Ceylon Cinnamon Blood Sugar Benefits
& IT’S TOXIC TWIN: CASSIA
March 19, 2019
By: Marina Schroeder
Have you heard the many benefits of cinnamon? One of my favorite benefits it has for women’s health is it’s connection with blood sugar. It may help lower blood sugar (AKA increasing insulin sensitivity).
WHAT IS CINNAMON?
“Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum.” Hitting you with that good ol’ Wiki definition because, yeah, there is no need to reinvent the wheel here.
CEYLON CINNAMON
Ceylon cinnamon, AKA “true cinnamon”, comes from the Cinnamomum verum tree.
Just think of Cey-Cey (pronounced “see-see”) as your new BFF. She is a tan-brown color, has a delicate/subtle flavor, and high in antioxidants. Even though she is highly desirable, she is less common and a lot more expensive compared with her toxic twin, Cassia.
About 50-60% of her essential oil is cinnamaldehyde, which explains her more delicate and subtle flavor. Also, this is significantly lower in comparison to her toxic twin, Cassia.
Okay, so who is this Cassia bark?
CASSIA CINNAMON
Cassia cinnamon comes from the Cinnamomum aromaticum tree. Cassia is a dark brown-red color with thicker and rougher sticks than good ol’ Cey-Cey. Cassia is lower quality and super cheap (most commonly consumed and found in the grocery stores).
About 95% of her essential oil is cinnamaldehyde, which explains her bold and strong flavor.
Here’s the toxic part: Cassia contains “substantial amounts of a coumarin”, which has been shown to damage the liver in large amounts.
OMG say what?!
COUMARIN AND CINNAMON
Take a breath it will all be okay! Typically, cinnamon is generally safe with minimal risk of side effects when consumed in moderation.
And let me be clear: Cey-Cey does still contain coumarin but only trace amounts. The European Food Safety Authority has concluded to maintain the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for coumarin at 0.1 mg coumarin/kg.
This was also a part of their summary:
“Considering the toxicity data on coumarin, including the timing of the onset of liver effects, recovery of these effects after cessation of exposure to coumarin and the elimination half-life, the Panel concluded that exposure to coumarin resulting in an intake 3 times higher than the TDI for one to two weeks is not of safety concern.”
CONCLUSION
If you want to add cinnamon to your healthy lifestyle routine then your new BFF is Cey-Cey (Ceylon cinnamon). PS This is the organic Ceylon cinnamon I use. And, remember, I’m always an advocate to check out the label/company to confirm it’s organic and that high quality good-good! 😉
Note: If you want to learn more about the connection between blood sugar and your periods/hormones then check out my course IGNITE YOUR INNER GODDESS.
XOXO
RESOURCES
Here are some resources if you’re curious to learn more in depth.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060 (blood sugar)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16190627 (antioxidants)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924865 (health benefits)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20024932 (coumarin)
- https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2008.793 (coumarin)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23627682 (coumarin)
- https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2008.793 (European Food Safety Authority)
