Cinnamon for Weight Loss

By Cindy Wilson

BS, Dietetics and Nutrition

Updated May 1, 2021 · 16 min read

23 Health Benefits of Cinnamon & Is It Good For Weight Loss?

Among the spices that give a truly distinctive flavor and aroma, cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum) occupies a unique place.

Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese, iron, calcium, copper, and zinc, and experts recommend that you add this spice to coffee, fruit juices, cereals, pastries.​

I’ve spent some time writing my research about Cinnamon below. The article is rather long, so I advise you to check the table of contents first and pick out a topic that interests you most:

​Where Does Cinnamon Come From?

Sanskrit wrote 2800 years BC, which also shows that cinnamon is unique. It is certainly one of the oldest spices for which even the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Phoenicians knew.

From the Europeans, it was first discovered by the Portuguese when they occupied Ceylon. The natives of the island took it as a cure for fatigue, boosted the energy, and even smoked it and used it as scented oils.

The price of the cinnamon was incredibly high, it was expensive as gold, and the Dutch and the Portuguese led the Hundred Years War to get it. At the end of the 19th-century, cinnamon has ceased to be England’s exclusive, and it has spread around the world.

Where Do Cinnamon Trees Grow?

As for the value of the cinnamon, the one that is grown in Madagascar, Ceylon, and Seychelles is the most valued. Cinnamon grows wherever there are tropical conditions, so they have it in both India and Indonesia.

Healthful Effects of Cinnamon

Cinnamon For Skin​

Cinnamon is a common ingredient in home skin care, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, and some types of topical cinnamon oil or powder may cause skin irritation or contact dermatitis. Learn more about how this simple seasoning can clean your skin without the need for expensive spa treatments:

1. Treating acne, pimples, and blemishes​

Cinnamon is said to help remove acne and pimples on the face and body by making them dry out, and it also facilitates the supply of blood and oxygen to the outer layer of the skin.

The recipe for a mask is simple. Mix 3 tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of cinnamon. Apply to problematic areas, leave it overnight, leave it on for 20 minutes, and then wash off. Repeat the process next week.

2. Softens dry skin​

Cinnamon removes dead skin cells and restores the skin’s shine and suppleness. Make a scrub out of sea salts, almond oil, olive oil, honey, and cinnamon for skin hydration.

Thanks to its antifungal and antibacterial properties, cinnamon improves complexion. Mash a small banana and mix it with yogurt, minced cinnamon, and lemon juice. Make a paste, apply to the clean face, and then wash it with lukewarm water.

3. Improves complexion​

A home recipe some people use on eczema, although topical cinnamon may cause skin irritation or contact dermatitis: make a mixture of one spoon of honey, one spoon of cinnamon, and apply a thin layer on the affected area. For best results, repeat the process weekly.​

4. Removes fine lines​

Cinnamon improves circulation and delivery of oxygen and blood to the outer layer of the skin, so the fine lines are corrected. Mix a few drops of essential oil of cinnamon with Vaseline and apply to the entire face, avoiding the eye area.

5. Prevents skin infections and treats cuts and wounds​

The infection makes a paste of honey and cinnamon powder for any skin and applies to the affected area.

Some people sprinkle a little cinnamon powder on cuts and wounds, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, and cinnamon powder on the skin may cause irritation or contact dermatitis.

6. Softens chapped heels​

Cinnamon softens rough and dry skin due to its antioxidant features. Prepare a bath for your feet out of 5 lemons, a tablespoon of olive oil, a quarter cup of milk, half a cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.

Soak your feet in this bath for 15 minutes to make it soft and smooth.

Cinnamon For Hair

​Even in ancient times, cinnamon was a prized spice because it makes hair healthy and beautiful. Cinnamon improves blood circulation so that the root of the hair and scalp get nutrients and oxygen, which makes hair strong and beautiful.

Find out why cinnamon is good for your hair:

7. Encourages hair growth

Your hair will love the combination of honey and cinnamon.

Mix one tablespoon of ground cinnamon, a tablespoon of honey, a tablespoon of olive oil, and one egg. Apply the mask on your hair, leave it on for 20 minutes, and then wash it off with shampoo.

Use this mask once a week to get the best results.

8. Cleans the scalp​

Cinnamon cleans the scalp because it acts as a peeling. The massage that cleans the scalp is made out of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a spoon of honey, and a quarter cup of warm olive oil. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes, and then wash off with the shampoo you usually use.​

​9. Brightens the hair

Cinnamon can lighten the hair color. Mix your favorite conditioner and cinnamon powder. Apply the mixture on the entire length of the hair thoroughly to avoid getting mottled hair as a result. Comb and untangle the hair and cover with a shower cap. Leave it overnight and wash it off in the morning.

​Cinnamon For Health

Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition. Try to include cinnamon in your diet and the daily care to enjoy its wonderful benefits.

Learn more about why is cinnamon good for your health:

10. Lowers blood cholesterol

One review found that cinnamon supplementation decreased levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes, but the reductions were not as prominent in studies of higher quality.

11. Relieves pain

Cinnamon is widely used in treating pain because it works on prostaglandin, which influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles.

12. Treating colds

Cinnamon is used in the treatment of colds and flu. But the common cold has no cure and should improve on its own.

Honey can be used to relieve cough for adults and children at least 1 year old, and one recipe is a mixture of a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and a spoon of honey. Take this mixture 3 days 2 times a day for best results.

13. Prevention of arthritis

Arthritis causes joint pain and swelling. Cinnamon was thought to help people with inflammation, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition. In a cup of hot water, add 2 tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Drink this mixture two times a day.

14. Improves digestion

Research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, and in larger amounts or for long periods of time it is sometimes associated with gastrointestinal problems. To treat peptic ulcers, doctors typically recommend medicines to help the ulcer heal.

15. Heart Health

Mix cinnamon powder and honey and make a thick paste. Some people eat this mixture instead of jam, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition.

16. It promotes weight loss

One review found that cinnamon supplementation helped reduce fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance in people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, but its authors said that more research is needed. Another review found that it did not affect body mass index, body weight, or waist circumference in people with type 2 diabetes.

17. Help with menstrual problems

Tea made from cinnamon helps with heavy menstrual bleeding.

18. Cinnamon and Cancer

No herbal products, cinnamon included, have been shown to be effective for treating cancer. Some herbal products may be harmful when taken during chemotherapy or radiation therapy, so cancer patients should talk with their doctor about any herbal supplements they may be using.

19. Cinnamon and Diabetes

Taking insulin or other diabetes medicines is often part of treating diabetes, along with healthy food choices and physical activity. It’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for diabetes.

20. Treating Infertility

Research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, and Ceylon cinnamon in larger amounts during pregnancy is considered unsafe.

21. It prevents the development of neurodegenerative diseases

Direct evidence that dietary supplements can prevent Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia is lacking, and research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition.

22. Improves brain function

Regular smelling of cinnamon enhances cognitive abilities and memory.

23. Breath Refresher

Cinnamon eliminates bad breath. Chewing a few sticks of cinnamon or gargling hot water with cinnamon effectively removes bad breath.

Did all of this convince you to use cinnamon in your regular care and nutrition?

Health Benefits From Eating Cinnamon

If you are not convinced yet, here are few more important facts about Cinnamon:

How Is Cinnamon Good For Weight Loss?​

It’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for diabetes or weight loss. Higher quality research would be needed to clarify any benefits.

How Cinnamon Affects the Body?​

Cinnamon has salicylate, which lowers the temperature and has an anti-inflammatory effect. The pleasant smell of this spice has a stimulating effect on the brain, where chewing gum from cinnamon notably improves attention and visual experience.

What Else Is Inside?​

​Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese, iron, calcium, copper, and zinc, minerals that are mostly missing in most foods. It contains vitamin C, K, pyridoxine (B6), and riboflavin (B2).

Having all this in mind, experts recommend adding this spice to a variety of foods and drinks that are used every day, such as coffee, fruit juice, cereal, toast…​

Is Cinnamon a Superfood?​

How Cinamon Lowers Blood Sugar?

For people with diabetes, some studies suggest that cinnamon might help with blood sugar control, but most of these studies have limitations, leading to no clear conclusions. It’s very important not to replace medical treatment for diabetes with an unproven health product or practice.

How Much Cinnamon to Take For Diabetes and to Lower Blood Sugar?​

One study showed that continuous use of an extract of cinnamon, cinnulin, in obese people prone to diabetes results in reduced inflammation, less oxidative stress, and loss of fat mass. Cinnamon helps control blood sugar levels and helps insulin to work more efficiently. But it’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for diabetes or weight loss.

Most of the recommendations relating to the daily amount of cinnamon for controlling diabetes problems, such as blood sugar levels, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, indicate the use of only ½ teaspoon daily. Using herbal supplements such as cinnamon with conventional diabetes drugs can cause unwanted side effects, so you should consult your doctor or nutritionist.​

Different types of cinnamon – Which is good to use?

Although there are hundreds of species and subspecies of the plant Cinnamon, only two are used as spices, and that is Ceylon cinnamon and cassia known as China-cinnamon comes from Burma. Both types of cinnamon are used in Europe.

Ceylon cinnamon in stores comes in the form of bars, has a softer and more pleasant aroma with a sharp spicy and a sweet prickly taste. It also contains one and a half to four percent of essential oils. (Here is where to buy the best Ceylon cinnamon)

Cassia or China-cinnamon has a sharper smell, and the taste is peppery. They do differ in chemical composition: cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, a chemical that has been reported to interact with the liver, while Ceylon cinnamon may contain a trace amount.​

Cinnamon Nutritional Benefits

Cinnamon and Honey – What Are They Good For?​

It is believed that cinnamon and honey in combination can help in many ways and help with obesity.

• Some people spread honey and cinnamon on a slice of bread for breakfast, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition. Do not feed honey to a child who is younger than 1 year old, because honey can contain the bacteria that cause botulism. It is enough to put half a teaspoon of honey and a little cinnamon in a glass of water in the morning and drink it. Some claim that in this way, you can achieve perfect vitality.
• Cinnamon was traditionally thought to help people with inflammation, cough, and other conditions, and a common recipe is a glass of hot water with two spoons of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon. But research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition. This drink is easy to make, and you should try it!
• For centuries, in the states of the Far East, women would smear a mixture of half a teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of honey on gums a few times a day to strengthen the uterus and become pregnant.

Cinnamon Tea​

Another recipe with cinnamon is tea.

For extended youth and vitality, you should drink tea made from cinnamon.

Four spoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and three cups of water are cooked together as a tea, and then you drink it three to four times a day, a quarter of a cup per time.

At the same time, the tea from cinnamon is also a folk remedy for anemia, although research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, and you prepare it by putting a hundred grams of cinnamon (best in the sticks) in a liter of water and then cooking it on low heat until the volume of water is half less than you started with. Then you add to that one more liter of water and a kilogram of sugar. After that, you cook it until the entire amount is reduced to one liter. The medicine is then done, and you can drink it as juice or three times a day per one teaspoon.

How To Store Cinnamon?​

Cinnamon is kept in tightly closed glass jars in a cold, dark, dry place. Ground cinnamon can be used for no longer than six months from purchase, while sticks retain freshness for up to a year. You can extend that time by keeping the jar with cinnamon in the cooler.

Cinnamon Tips for Weight Loss​

Cinnamon is one of the most popular and most aromatic spices on the planet. Its beautiful fragrance complements the taste of many beautiful dishes, including, naturally, desserts.

Most people use cinnamon to prepare their culinary masterpieces, although just a few of those people are the ones who are familiar with all of the benefits that this space provides.

Among those benefits, there is one interesting feature of cinnamon. Cinnamon products are promoted as a dietary supplement for weight loss, but it’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for weight loss.

Increasingly, you can hear about the cinnamon diet as a favorite way of losing excess weight.

Cinnamon is a spice that has long been used for medical purposes and is a very common flavoring in various foods. Individual studies have addressed the functioning of cinnamon in the human body. Higher quality research would be needed to clarify any benefits for weight loss.

As an antioxidant, cinnamon helps fight inflammation and stress from oxidation. This has a positive effect on weight loss because stress increases cortisol levels, which affects the level of blood sugar, energy levels, preference for inflammation, and the function of the immune system—too much cortisol results in weight gain, especially in the area around the stomach. If cinnamon reduces stress, it will produce less cortisol, forcing the cinnamon in the diet to be effective.

Cinnamon Weight Loss Dosage

There are many ways to use cinnamon as part of a diet to lose weight.

​Cinnamon Stick Recipe

Use the cinnamon stick with a cup of hot tea, or add in cocoa, coffee or cappuccino. Some users of this diet claim that not only will you have more energy, but it will also improve your mood.

Cinnamon & Honey Recipe

For a substance derived from the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree, cinnamon has excellent characteristics and is very beneficial for the health of the human organism. One of the typical recipes for weight loss using cinnamon is a sip of hot tea with cinnamon and honey. Both cinnamon and honey are good for health, and they are both antioxidants. Combine about a half teaspoon of cinnamon with water and place this mixture to boil. Strain and pour into a cup. Allow it to cool before adding honey to preserve the healthy features of honey, and then enjoy the tea.

​Drink a single dose half an hour before breakfast and the other half an hour before going to sleep.

The recipe for this, as it can often feel miraculous potion that will help you lose weight, is straightforward. You can do it in a minute and keep it in the refrigerator for as long as necessary. Every morning before breakfast, mix yourself a dose.

​Claims that you can lose weight without changing your habits just aren’t true. People who lose weight at a gradual, steady pace, about 1 to 2 pounds a week, are more likely to keep the weight off. The type of cinnamon matters for safety: some cassia cinnamon products contain high levels of coumarin.

Cinnamon & Honey & Ginger Recipe​

A great number of women around the world are increasingly applying in various ways cinnamon for weight loss, and here are a few ideas for it. This suggested daily routine could help you make your own:

• Start your day with cinnamon. Morning tea will be even tastier if you add cinnamon to it. It’s even better if you also add honey to the tea. It is optimal for one cup of tea to put 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of honey. Keep in mind that sugars from syrups and honey count as added sugars, and it’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for weight loss.
• In the afternoon, to the cinnamon and honey, add ginger. Cinnamon and ginger are other great combinations for weight loss. Again, use 2 teaspoons of honey in it, mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Let this serve as a magic coat for toast when it’s time for a snack.
• You can boil 2 dl water with equal parts of honey and cinnamon and drink that half an hour before going to sleep in the evening.

Cinnamon Risks

Cinnamon is likely safe when consumed in the amounts commonly used in foods as a spice or flavoring agent. When used in larger amounts or for long periods of time, cinnamon is sometimes associated with side effects, most commonly gastrointestinal problems or allergic reactions.

• Some studies suggest cinnamon is safe during pregnancy in amounts commonly found in foods, but Ceylon cinnamon in larger amounts during pregnancy is considered unsafe.
• However, as I mentioned before, you should know that cinnamon is a spice to warm your body, so you should not use it during the fever and elevated body temperature. Caution is recommended for people with high blood pressure too.
• Individuals with the damaged mucosa of the stomach should not consume large amounts of cinnamon on an empty stomach. Excessive doses of cinnamon in healthy people can cause a reaction of the stomach, nausea, and even vomiting.
• Some people can get an allergic reaction to cinnamon (usually in the form of rash), just like with any other substance or food, but such cases are rare.

All in all, cinnamon is likely safe in the amounts commonly used in foods, but some cassia cinnamon products contain high levels of coumarin, and prolonged use of cassia cinnamon could be an issue for sensitive people, such as those with liver disease. If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using cinnamon. You should always listen to your body and consult a doctor.

Conclusion​ – Does Eating Cinnamon Make You Lose Weight?

Cinnamon has always been considered a miraculous natural medicine. But research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition, no herbal products have been shown to be effective for treating cancer, and it’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for diabetes or weight loss.

This spice obtained from the inner bark of a small, shrubby tree from the laurel family has been a natural remedy since the days of the ancient Egyptians.

There are several types of cinnamon, and the most medicinal is Ceylon (Cinnamomum Verum).

You can usually find the Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum Burman Nii), not as healing as the Ceylon. Also, the smell of cinnamon stimulates the brain, so it is not bad to keep it on the desk.

There is the top ten reasons why you should consume it each day:

• It is full of antioxidants, which are essential in the fight against free radicals. Antioxidants slow down aging and protect against many diseases.
• It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps in the fight against various infections, and repairs damaged tissue.
• It is often linked to heart health, but research doesn’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition. To help get your cholesterol levels into the healthy range, you may need heart-healthy lifestyle changes or medicines.
• It regulates the metabolism to improve insulin sensitivity, which is responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats in the body and the transportation of sugar from the blood into the cells.
• Lowers blood sugar as an ingredient of cinnamon acts on cells to mimic insulin. But most studies of this have limitations, leading to no clear conclusions, and it’s very important not to replace medical treatment for diabetes with an unproven health product or practice.
• It is sometimes linked to neurodegenerative diseases, but direct evidence that dietary supplements can prevent Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia is lacking. The two most common types of these diseases are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
• It does not treat cancer: no herbal products have been shown to be effective for treating cancer, and some may be harmful when taken during chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
• It helps to fight bacterial and fungal infections, and for this is credited cinnamaldehyde, the main active ingredient of cinnamon.
• It protects against cavities and reduces bad breath, thanks to the antimicrobial effect that kills microorganisms and prevents growth.
• It’s unclear whether cinnamon supplementation is helpful for weight loss, with or without honey. Let me remind you of a recipe; you can boil half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey in a small amount of water (about 1.5 ounces). Half of this drink you can drink in the morning on an empty stomach and a half before going to sleep, and so every day.

​I hope that I have helped you decide to start using cinnamon daily because it is good for you and can assist you in many ways.

Be free to leave a comment or an opinion about this. You can also share your experience with the diet.