Health benefits of cinnamon

Cinnamon, also called Daruchini in Bangla, has a number of beneficial effects for human health. It is thought to have many medicinal benefits and used frequently in herbal medicine. According to several studies, cinnamon may curb blood sugar by lowering insulin resistance and fight diabetes. Adding a little cinnamon every day to your diet can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation. One research finds that cinnamon acts the same way our own insulin does. Less than half a teaspoon of cinnamon consumption daily can reduce blood sugar levels, says the research report.
Cinnamon has other health benefits as well. It is rich in antioxidant agents and can help fight heart disease, dementia and cancer. Not only does it lower blood sugar, but also reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels. There is some evidence to suggest that cinnamon can help in treating conditions like Alzheimer's disease. From research, it has been found that people with Type-2 diabetes who ate one gram (a quarter-teaspoon) to three grams of cinnamon daily reduced their:
(a) Sugar level by as much as 29 per cent
(b) Triglycerides by 30 per cent
(c) LDL cholesterol by 27 per cent, and
(d) Total cholesterol by 26 per cent
A group of Dutch scientists reported that the participants who consumed three grams of cinnamon per day (less than a teaspoon) could lower their fasting blood sugar level by three times more than those who did not. Therefore, health-conscious people should have a serious thought of having a teaspoonful of cinnamon every day to quickly bring their blood sugar to the desired level.

Md Ashraf Hossain,
120, Middle Bashabo, Dhaka-1214,
mah120cb@yahoo.com