Cinnamon treatment turns poor-learning mice into good ones, research shows

If Dr. Kalipada Pahan's research pans out, the standard advice for failing students might one day be: Study harder and eat your cinnamon!

  (sodium benzoate)

Pahan a researcher at Rush University and the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago, has found that cinnamon turns poor learners into good ones--among mice, that is. He hopes the same will hold true for people.

His group published their latest findings online June 24, 2016, in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.

"The increase in learning in poor-learning mice after cinnamon treatment was significant," says Pahan. "For example, poor-learning mice took about 150 seconds to find the right hole in the Barnes maze test. On the other hand, after one month of cinnamon treatment, poor-learning mice were finding the right hole within 60 seconds."

Pahan's research shows that the effect appears to be due mainly to sodium benzoate--a chemical produced as cinnamon is broken down in the body.

If that chemical sounds familiar, you may have noticed it on the ingredient labels of many processed foods. Food makers use a synthetic form of it as a preservative. It is also an FDA-approved drug used to treat hyperammonemia--too much ammonia in the blood.

Though some health concerns exist regarding sodium benzoate, most experts agree it's perfectly safe in the amounts generally consumed. One reassuring point is that it's water-soluble and easily excreted in the urine.

Cinnamon acts as a slow-release form of sodium benzoate, says Pahan. His lab studies show that different compounds within cinnamon--including cinnamaldehyde, which gives the spice is distinctive flavor and aroma--are "metabolized into sodium benzoate in the liver. Sodium benzoate then becomes the active compound, which readily enters the brain and stimulates hippocampal plasticity."

Those changes in the hippocampus--the brain's main memory center--appear to be the mechanism by which cinnamon and sodium benzoate exert their benefits.

In their study, Pahan's group first tested mice in mazes to separate the good and poor learners. Good learners made fewer wrong turns and took less time to find food.

In analyzing baseline disparities between the good and poor learners, Pahan's team found differences in two brain proteins. The gap was all but erased when cinnamon was given.

"Little is known about the changes that occur in the brains of poor learners," says Pahan. "We saw increases in GABRA5 and a decrease in CREB in the hippocampus of poor learners. Interestingly, these particular changes were reversed by one month of cinnamon treatment."

The researchers also examined brain cells taken from the mice. They found that sodium benzoate enhanced the structural integrity of the cells--namely in the dendrites, the tree-like extensions of neurons that enable them to communicate with other brain cells.

Cinnamon, like many spices, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. So it could be expected to exert a range of health-boosting actions, and it does have a centuries-long history of medicinal use around the world.

But the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that "high-quality clinical evidence to support the use of cinnamon for any medical condition is generally lacking." Most of the clinical trials that have taken place have focused on the spice's possible effect on blood sugar for people with diabetes. Little if any clinical research has been done on the spice's possible brain-boosting properties.

Pahan hopes to change that. Based on the promising results from his group's preclinical studies, he believes that "besides general memory improvement, cinnamon may target Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment [a precursor to Alzheimer's], and Parkinson's disease as well." He is now talking with neurologists about planning a clinical trial on Alzheimer's.

Before you start heaping cinnamon on your oatmeal, keep a few caveats in mind.

First, most cinnamon found in the store is the Chinese variety, which contains a compound called coumarin that may be toxic to the liver in high amounts. A person would likely have to eat tons of cinnamon to run into a problem, but just the same, Pahan recommends the Ceylon or Sri Lanka type, which is coumarin-free.

Even then, don't overdo it. "Anything in excess is toxic," says Pahan.

What about simply inhaling the pleasant-smelling spice? Will that benefit the brain?

"Simply smelling the spice may not help because cinnamaldehyde should be metabolized into cinnamic acid and then sodium benzoate," explains Pahan. "For metabolism [to occur], cinnamaldehyde should be within the cell."

As for himself, Pahan isn't waiting for clinical trials. He takes about a teaspoonful--about 3.5 grams--of cinnamon powder mixed with honey as a supplement every night.

Should the research on cinnamon continue to move forward, he envisions a similar remedy being adopted by struggling students worldwide.

"Individual differences in learning and educational performance is a global issue, he says. "In many cases, we find two students of the same background studying in the same class, and one turns out to be a poor learner and does worse than the other academically. Now we need to find a way to test this approach in poor learners. If these results are replicated in poor-learning students, it would be a remarkable advance. At present, we are not using any other spice or natural substance."

Cinnamon May Help Ease Common Cause of Infertility, Study Says...

A small study by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome who took inexpensive daily cinnamon supplements experienced nearly twice the menstrual cycles over a six-month period as women with the syndrome given an inactive placebo. Two of the women in the treated group reported spontaneous pregnancies during the trial.

"There is a lot of interest in homeopathic or natural remedies for this condition," said study author Dr. Daniel Kort, a postdoctoral fellow in reproductive endocrinology at the medical center. "This may be something we can do using a totally natural substance that can help a large group of patients."

The study was scheduled for presentation Wednesday at a meeting of the International Federation of Fertility Societies and American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston.

An estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of women of childbearing age have polycystic ovary syndrome, with up to 5 million Americans affected. Polycystic ovary syndrome, which involves many of the body's systems, is thought to be caused by insensitivity to the hormone insulin. Typical symptoms include menstrual irregularity, infertility, acne, excess hair growth on the face or body, and thinning scalp hair.

Treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome currently includes weight loss, ovulation-inducing drugs such as clomiphene (brand name Clomid) and diabetes medications such as metformin, said Dr. Avner Hershlag, chief of the Center for Human Reproduction at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

Kort said that it's not yet clear exactly why cinnamon may work to regulate menstrual cycles in those with polycystic ovary syndrome, but it may improve the body's ability to process glucose and insulin. Prior research among diabetic patients suggested the spice can reduce insulin resistance.

Of the 16 patients who completed Kort's trial, 11 were given daily 1,500-milligram cinnamon supplements and five were given placebo pills. Diet and activity levels were monitored, and patients completed monthly menstrual calendars.

After six months, women receiving cinnamon had significant improvement in menstrual cycle regularity, having an average of nearly four menstrual periods over that time compared to an average of 2.2 periods among the placebo group. Two women reported spontaneous pregnancies after three months of cinnamon treatment, meaning they became pregnant without additional help.

Polycystic ovary syndrome "is one of the most common causes why women don't have regular menstrual cycles," Kort said. "But the clinical consequences later in life are truly great from an increased risk of diabetes and glucose intolerance to endometrial cancer. Many women can go their whole lives without regular menstrual cycles, and it doesn't necessarily bother them until they want to have children."

The 1,500-milligram cinnamon dose was chosen for this trial because it was between the 1,000 to 2,000 mg daily that seemed to have metabolic effects on diabetic patients in earlier research, Kort said. But all doses in that range are cheaply obtained, costing pennies per capsule.

"Compared to most medical therapies these days, the cost is very small," he said.

Although the study suggests a link between cinnamon and improvement of polycystic ovary syndrome, it doesn't establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

Still, Hershlag called the study "welcome and interesting" and said he sees no reason women with polycystic ovary syndrome shouldn't use more cinnamon in their food or take cinnamon supplements.

"Any work that's something nutritional in nature and seems to affect the abnormal physiology of polycystic ovaries is welcome," Hershlag said. "If they want to spice up their life and take it, that's fine , but I think the best thing to do when you have polycystic ovaries is to be under the control of a physician."

Cinnamon May Help Ease Common Cause of Infertility, Study Says - Drugs.com MedNews

Fat-busting ingredients in cinnamon

In continuation of my update on Cinnamon...

Researchers have found that certain ingredients in cinnamon can help burn fat in humans. They along with several other previous studies have noted that cinnamon – a common kitchen spice – contains cinnamaldehyde. This is an essential oil that gives the special flavor to cinnamon. In laboratory mice, cinnamaldehyde helps to protect against obesity as has been seen in previous studies.

This new study from the team of researchers at the University of Michigan reports that this oil can burn fat in humans as well. The study titled, “Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cell-autonomous thermogenesis and metabolic reprogramming,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Metabolism.

The team found that this essential oil in cinnamon can activate thermogenesis. This means that it can activate the metabolism in the body that can burn the body fat to produce heat. There are several other metabolic benefits offered by cinnamon to the body. The gearing up of the metabolism also leads to starting off on a path to weight loss they explain. Lead author Jun Wu, research assistant professor at the Life Sciences Institute said that the benefits of cinnamaldehyde are a known one because of the studies that have been already conducted proving its effects on obesity. What was not known, Wu noted, was the effects cinnamaldehyde was having on metabolism. This was what prompted this study. Wu said, “…we wanted to figure out how -- what pathway might be involved, what it looked like in mice and what it looked like in human cells.”

For this objective Wu and colleagues tried to see the effects of cinnamaldehyde on several volunteers or participants who agreed to provide some of their body fat cells or tissues for laboratory studies. The volunteers had different body weights, and were of different or varied age groups and ethnicities. They found that use of this essential oil led to enhancement of certain genes in the adipocytes of fat cells. This led to increased lipid metabolism or break down of the fat. It also triggered thermogenesis or production of heat by breaking down the body fat. Till date however the team has tested this in human cells in the laboratory and not on humans as such.

Molecular look at the state of affairs showed that cinnamaldehyde could significantly activate “protein kinase A (PKA) signaling”. This caused increased workings of genes that can cause thermogenesis. This led to increased “HSL and PLIN1 in murine primary adipocytes.” There is an increased in genetic workings of proteins Ucp1 and Fgf21 which normally play a role in metabolism and its regulations. Dr. Wu explained that energy surplus and its storage in the adipocytes is a new phenomenon for humans with the abundance of food.

Wu explained that more studies on actual human subjects was necessary to prove that use of cinnamaldehyde indeed was beneficial and safe for consumption. Wu said he hopes that this spice that has been part of the human diet for centuries could offer protection against obesity that is becoming a rising epidemic worldwide. People generally enjoy this spice and if it is protective and beneficial, the chances that people would adopt this and stick to this therapy are higher.

Ref : http://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495(17)30212-3/fulltext

Fat-busting ingredients in cinnamon

Positive health indicators associated with avocado consumption

We know that avocado (Persea americana) is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit (botanically a large berry that contains a single seed) of the tree.

Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, it ripens after harvesting. Trees are partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.

The fruit of horticultural cultivars has a markedly higher fat content than most other fruit, mostly monounsaturated fat, and as such serves as an important staple in the diet of various groups where access to other fatty foods (high-fat meats and fish, dairy products, etc.) is limited.
A ripe avocado yields to gentle pressure when held in the palm of the hand and squeezed. The flesh is prone to enzymatic browning; it turns brown quickly after exposure to air. To prevent this, lime or lemon juice can be added to avocados after they are peeled.

Positive health indicators associated with avocado consumption