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肉桂是一种非常美味的香料。

It has been prized for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.

Modern science has now confirmed what people have known for ages.

这是科学研究支持的肉桂的10个健康益处。

1. Cinnamon Is High in a Substance With Powerful Medicinal Properties

Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as肉桂.

它已被用作整个历史上的成分,其历史可追溯至古埃及。它曾经是稀有和有价值的,被认为是适合国王的礼物。

These days, cinnamon is cheap, available in every supermarket and found as an ingredient in various foods and recipes.

There are两种主要类型of cinnamon ( 1 ):

  • 锡兰肉桂:也称为“真”肉桂。
  • Cassia cinnamon:当今更常见的品种,人们通常称之为“肉桂”。

Cinnamon is made by cutting the stems of cinnamon trees. The inner bark is then extracted and the woody parts removed.

干燥后,它会形成卷曲成卷的条带,称为肉桂棒。这些棍子可以磨碎以形成肉桂粉。

The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon are due to the oily part, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde ( 2 )。

科学家认为,这种化合物是肉桂对健康和代谢.

概括

肉桂是一种流行的香料。它的肉桂醛很高,被认为是肉桂的大部分健康益处的原因。

2.肉桂装有抗氧化剂

抗氧化剂可保护您的身体免受自由基引起的氧化损伤。

肉桂装有强大的抗氧化剂,例如多酚( 3 , 4 , 5 )。

In a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, even outranking “superfoods” like大蒜和牛至( 6 )。

In fact, it is so powerful that cinnamon can be used as a natural food preservative ( 7 )。

概括

肉桂含有大量高效的多酚抗氧化剂。

3.肉桂具有抗炎特性

Inflammation is incredibly important.

It helps your body fight infections and repair tissue damage.

但是,当炎症是长期的,并针对身体自己的组织时,炎症可能会成为一个问题。

肉桂在这方面可能很有用。研究表明,这种香料及其抗氧化剂具有有效消炎(药)特性 ( 8 , 9 )。

概括

肉桂中的抗氧化剂具有抗炎作用,这可能有助于降低您的疾病风险。

4.肉桂可能会降低心脏病的风险

Cinnamon has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, the world’s most common cause of premature death.

在患有2型糖尿病的人中,每天约有1克或大约一半的肉桂对血液标记物具有有益的作用。

It reduces levels of total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol and甘油三酸酯,而“好” HDL胆固醇仍然保持稳定( 10 )。

最近,一项重大审查的研究得出结论,每天只有120毫克的肉桂剂量可以产生这些影响。在这项研究中,肉桂还增加了“好” HDL胆固醇水平( 11 )。

在动物研究中,肉桂已被证明可以降低血压( 3 )。

When combined, all these factors may drastically cut your risk of heart disease.

概括

Cinnamon may improve some key risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.

5.肉桂可以提高对激素胰岛素的敏感性

胰岛素是调节新陈代谢和能量使用的关键激素之一。

这对于将血糖从血液运送到细胞也是必不可少的。

The problem is that many people are resistant to the effects of insulin.

这被称为insulin resistance,是代谢综合征和2型糖尿病等严重疾病的标志。

The good news is that cinnamon can dramatically reduce insulin resistance, helping this important hormone do its job ( 12 , 13 )。

通过提高胰岛素敏感性,肉桂可以降低血糖水平,如下一章所述。

概括

肉桂已显示出对激素胰岛素的敏感性显着提高。

6.肉桂降低血糖水平,并具有强大的抗糖尿病作用

肉桂以其blood-sugar-lowering properties.

Apart from the beneficial effects on insulin resistance, cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several other mechanisms.

First, cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal.

It does this by interfering with numerous digestive enzymes, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract ( 14 , 15 )。

第二,肉桂中的化合物可以通过模仿胰岛素来作用于细胞( 16 , 17 )。

This greatly improves glucose uptake by your cells, though it acts much slower than insulin itself.

许多人类研究证实了肉桂的抗糖尿病作用,表明它可以降低空腹血糖水平10-29%( 18 , 19 , 20 )。

有效剂量通常为每天1-6克或茶匙约0.5-2茶匙。

For more information on how you can lower your blood sugar levels, check out15 easy ways to lower blood sugar levels naturally.

概括

Cinnamon has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar levels, having a potent anti-diabetic effect at 1–6 grams or 0.5–2 teaspoons per day.

7. Cinnamon May Have Beneficial Effects on Neurodegenerative Diseases

神经退行性疾病的特征是脑细胞的结构或功能逐渐丧失。

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are two of the most common types.

Two compounds found in cinnamon appear to inhibit the buildup of a protein called tau in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease ( 21 , 22 , 23 )。

在帕金森氏病小鼠的一项研究中,肉桂帮助保护神经元,使神经递质水平标准化并改善运动功能( 24 )。

These effects need to be studied further in humans.

概括

Cinnamon has been shown to lead to various improvements for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in animal studies. However, human research is lacking.

8. Cinnamon May Protect Against Cancer

Cancer is a serious disease, characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.

Cinnamon has been widely studied for its potential use in cancer prevention and treatment.

Overall, the evidence is limited to test-tube and animal studies, which suggest that cinnamon extracts may protect against cancer ( 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 )。

它通过减少癌细胞的生长和肿瘤中血管的形成而起作用,似乎对癌细胞有毒,从而导致细胞死亡。

A study in mice with colon cancer revealed that cinnamon is a potent activator of detoxifying enzymes in the colon, protecting against further cancer growth ( 30 )。

这些发现得到了测试管实验的支持,这表明肉桂激活了人类结肠细胞中的保护性抗氧化反应( 31 )。

肉桂是否对生活有任何影响,需要在对照研究中确认呼吸。

For a list of 13 foods that could potentially lower your risk of cancer, you might want to read本文.

概括

动物和试管研究表明,肉桂可能对癌症具有保护作用。

9.肉桂有助于抵抗细菌和真菌感染

肉桂醛是肉桂的主要活性成分之一,可能有助于抵抗各种感染。

肉桂油已显示可有效治疗由真菌引起的呼吸道感染。

它还可以抑制某些细菌的生长,包括Listeria沙门氏菌( 32 , 33 )。

但是,证据是有限的,到目前为止,肉桂尚未证明可以减少体内其他地方的感染。

The antimicrobial effects of cinnamon may also help prevent tooth decay and reduce bad breath ( 34 ,35)。

概括

肉桂醛具有抗真菌和抗菌特性,可以减少感染并有助于抵抗蛀牙和口臭。

10. Cinnamon May Help Fight the HIV Virus

HIV病毒,慢慢分解你的免疫system, which can eventually lead to AIDS, if untreated.

从Cassia品种中提取的肉桂被认为有助于与HIV-1作斗争,HIV-1是人类中最常见的HIV病毒菌株( 36 , 37 )。

一项研究艾滋病毒感染细胞的实验室研究发现,肉桂是所有研究的69种药物中最有效的治疗方法( 38 )。

需要进行人体试验来确认这些影响。

概括

试管研究表明,肉桂可以帮助与人类中的HIV病毒的主要类型抗击HIV-1。

最好使用锡兰(“真”肉桂)

Not all cinnamon is created equal.

The Cassia variety contains significant amounts of a compound called coumarin, which is believed to be有害in large doses.

所有肉桂都应该有健康益处,但是由于香豆素含量,Cassia可能会引起大剂量的问题。

锡兰(“ True”肉桂)在这方面要好得多,研究表明,香豆素比Cassia品种要低得多( 39 )。

不幸的是,在超市中发现的大多数肉桂都是廉价的Cassia品种。

您也许可以在一些健康食品商店中找到锡兰,并且有一个亚马逊的好选择.

底线

归根结底,肉桂是地球上最美味,最健康的香料之一。

它可以降低血糖水平,降低心脏病的危险因素,并具有许多令人印象深刻的健康益处。

Just make sure to get Ceylon cinnamon or stick to small doses if you’re using the Cassia variety.