Could Cinnamon reduce brain damage and shrinkage? There is increasing evidence that Cinnamon can counteract the destructive effects of sugar on our brain. Cinnamon could be the key to all brain related ailments from Alzheimer’s to dementia and poor exams results for young students. All caused by sugar which has been shown to shrink the brain in the latest research studies. And you thought excess sugar only caused obesity, cancer, diabetes, cholesterol and a host of other ailments. And before you go rushing to buy Cinnamon, make sure it is low Coumarin Ceylon Cinnamon which won’t damage your liver, unlike Cassia Cinnamon.
BRAIN SHRINKAGE AND SUGAR
A current public television show by Dr. Perlmutter cites a direct relationship between the degree of atrophy or shrinkage of the hippocampus and blood sugar measurements. Even subtle elevations of blood sugar, far below the level where one would be labeled as being diabetic, were already associated with brain shrinkage according to the article. When you get a smaller brain you can’t think, it becomes foggy, you lose your memory skills, your reaction times slow down, you can’t solve problems or work effectively.
So what has cinnamon got to do with it you ask? Well, Cinnamon is well known to control your blood sugar levels. According to Paul David at UC Davis in this NPR story of 2013, Cinnamon has a 3-5% effect on blood sugar levels, similar to an older generation of diabetes drugs. There are many other studies listed on our web site that show Cinnamon is effective at controlling blood sugar levels. That makes it a perfect antidote to solve excess sugar in your blood stream. If you have a sweet tooth, even if you are not a diabetic, cinnamon could help to scrub all the excess in your system and keep your brain from becoming smaller.
A new study published in the October 23, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, says that those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems. They conclude “Our results indicate that even in the absence of manifest type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance, chronically higher blood glucose levels exert a negative influence on cognition, possibly mediated by structural changes in learning-relevant brain areas. Therefore, strategies aimed at lowering glucose levels even in the normal range may beneficially influence cognition in the older population .. ”
Coincidentally in this this study by Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, Director of Undergraduate Research and associate professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV. Found that Cinnamon may keep you more alert and decrease your frustration when you are behind the wheel.
It seems that it is Cinnamon’s ability to reduce sugar levels that may make the brain function so much better. Cinnamon may be keeping the brain from getting smaller. Maybe it even increases your brain size. For students cramming for their exams this could be the magic bullet. Perhaps it is time to throw out your sugary drinks especially the famous energy drink that young students seem to consume by the gallons. It may give you an energy rush, but each time you drink an energy drink it might be shrinking that brain of yours. A cup of Ceylon Cinnamon tea maybe a better solution to ace those exams. We think it’s worth a try.
AGE RELATED DEMENTIA CAUSED BY SUGAR
This article from Natural society also cites a previous study published in 2012, which also found that even slight elevations in blood glucose levels can increase your risk of age-related dementia. They conclude by saying some home remedies for high blood sugar may also be excellent for reducing blood sugar levels, while cinnamon for diabetes and blood sugar has also been used as a simple and valuable solution.
USDA RESEARCH ON BRAIN SWELLING
Researchers at the United States Department Agriculture also studied the Effect of Cinnamon Compounds on Brain Cells in this study and discovered that increased brain swelling was absent in a control group exposed to Cinnamon extract. The researchers caution that table cinnamon compounds may accumulate in the body and should not be ingested consistently as more than a spice over long periods of time. This we believe is related solely to Cassia Cinnamon which has high levels of Coumarin which causes liver damage. Ceylon Cinnamon on the other hand has ultra low levels of Coumarin and has virtually no danger from Coumarin levels.
So if you are taking Cinnamon, make sure it is Ceylon Cinnamon. Still the key is to not to over consume Cinnamon, even Ceylon Cinnamon but make it part of an overall program of a healthy diet and moderate exercise.
HOW NATURAL SODIUM BENZOTE IN CINNAMON AIDS THE BRAIN
Did you know that artificially made Sodium benzoate found in many soft drinks as a food preservative can also be found naturally in Cinnamon? This Livestrong article cites the University of Maryland in saying that Sodium benzoate, a metabolite of cinnamon, helps regulate the levels of ammonia in your blood and prevents it from becoming too high. High ammonia levels damage your brain and nervous system
This June 2013 article on psychology today says that “ the sodium benzoate produced in the body after eating cinnamon induces significant increases in the levels of a variety of chemicals in the brain called neurotrophic factors. These factors stimulate the birth of new neurons in the brain and encourage the survival of existing neurons. These two processes are critical for the maintenance of a healthy brain. During the past decade many scientific studies have discovered that these neurotrophic factors can prevent, or greatly slow the progression of, a variety of degenerative diseases of the brain, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. “
BRAIN BLOOD BARRIER
There is also increasing evidence that Cinnamon is one of few substances that can penetrate the brain blood barrier and does considerable good in repairing oxidative stress. Essentials oils in general are able to penetrate the brain blood barrier. Try some Ceylon Cinnamon Bark Oil internally. About 1-3 drops mixed in hot beverage like tea. It is well known to penetrate the blood brain barrier. Do not take too much, maybe 1 drop to start as it can drop blood sugar levels too fast.
The latest finding indicate that two compounds found in cinnamon — cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin — may be effective in fighting Alzheimer’s. According to a study by Roshni George and Donald Graves in 2013, two scientists at UC Santa Barbara, Cinnamon has been shown to prevent the development of the filamentous “tangles” found in the brain cells that characterize Alzheimer’s.The use of cinnamaldehyde, the compound responsible for the bright, sweet smell of cinnamon, has proven effective in preventing the tau knots. By protecting tau from oxidative stress, the compound, an oil (major component of Cinnamon Bark Oil), could inhibit the protein’s aggregation. To do this, cinnamaldehyde binds to two residues of an amino acid called cysteine on the tau protein. The cysteine residues are vulnerable to modifications, a factor that contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s.
SO WHAT CINNAMON MEANS FOR US ORDINARY FOLK
So there you have it. A cinnamon solution for your brain. The key here is preventing cognitive difficulties from happening in the first place. There is an old Chinese saying “The superior doctor prevents sickness; The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; The inferior doctor treats actual sickness “.
So if you are a student, instead of gulping down high sugar drinks to keep you awake, try some of fabulous Ceylon Cinnamon tea infused with Cinnamon Bark Oil. If you don’t want any caffeine (tea has a 1/4 of caffeine in coffee) boil some Ceylon Cinnamon sticks to make a fabulous tea. It could conceivably prevent your brain from shrinking,
If you are an athlete Cinnamon may help you react faster. If you are at beginning stages of things like Alzheimer’s, it could counteract some of the damage allowing you to live a more productive life. And if you are leading the life of a fast paced executive, Cinnamon could be the key to better work performance without resorting to highly caffeinated sugary drinks or worse drugs.
But we must stress not to overdo it. Never exceed the daily limit of 6g Cinnamon per day for six weeks with a period of rest after that as recommended by the US department of Health. Starting a Cinnamon habits at a young age and cutting out sugar could be the key to leading a productive and happy life free of debilitating illnesses, especially of the brain. Because to lose your brain is not to live at all.