Scientists found that the essential oil that offers cinnamon its specific taste and smell may help boost the rate at which the body burns fat.
The findings appeared in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.
However, experts warn that adding cinnamon to your diet will not do much for weight control. The study was mainly based on laboratory experiment involving fat tissue from rodents and obese patients who had had weight loss surgery.
Researchers added cinnamaldehyde to the tissue and saw there were some interesting interactions:
- The number of genes and proteins that boost fat metabolism and burning skyrocketed.
- The experiment adds to existing evidence that cinnamaldehyde is tied to less weight gain and normalized blood sugar levels.
However, past findings have nearly all based on mouse studies, while fat cells in those experiments were observed outside a living organism. What’s more, researchers added the spice directly on fat cells. When we ingest cinnamon, it has a long journey until it reaches our fat tissue, and not always makes it there.
Cinnamon Could Help Boost Metabolic Rate
It remains unclear how much cinnamon an adult should consume to see some visible effects.
In daily life, cinnamon is usually added or sprinkled over foods that promote weight gain, like doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and cookies. So, it is not recommended that you consume a large quantity of any of these foods to lose weight. It won’t happen.
Nevertheless, there is evidence cinnamon has some benefits for the human health and could boost the metabolism. A metanalysis revealed that eating cinnamon can lead to lower levels of bad cholesterol, total cholesterol, and glucose in people living with type 2 diabetes.
A separate study revealed that participants who regularly consumed cinnamon had a better insulin response and felt fuller longer than people not consuming it. This could certainly help with weight loss.
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