The holidays are here! Put up your Christmas tree, hang up your stockings, and get ready for cold nights warmed with hot cocoa and touches of cinnamon. Cinnamon has long been a staple of the holiday season— and now, new studies point to cinnamon being a great fat burner too!
Recent research at the University of Michigan has shown that the spice cinnamon could be used to fight off obesity! In a study published in the journal Metabolism, researchers tested cinnamaldehyde on white adipocytes (white fat cells), and found that cinnamon has an immediate reaction on metabolic health by making fat cells enhance energy expenditure and calorie burning.
The research was first conducted on mice with great results, and then later moved to human fat cells. Researchers were able to determine, despite background, ethnicity or environment, that cinnamon had a positive reaction on fat cells and the results were all the same. Cinnamaldehyde, or CA for short, is shown to be an effective trigger for thermogenesis.
This is fantastic news, as researchers are looking for more natural solutions to fat burning rather than pills or evasive surgery. This latest research shows promising results with the spice cinnamon.
This holiday season, take advantage of healthy cinnamon-based recipes, and help burn some fat in the process.
Reference:
Jiang J, et al. Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cell-autonomous thermogenesis and metabolic reprogramming. Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental, Volume 77, 58-64.