When selecting a cinnamon supplement, you want to ensure the capsules are pure Ceylon cinnamon, not Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon are two different types of cinnamon with other properties.
Cinnamomum verum, also called true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, is a more expensive and difficult to find cinnamon variety. Ceylon has a lighter, sweeter flavour than Cassia. Historically, Ceylon was more common in Europe and North America, but changing trade systems have shifted favour to Cassia cinnamon.
Ceylon cinnamon is the healthier of the two types and the more expensive. It has a milder flavor than cassia cinnamon because it contains less cinnamaldehyde, the essential oil compound that gives cinnamon its distinctive taste and flavor.
Cassia Cinnamon tastes stronger and hotter while Ceylon Cinnamon is full of lighter, brighter citreous tones. When it comes to colour, Ceylon Cinnamon is tan brown whereas Cassia Cinnamon takes some reddish dark brown.
It has been safely used in doses of 0.5-3 grams daily for up to 6 months. There isn't enough reliable information to know if Ceylon cinnamon is safe when taken in larger amounts or when used long-term.
Ceylon cinnamon is a promising treatment for people looking for alternatives to synthetic insulin therapy. To use cinnamon as an insulin stabilizer, at least 120 milligrams (mg) per day are recommended .
Ceylon cinnamon is full of antioxidants, which help your body handle free radicals and lowers your risk of health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Ceylon cinnamon is also rich in the mineral manganese.
Given the lack of evidence about its safety, children, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding should avoid cinnamon as a treatment. Lower blood sugar. Cinnamon may affect your blood sugar, so if you have diabetes and take cinnamon supplements, you might need to adjust your treatment.
The best time of day to take cinnamon supplements is generally with a meal or snack, so you're getting those potent compounds along with some food.
In the morning:
This can help with clearing up redness and breakouts, which often look worse in the mornings. ☀️Fighting infections: The immune boosting effects of Cinnamon are renowned, and many scientific studies back this up.
Cinnamon pills can be taken daily, ideally along with carbohydrate-containing meals. Because Ceylon cinnamon contains less of the compound called coumarin, which can sometimes cause adverse effects, it's considered the better type to take in supplement form.
Cinnamon can boost metabolism, since the body uses more energy to process the spice than it does for other foods. Cinnamon may have an insulin-like action in the body, which is seen in the way sugar is broken down in the body. Cinnamon can also improve body metabolism, targeting the fat deposited in the abdominal area.
CONCLUSIONS—The results of this study demonstrate that intake of 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors ...
Should you take cinnamon before or after a meal? While there is no specified best time to take cinnamon water, taking it after a meal may help reduce blood sugar spikes.
Best Ceylon
For a Ceylon cinnamon option that's delicate and mild, we recommend Simply Organic's Ground Ceylon Cinnamon. It has a mild flavor than Cassia cinnamon and it won't overwhelm others you add it to—sweet or savory.
The cinnamon extract increased serotonin and melatonin levels and decreased norepinephrine levels in the insomnia-induced group. Cinnamon extract has potential as an anti-insomnia medication through hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis improvement and brain neurotransmitter regulation in an animal model of insomnia.
It is recommended to take cinnamon supplements with a meal rather than on an empty stomach. Your daily intake of cinnamon can be consumed all at once or broken up and taken at separate meals throughout the day.
“The limit for cassia cinnamon is around 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight,” he says, which translates to about a teaspoon per day for a 130-pound individual. Anything more than that could result in liver toxicity if consumed on a regular basis.
Cinnamon may have some health benefits. However, the American Diabetes Association doesn't recommend relying on cinnamon as a way to reduce blood glucose levels. Nor do we. Results from studies have been conflicting and there is not enough evidence to prove it works.
For most people, cinnamon supplements seem to be safe, at least in small amounts for short-term use. But higher amounts used for longer periods of time may trigger side effects such as gastrointestinal problems or allergic reactions. It also may cause problems for people who have liver disease.
Yes, there are differences in cinnamon, and it is worth buying a few brands to see which one you prefer. But once you bake it in a cookie, stew it in a tagine or sprinkle it on toast, you will be unlikely to notice the difference.