The fragrant, warm taste of cinnamon is perfect for the cold wintry days approaching us. This beautiful spice with its sweet and spicy taste is used in many sweet dishes and savoury ones too.
Derived from a bark of a tree, cinnamon has several benefits for the body and the mind.
Recently a group of researchers concluded that cinnamon may lessen the risk of cardiovascular damage caused by a high fat diet.
=Q=
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a term used to describe diseases related to the heart and blood vessels including stroke, heart attack and heart disease.
Diet is important for CVD patients as a poor diet or one which is high in fat can cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol among other health problems which will increase the risk of CVD.
For this study, researchers fed rats a high fat diet supplemented with cinnamon for 12 weeks and fed the control group of rats a high fat diet without any cinnamon.
After 12 weeks, the researchers found that the rats on a cinnamon diet weighed less and had less stomach fat than the control group. The cinnamon group of rats also had healthier levels of blood sugar and insulin concentration along with better lipid profiles than the control group.
Additionally rats on a cinnamon diet had fewer molecules involved in the fat storing process but more anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules which protect the body against damage caused by oxidative stress.
Cinnamon contains a polyphenol which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which may contribute to reducing some of the risk factors associated with CVD and a high fat diet, according to the researchers.
The researchers concluded that cinnamon may help to mitigate the risks of CVD caused by a high fat diet.
Although eating healthy is the best way to enhance your health and protect your heart from CVD, adding cinnamon to your diet will spice up your life in many healthy ways including protecting your body against inflammation and oxidative stress.
Source: American Heart Association
