With holiday treats tempting us at every turn, many are seeking ways to manage their weight. Apple and cinnamon, whether combined in detox waters or used separately, are often touted for their potential weight-loss benefits. This article delves into the science behind these claims, offering a balanced perspective on incorporating apple and cinnamon into a healthy lifestyle.
Apple Cinnamon Water: A Refreshing Start
Apple cinnamon water is a simple infusion of water with apple slices and cinnamon sticks. It's a refreshing, naturally sweet beverage that's easy to prepare. Simply add apple slices and a cinnamon stick to a pitcher of water, refrigerate for a few hours, and enjoy!
The Claimed Benefits: Separating Fact from Fiction
The purported benefits of apple cinnamon water stem from the individual properties of its ingredients. Apples are a good source of fiber, which can promote feelings of fullness and help manage appetite. Cinnamon, meanwhile, has been linked in some studies to a slightly increased metabolic rate, although more research is needed to fully understand this effect.
However, it's crucial to remember that neither apple nor cinnamon alone guarantees significant weight loss. While online testimonials abound, claiming dramatic weight loss from drinking apple cinnamon water, robust scientific evidence supporting these claims is currently lacking. Many online accounts are anecdotal, lacking the rigor of controlled studies.
While apples' fiber content may increase satiety and some research suggests a mild metabolic boost from cinnamon, these effects alone are unlikely to produce significant weight loss. The existing research primarily focuses on the individual benefits of apples and cinnamon, not their combined impact on weight management. Further research with larger, more controlled studies is needed to determine definitively if apple cinnamon water contributes meaningfully to weight loss.
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A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss
Rather than a magic bullet, apple cinnamon water can play a supplementary role in a comprehensive weight loss strategy. Its fiber content can contribute to feelings of fullness, potentially reducing overeating between meals. Moreover, it offers a healthy, low-calorie alternative to sugary drinks often contributing to weight gain.
However, it's crucial to remember that apple cinnamon water is just one piece of the puzzle. Sustained weight loss requires a holistic approach, including balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and mindful eating habits.
Cinnamon's Potential Role in Weight Management
The benefits of cinnamon go far beyond a warm, comforting scent and a spicy flavor. In fact, it’s thought that cinnamon, or specifically, cinnamon capsules, might help people lose weight.
Of course, there’s no such thing as a magic diet pill in supplement form. To lose weight, you’ll likely need to reduce your portion sizes and get more physical activity - but eating more cinnamon just might help you shed a few pounds.
Over the years, studies about cinnamon and weight loss have yielded mixed results. But some research shows that supplementing your diet with cinnamon pills might help you lose weight.
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According to a research review, people who supplemented with at least 3 grams (g) of cinnamon per day saw significant reductions in their body weight and body mass indexes. Those who took placebo supplements did not. Cinnamon was not linked with a significant reduction in waist circumference, though.
One potential reason why: Cinnamon contains several plant compounds that have antioxidant and anti-obesity properties, including cinnamaldehyde, polyphenols, and flavonols, according to a study.
Cinnamon can delay gastric emptying, or the time it takes for food to travel through your stomach, according to research. It’s thought that a slower gastric-emptying rate can help people feel fuller, longer, and therefore help them lose weight, according to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“Cinnamon may help slightly with weight loss,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, who wrote The Superfood Swap and lives in Chicago. “It’s definitely not a magic bullet, but adding cinnamon to meals may help you feel full longer.”
Plus, she says, cinnamon can make food and drinks more flavorful - no added sugar necessary. “Since cinnamon adds an almost-naturally sweet flavor, people can use less sugar in things like coffee, oatmeal, yogurt, and smoothies,” she says. “Feeling more full and using less sugar and fewer calories can be a small healthy addition to a total weight-loss program.”
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Incorporating Cinnamon into Your Diet
Much of the research on cinnamon and weight loss has been done with cinnamon capsules. But if you want to supplement your diet with the spice instead - something that Blatner recommends doing - you can purchase whole cinnamon sticks and fresh-ground, powdered cinnamon for cooking.
Use powdered cinnamon as part of a seasoning rub for chicken, or sprinkle it on top of almond butter on toast. Simmer cinnamon sticks in soups and stews, cook them in a rice pilaf, or brew them into a tea with apple juice and lemon slices.
Cinnamon Supplement Precautions
Cinnamon pills are sold over the counter in many health stores and pharmacies - and if taken in moderate amounts, they’re usually safe to use. Still, be sure to ask your doctor if cinnamon pills are right for you before you take them.
Some people may be allergic to cinnamon, whereas others - particularly those with liver disease - shouldn’t consume too much cassia cinnamon, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Cinnamon may interact with medications to treat cancer and with nicotine.
Types of Cinnamon and Their Benefits
Cinnamon is a spice made from certain types of trees. Extracts from the bark as well as leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of the cinnamon tree have been used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years. It’s used in cooking and baking and is added to many foods.
There are four major types of cinnamon. It’s grown in southeastern Asia. Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, is often used in other countries.
The cinnamon you buy at the store could be one of the two main types, Ceylon or cassia, or a mixture of both. Ceylon is easier to grind and has more health benefits.
One of the most important active ingredients in cinnamon is cinnamaldehyde. It’s used in flavorings and fragrances. It may be responsible for some of cinnamon’s possible health benefits. Cinnamon does have antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties, but more research is needed to confirm these benefits before health care practitioners recommend cinnamon as a treatment. Cinnamon contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Potassium helps counteract sodium’s effect on blood pressure and controls the heart rate. Potassium is also involved in nerve function.
Magnesium and calcium work together to maintain a healthy heartbeat. These two minerals are essential for skeletal health and play a key role in preventing the weakening of bones, a condition called osteoporosis.
Additional Health Benefits of Cinnamon
There is a lot of research, mostly in the lab or in animals, that finds that cinnamon is an effective anti-inflammatory. Researchers tested the plant chemicals found in cinnamon and discovered antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In one study, certain cinnamon compounds also targeted free radicals with promising results.
One of the key approaches to treating cancer is to stop angiogenesis - the formation of new blood vessels to feed tumors. A study showed that cinnamon can slow down or hold off angiogenesis, cell growth, and cellular signaling. This suggests that cinnamon could be a tool in preventing or treating cancer. It’s important to know that the research into cinnamon as a cancer treatment is all based on studies in the lab or in animals. There is also research that suggests that eating cinnamon may not be an effective way to gain any of its potential benefits. So, at this point, there is no evidence that merely eating or taking cinnamon can treat cancer.
The compound cinnamaldehyde is responsible for cinnamon’s odor and flavor. This plant chemical also has proven widespread antibiotic effects. Cinnamaldehyde was tested against several bacteria and viruses, including staphylococcus, E. coli, salmonella, and candida. Researchers found that it was able to prevent these bacteria from growing.
Cinnamon has a ton of antioxidants, like polyphenols, which are substances that can prevent or slow cell damage. Some of its antioxidants are so strong that cinnamon can sometimes be used as a natural food preservative. Experts have seen that taking cinnamon supplements can boost antioxidant levels in your blood as well as lower inflammation markers.
Cinnamon could lower your triglycerides and total cholesterol levels, which could help prevent heart disease. If you take supplements with at least 1.5 grams of cinnamon a day, it may lower your total cholesterol, LDL (or bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar - especially if you have metabolic disease.
It may also lower blood pressure if you consistently take it for more than eight weeks. Cinnamon also might help with: Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, Tooth decay, Allergies, Weight loss, Irritable bowel syndrome or other stomach or intestinal problems.
But studies are limited or have only been done in cells or animals. Many of the studies don’t say what type of cinnamon was used or have other problems that make their findings uncertain.
Recommended Dosage and Potential Risks
Getting normal amounts of cinnamon isn’t likely to have a big impact on your health, especially because most of the scientific research uses a kind of cinnamon that is not commonly found in the spice aisle of North American grocery stores. If you would like to use the most-studied type of cinnamon in your cooking, look for Ceylon cinnamon, also called “true cinnamon,” which is richer in potentially beneficial plant chemicals.
Because cinnamon is unproven as a treatment, there isn’t a set dose. Some experts suggest 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2-4 grams) of powder a day. Some studies have used about 1-6 grams of cinnamon. High doses might be toxic.
The most common side effects of cinnamon use are irritation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and allergic reactions. Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree and can be quite demanding on the digestive system to metabolize [break down]. So you wouldn’t want to have too much of it because it’s irritating.
Cinnamon usually causes no side effects. But heavy use could irritate your mouth and lips, causing sores. Some people are allergic to it. It might cause redness and irritation if you put it on your skin.
Eating lots of cassia cinnamon (the most commonly sold type of cinnamon) could be toxic, especially if you have liver problems. Coumarin, an ingredient in some cinnamon products, can cause liver problems, but the amount you’d get is so small that it probably won’t be a problem. Given the lack of evidence about its safety, children, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding should avoid cinnamon as a treatment.
Cinnamon may affect your blood sugar, so if you have diabetes and take cinnamon supplements, you might need to adjust your treatment. If you take any medication regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using cinnamon supplements. They could affect the way antibiotics, diabetes drugs, blood thinners, heart medicines, and others work.
Nutritional Value of Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains almost no protein or fat and won’t play a big role in your overall nutrition. But a teaspoon of ground cinnamon does include these and trace amounts of many other vitamins and nutrients:
- About 6 calories
- About 0.1 gram of protein
- About 0.03 grams of fat
- About 2 grams of carbohydrates
- About 1 gram of fiber
- About 26 milligrams of calcium
- About 11 milligrams of potassium
- About 3 micrograms of beta-carotene
- About 8 international units (IU) of vitamin A
Ways to Use Cinnamon
You can usually find cinnamon powder in the baking section at most grocery stores and supermarkets. It is often available rolled in sticks or already ground into a fine powder. Ground cinnamon has many uses and adds flavor to savory dishes as well as sweet desserts.
You can eat cinnamon sticks, but they're more commonly used to add flavor to drinks or dishes. Many people enjoy cinnamon sticks in warm beverages such as hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and mulled wine. You can also add them to pickling brine, fruit compotes, and many recipes for stews, sauces, and marinades, especially those from Asia and South Asia.
Mix some cinnamon powder with sugar, then sprinkle it on buttered toast. It can also be a delicious topping for sweet potatoes. Or you can use it to spice up plain yogurt or your morning coffee. Simply combine 2 teaspoons of cinnamon with 1 cup of granulated sugar and keep it in a sealed container.
Try making an apple cinnamon oatmeal topping:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add apple and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add sugar and cinnamon powder and mix well. Cook for one minute more or until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the apple mixture over prepared oatmeal.
The Science Behind Cinnamon and Weight Loss: Recent Studies
Recent research highlights cinnamon’s potential benefit for memory and cognitive function. One 2022 study concluded that cinnamon extract might help with Alzheimer’s disease by influencing the GABA pathway, though more work is needed to understand how this works precisely.
Also, according to a 2024 systemic review of 40 studies, most studies proved that cinnamon significantly improves cognitive function in terms of memory and learning.
However, only 2 of the 33 studies reviewed were conducted on humans in a clinical setting. Ultimately, the authors called for more research on this topic.
Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon both contain coumarin. Consuming coumarin in extremely high doses may cause some dangerous side effects, such as liver damage. Ceylon cinnamon contains far less coumarin than Cassia cinnamon.
However, as a spice, it would be unusual for someone to consume large enough amounts of either type of cinnamon to cause concern.
A person should always talk with their doctor before making significant changes to their diet.
Delicious Ways to Incorporate Cinnamon into Your Diet
Cinnamon powder is commonly added to toast and baked into pastries, but there are numerous other delicious ways to incorporate cinnamon into a person’s diet. Many ethnic cuisines, including Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and North African, use cinnamon as a primary spice in savory dishes. A person can incorporate cinnamon into their diet by trying the following recipes.