By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD

Cinnamon is one spice almost everyone has in their kitchen cupboard. Whether it’s used to create hot, delicious, apple cider on a cold winter day, or is added to toast with butter and brown sugar, it actually has several health properties we can all benefit from, while making our food taste (and smell) extraordinary.

Cultural uses for cinnamon

This warming spice has been in use by different populations around the world for thousands of years;  it’s been mentioned in ancient Chinese writings and is spoken of several times within the Bible. Moses wrote of cinnamon as a major ingredient in the “holy anointing oil” used to bless his people.

Different species of the cinnamon plant are native to areas in South East Asia, mainly Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Ceylon and Burma, although it’s also grown in Brazil and the Caribbean too. It’s popular smell has made it a favorite among many cultures and populations.

As a flavoring agent, cinnamon is preferred for adding spice to sweet dishes and baked goods, like apple pie and sticky buns, but it is also used to spice meats and whole grain dishes (rice), and create fragrant curries.

Health properties

Over the thousands of years cinnamon has been around, it’s been used in many different applications, such as:

• Reduces mold growth in bread products (is a fungicide)
• Can increase resistance to and help fight the common cold by battling congestion and inducing perspiration
• Reduces body temperature due to fever
• Alleviates mental stress
• Improves memory and attention
• Relieves joint pain due to arthritis
• Reduces headaches and migraines
• Can treat diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and flatulence
• And will freshen your breath when chewed (like cinnamon gum!)

Blood sugar regulation benefits

More recently, scientists have shown benefits of cinnamon for preventing and treating blood sugar abnormalities that lead to Metabolic Syndrome and diabetes. Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that highly predispose a person to more chronic diseases, and include insulin resistance, elevated glucose, dyslipidemia, inflammation, decreased antioxidant activity, obesity and increased glycation of body proteins.

In several different cell, animal and human whole body studies, cinnamon has been shown to improve these variables. It also has been shown to improve fasting blood glucose levels, lean body mass, blood pressure and gastric (stomach) emptying in people with and without type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome.

In a recent review of studies conducted between 2003 and 2008, two studies of patients with type 2 diabetes and one study of people without diabetes showed that cinnamon supplementation significantly reduced fasting blood glucose concentrations by 8-29% (the reduction was greater for those with higher fasting levels at baseline).

Doses of cinnamon used in these studies ranged from 1 gram to 6 grams.  More significant results were found with higher doses rather than lower. In three studies that did not show any significant effects, they  used lower doses but did show trends for reduced hemoglobin A1c levels (a marker of long term blood glucose balance) and morning fasting glucose measurements  – a trend tells us that the results are moving in the right direction even though statistics do not say they were significant enough.

Overall, there’s not enough solid evidence to make definite conclusions about cinnamons ability to prevent or treat diabetes, but it does show much promise and there are several ways it can potentially modify one’s risk factors for this disease.  Some of the mechanisms include:

• Delayed stomach emptying which can reduce the rate of absorption of glucose from food and prevent increases in blood triglycerides (excess  blood glucose is converted to fats within the liver)
• Flavanoid-supressed glucose absorption – the compounds in cinnamon can reduce food sugar uptake intrinsically (to an extent; it won’t work if you take in excessive amounts of sugar)
• Polyphenols in cinnamon can mimic the effects of insulin on cellular blood glucose uptake through a number of different pathways

Another factor to consider with any cinnamon dose is the molecular concentration of the active components: various polyphenols which give cinnamon its therapeutic benefits. Some studies that show little effect on blood glucose regulation could possibly be because of low active component content. Thus, higher doses are usually more effective than lower ones – likewise, higher-quality concentrated cinnamon products are also more useful.

Finally, taking cinnamon with meals has the ability to slow gastric emptying and reduce glucose absorption more than if it is taken separate from food.  Therefore, with supplements, it’s best taken when you eat, rather than on an empty stomach. Supplements may also be preferable to cinnamon added to foods due to the fact that enzymes in saliva may inactive some of the polyphenols, making it less potent.

Weight loss advantages

Through effects of slowing food glucose absorption, and enhancing the body’s ability to use glucose in metabolically active cells via direction of insulin, rather than store it away as fat, cinnamon improves body composition. The body accumulates less fat as a result of ideally-regulated blood sugar concentrations.

A handful of animal and human research has shown these effects – more studies may have also seen these results, but they were not reported as weight and body composition was not the primary outcome of interest.

However, as noted above, cinnamon given therapeutically can improve glucose use and blood concentrations, which are known to favorably influence body fat levels (causing body fat levels to decrease – which is much of the premise of lower carbohydrate and lower glycemic index diets).

Summary

In conclusion, when cinnamon is used alongside other nutritious food options, like oatmeal with whey protein, instead of sugary treats, it can actually improve our health. However, not many of us use it on (or in) enough foods or in high enough quantity to make it functional.

Thus, when delivered in supplemental form, it can ensure higher doses and active components to slow food glucose transport and absorption, improved glucose uptake and enhance insulin’s actions on cells. In Prograde’s Metabolism, you’re given a concentrated dose of quality cinnamon bark equivalent to 1 gram of whole cinnamon, which when taken twice per day, will help you achieve the beneficial results seen in research settings.

If you choose to use food-sourced cinnamon, buy a high quality brand of cinnamon sticks (correctly called quills) or powder, and keep it in an air-tight container away from light.

Some other ideas for adding cinnamon to food include: added to unsweetened coffee or tea at breakfast, sprinkled on unsweetened applesauce, whole peaches or pears, used in whey protein smoothies, or even added to your scrambled eggs in the morning or at night!

Bottom line: use cinnamon wisely in conjunction with a balanced, unprocessed eating regimen, and a smaller waistline could be yours in less time than you think.

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*end guest blog post*

As you can see, some spices like cinnamon (which most of us already have right in our kitchen), can make us healthier AND help us burn more fat over the long haul.

This was a super eye-opening article for us too!

Thanks for our friends at Prograde Nutrition for providing this unique article and doing all the research for us.

Since almost everybody already HAS cinnamon in their kitchen, make sure you share this with your friends and family so they reap the benefits as well. (Just hit the “like” button below)

We’ll be back next week to get everybody rockin on their post-summer fat loss plan.

Committed to help you burn more fat…naturally,

Shaun and Karen

If you want to put all the scientific benefits of this ancient spice to work on your body now, you’re just in time. Prograde has a special limited time 20% discount on their all-natural proven formula.

Click Here ====> Grab your Prograde Metabolism and learn how to save 25% off your order.

References

Kirkham S et al. The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2009 Dec;11(12):1100-13.

Qin B et al. Cinnamon: potential role in the prevention of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2010 May 1;4(3):685-93.
Couturier K et al. Cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity and alters the body composition in an animal model of the metabolic syndrome. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2010 May 31.
Cao H et al. Cinnamon extract regulates glucose transporter and insulin-signaling gene expression in mouse adipocytes. Phytomedicine. 2010 May 27.

Ziegenfuss T et al. Effects of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on body composition and features of the metabolic syndrome in pre-diabetic men and women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006 Dec 28;3:45-53.

Roussel A et al. Antioxidant effects of a cinnamon extract in people with impaired fasting glucose that are overweight or obese. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Feb;28(1):16-21.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufw-DTW3fck

Millions of people consume these 4 so-called “healthy” foods everyday,
but could they actually be sabotaging all your fat loss efforts?

I can bet you’re probably using 1 or more of these things on a daily basis right now if you’re trying to eat healthy.

And by using these 4 choices as condiments you’ll eliminate a ton of hidden crappy calories in your nutrition plan. This is how to turn these from foods that make you fat to foods that will help you in your journey towards a lean and toned body.

There are several reasons why the 4 food choices I talk about in today’s video can hinder your fat loss goals.

1. They yield more calories.
2. They are poor protein sources.
3. They sometimes have hidden sugars and other nasty fillers.
4. They’re easy to grab on-the-go so people always go to them in a hurry as staple when they shouldn’t.

Even though you will find all 4 of these things on the Get Lean In 12 approved food list, you should consume all of them very small amounts so they can be fat burning foods instead of fat storing foods.

(I couldn’t help but post this picture because I cracked up laughing when I saw it. I figured you’d get a giggle out of it too.)

After spending over 20 years in-the-trenches learning and applying healthy nutrition, and helping other people transform their bodies and lives for over 10 years, I discovered this is a nasty mistake that get’s in people’s way during their fat-loss journey. If you don’t follow these guidelines, these are foods that will make you fat.

I’ve seen it over and over again. Our followers, clients and students will start journaling what they eat (which we highly recommend) and sure enough they are using 1 of these 4 things as a staple.

Big mistake.

Pay close attention to today’s message because this little nasty habit can sneak up on you and next thing you know you’re doing it everyday, wondering why you’re not seeing the results you desire.

By getting a grip on the powerful little tip in today’s video you can still actually use these 4 items as fat burning foods.

Have a great day!

Shaun Hadsall

P.S. If you’re not a bootcamp member yet, here’s where you can use a totally different and unique approach to long term fat loss.
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