As if we needed another reason to enjoy cinnamon-inspired treats around the holidays, new research suggests the sweet spice boosts metabolism in mouse and human fat cells.
In the new study, published in the journal Metabolism, researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed the effects of cinnamaldehyde, which is an essential oil that gives cinnamon its unique flavour.
The research showed that exposure to cinnamon oil encouraged the mouse and human cells to begin burning calories – a process known as thermogenesis. The oil also pushed activity of other genes, enzymes and proteins that are known to enhance fat metabolism.
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Fat cells, also called adipocytes, typically store fat as lipids. Looking at it from an evolutionary vantage point, preserved energy is supposed to be a reserve for periods of food shortage, or as a heat source during frigid weather.
But, we don’t live in a society where food & warmth are scarce, meaning that stored energy has nowhere to go, thereby adding on the pounds.
Study author Jun Wu, research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, says regularly eating cinnamon is an easy way to burn off that extra energy being stored.
Since the study only examined cinnamon’s effects on adipocytes directly, rather than the human body, there’s still much more research ahead, to determine whether cinnamon has the same effect on actual people, and what the implications of increased thermogenesis are.
A touch of cinnamon every so often probably won’t yield immediate results, or show any measurable gauges of improved metabolism. But, “we speculate that you don’t have to eat a large amount of cinnamon all at once,” she says.
“If you eat it every day, we suspect there will be a cumulative effect, and that over time you will achieve these benefits.”
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The study supports preceding research that found cinnamon offers similar metabolic benefits to the body. The spice appears to protect mice against obesity and hyperglycemia, and has been linked to reducing blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
In addition to improving the body’s metabolic process, cinnamon has various other proven benefits: it’s packed with antioxidants like polyphenols, has anti-inflammatory properties, cuts the risk of heart disease, and fights bacterial and fungal infections. There have even been animal studies suggesting cinnamon may protect the body against cancer, and the HIV virus, though this is yet to be substantially and irrefutably proven.
Wu says the research is just another piece of evidence that backs consuming more cinnamon.
“After this, I would recommend eating a little more than you do already,” she says. “If you already eat a lot of it, carry on—and if it’s not something you use regularly, it’s a great time to start.”
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