Cinnamon makes Christmas aromatic: Health benefits, spot its fake alternative

From soft Christmas cakes to delicious rice preparations, cinnamon is an aromatic spice that adds oodles of flavour to mouthwatering delicacies and dishes. The inner bark of the cinnamon tree is separated and treated to make the cinnamon sticks that are sold in the market. Ceylon cinnamon, cassia or Chinese cinnamon, bay leaf and raw leaf are the four major varieties of cinnamon found in India. Ceylon cinnamon, meanwhile, is the most common type of cinnamon that is grown here. Meanwhile, the cassia variety is grown in other Asian countries, such as Vietnam and China. 

Do you know that the fruit of the cinnamon tree also enjoys an impressive market value? The fruit, which is highly aromatic and has a sweet taste, costs up to Rs 1600 per kilo. It particularly enjoys high demand among food entrepreneurs. 

Fake cinnamon
Cinnamon is an indispensable part of the fragrant spice mix used in Indian curries. Since cinnamon is expensive, its substitute, cassia, is often sold at a lower price. Cassia imported from foreign countries at lower prices could even cause health problems. Ordinary people are usually unable to detect this fake cinnamon, which allows sellers to make high profits. 

Health benefits of cinnamon
The health benefits of cinnamon, which is widely used in many cuisines, were discovered by researchers years ago. It can reduce belly fat while increasing the good cholesterol. Moreover, cinnamon reduces the risk of heart disease by at least 10%. 

The study to understand the health benefits of cinnamon was done in 58 people who suffer from metabolic syndrome, such as abdominal obesity and high triglyceride levels. They were tested for low HDL level, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. The health indices of the cinnamon-consuming group were found to be improving. The study lasted over 16 weeks.

These are what the study revealed
•Body weight reduced by 3.8 per cent
•Body mass index reduced by 3.9 per cent while body fat lowered by 4.3 per cent
•Waist circumference reduced by 5.3 per cent
•Fasting blood glucose level reduced by 7.1 per cent

•Systolic blood pressure was observed to be lowered by 9.7 per cent, while diastolic was reduced by 9.1 per cent
•Good cholesterol (HDL) increased by 6.2 per cent while the bad cholesterol (LDL) lowered by 20.9 per cent. Triglycerides, too, were reduced by 16.1 per cent
•The metabolic syndrome of the group that consumed cinnamon got reduced by 34.5 per cent, while there was a reduction of only 5.2 per cent in the group that received the placebo. 

The study also proved that a few simple recipes containing cinnamon may have incredible health benefits. There are lots of people who may become diabetic patients at a young age due to metabolic syndromes. So, cinnamon could be included in your daily diet to improve metabolism.