Laboratory, animal and limited human studies suggest compounds in cinnamon may influence memory, inflammation and processes involved in neurodegenerative disease, though researchers say larger clinical trials are needed before the spice can be considered a treatment for cognitive decline.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Cinnamon has long been valued as a culinary spice, but researchers are increasingly examining whether some of its naturally occurring compounds could also influence brain function, memory and biological processes associated with neurological disease.
A systematic review of cinnamon and cognitive function examined 40 studies involving the spice or several of its components, including cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid and eugenol. Most of the research involved animals or laboratory experiments, while only two studies examined people.
The review found generally favorable results involving learning and memory in preclinical research, while laboratory experiments suggested cinnamon compounds could reduce aggregation of tau and amyloid-beta proteins, both of which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The authors nevertheless emphasized that the clinical evidence remains thin. One of the two human studies included in the review produced positive results, while the other found no change in cognitive function.
That distinction is important because biological effects observed in cells or laboratory animals do not necessarily occur in people consuming cinnamon as part of a normal diet.
One of the more notable human findings came from a 2016 study involving 93 adults ages 60 and older with untreated prediabetes in Taiwan.
Researchers were not conducting a randomized cinnamon trial. Instead, they examined participants’ diets and compared cognitive performance among people who reported regularly consuming cinnamon with those who did not.
The group included 47 men and 46 women, with participants generally in their early 70s.
Researchers found that cinnamon users recorded an average working-memory score of 2.9, compared with 2.5 among nonusers. The association remained statistically significant after the investigators adjusted for several factors, including age, sex, education, body fat and broader cognitive performance.
“Cinnamon usage is associated with a better WM, not accounted for by dietary quality or IR, in untreated prediabetes,” the researchers concluded.
Because the research was cross-sectional, however, it could not establish that cinnamon caused the difference.
Participants were not randomly assigned to consume cinnamon, researchers did not control the amount or duration of cinnamon intake, and the study measured dietary habits and cognition at approximately the same point in time.
Cinnamon users also differed from nonusers in other ways. For example, they reported using ginger more frequently, illustrating the difficulty of separating one dietary habit from an individual’s overall lifestyle.
The finding therefore provides evidence of an association rather than proof that regularly eating cinnamon improves memory.
Scientists have several reasons for continuing to investigate the possibility.
Cinnamon contains compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in experimental research. Oxidative stress occurs when reactive molecules overwhelm the body’s ability to neutralize them, potentially damaging proteins, lipids and DNA. Chronic oxidative stress and inflammation have both been studied extensively in relation to aging and neurodegenerative disorders.
Cinnamaldehyde, one of cinnamon’s major aromatic compounds, and cinnamic acid have demonstrated effects on oxidative and inflammatory pathways in laboratory experiments.
The 2023 systematic review found that many animal studies reported improvements in learning or memory after animals were given cinnamon or isolated cinnamon compounds.
Researchers have also investigated possible effects on proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
Abnormal accumulations of tau protein can form neurofibrillary tangles inside brain cells, while amyloid-beta can accumulate between neurons. Both are characteristic pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.
In-vitro experiments reviewed by researchers found evidence that cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde could interfere with tau aggregation and amyloid-beta while improving the survival of cells exposed to certain forms of neurological stress.
Those results do not demonstrate that sprinkling cinnamon on food prevents Alzheimer’s disease. Laboratory experiments often use concentrations and preparations that differ substantially from what a person would encounter through an ordinary diet.
Research involving Parkinson’s disease is similarly preliminary.
Animal studies have suggested that cinnamon-related compounds may reduce inflammation, oxidative damage, loss of certain neurons and motor impairments in experimental models of Parkinson’s disease. Those results have generated scientific interest but have not established cinnamon as a treatment for people with Parkinson’s.
Traumatic brain injury has also been investigated in animal models, with some experiments suggesting cinnamon can influence inflammatory and oxidative pathways following injury.
The overall pattern has led researchers to describe cinnamon as a potential source of neuroprotective compounds rather than an established therapy for neurological disease.
Federal health authorities remain considerably more cautious about claims for cinnamon.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says current research does not clearly support using cinnamon to treat any health condition. The agency notes that studies are often difficult to interpret because researchers may use different species of cinnamon, different plant parts and different preparations.
Those differences are particularly relevant because not all cinnamon sold commercially is chemically identical.
Ceylon cinnamon, or Cinnamomum verum, is sometimes called “true cinnamon” and is grown primarily in Sri Lanka.
Cassia cinnamon refers to several related species and is the type most commonly sold in North America.
One of the most significant differences involves coumarin, a naturally occurring plant compound.
Research examining coumarin levels in cinnamon found only trace amounts in Ceylon cinnamon but substantially higher concentrations in several cassia varieties.
Coumarin can cause liver toxicity in susceptible individuals when consumed at sufficiently high levels over time. For that reason, the type of cinnamon becomes more important when someone consumes large quantities regularly or takes concentrated supplements.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says cinnamon is generally considered safe in the amounts ordinarily used to flavor food. Larger quantities or prolonged use may cause gastrointestinal problems or allergic reactions.
People with liver disease may need particular caution with prolonged cassia cinnamon consumption because of its coumarin content. Ceylon cinnamon generally contains much less.
Cinnamon also should not automatically be described as a natural blood thinner equivalent to prescription anticoagulants. Coumarin is chemically related to compounds used in some anticoagulant drugs, but consuming ordinary culinary cinnamon is not the same as taking warfarin or another prescription medication.
People taking medications should nevertheless discuss heavy cinnamon consumption or supplements with a healthcare professional because botanical products can interact with drugs and individual products vary substantially in composition.
Pregnancy presents another area where dosage matters. Culinary amounts are generally considered different from large supplemental doses, for which substantially less safety information is available.
Researchers also have not established a specific daily amount of cinnamon required to improve cognition.
Recommendations such as consuming one-half teaspoon each day should therefore be viewed as dietary suggestions rather than scientifically established doses for memory protection. No clinical consensus currently identifies a quantity, variety or duration of cinnamon intake that prevents Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or age-related cognitive decline.
Supplement labels create another complication.
The National Institutes of Health lists numerous cinnamon ingredients used in dietary supplements, including Ceylon, cassia, Saigon cinnamon and products that simply identify their ingredient as “cinnamon.”
That variation means two products marketed under the same general name may contain considerably different concentrations of coumarin and other bioactive compounds.
For people who enjoy cinnamon as food, the developing science does offer another reason to study a spice already widely incorporated into diets.
It can be added to oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, coffee and other foods without the sugars commonly found in cinnamon-flavored desserts. Using it that way also avoids assuming that concentrated supplements provide benefits that have not yet been demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials.
The most compelling evidence currently comes from laboratory and animal research showing that cinnamon compounds can interact with biological mechanisms relevant to cognition and neurodegeneration.
Human evidence is much more limited.
The study of 93 older adults with prediabetes found an association between regular cinnamon use and stronger working-memory performance, but it was observational and did not demonstrate cause and effect. The broader systematic review similarly found promising preclinical evidence while identifying only two clinical studies.
That leaves cinnamon in a familiar position for nutritional research: biologically interesting, inexpensive and generally safe in normal food quantities, but not yet proven to prevent or treat neurological disease.
Researchers say the next step is larger, randomized human trials capable of identifying the type and amount of cinnamon being consumed, measuring intake over time and determining whether any apparent cognitive benefits persist when compared with a placebo or control group.
Source: Natural News
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