon proanthocyanidins contain (epi)catechingallate and (epi)gallocatechin units.[46] Furthermore, these proanthocyanidins are bioavailable and may have an effect on the target tissues.[47] However a Cochrane review study published in 2012 showed that cinnamon is not more effective than placebo in reducing glucose levels and glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (a long-term measurement of glucose control in diabetes). Authors concluded that There is insufficient evidence to support the use of cinnamon for type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.[48] Pharmacological experiments suggest that dietary cinnamon-derived cinnamic aldehyde (cinnamaldehyde) activates the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response in human epithelial colon cells and may therefore represent an experimental chemopreventive dietary factor targeting colorectal carcinogenesis.[49] Recent research documents antimelanoma activity of cinnamic aldehyde observed in cell culture and a mouse model of human melanoma.[50] A 2011 study isolated a substance (CEppt) in the cinnamon plant that inhibits development of Alzheimers disease in mice.[51] CEppt, an extract of cinnamon bark, seems to treat a mouse model of Alzheimers disease.[52] Nutritional information Ten grams (about 2.1 teaspoons) of ground cinnamon contain:[53] Energy: 103.4 kJ (24.7 kcal) Fat: 0.12 g Carbohydrates: 8.06 g (of which - fibres: 5.31 g, sugars: 0.2 g) Protein: 0.4 g
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 16:36:54 +0000
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