Cinnamon in coffee for weight loss is a very well researched and documented connection, with more than 3/4 of all clinical trials showing great results when combined with caffeine alone. Here’s how it works. When you consume coffee, your body releases adrenaline which raises your blood sugar levels. These effects combined create the feeling we know as “being awake” or having a “boost”. Your body is able to achieve this state rapidly because it creates adrenaline faster than your cells can use it, so the excess adrenaline is converted into fat and stored around our bodies.
Reasons You Need to Add Cinnamon to Your Coffee
Creamer, milk (whole or skim), sugar, or even butter—you’ve probably added at least one of these to your coffee to improve its taste at some point. If you’re looking for something different, though, try a new twist with a dash of cinnamon. This sweet, sharp spice can do so much more than improve coffee’s taste, and I’ve got 10 examples for you to consider.
1. Your Coffee Will Taste Better
Obviously, dropping cinnamon into your cup of coffee will alter its taste—but it won’t leave you with the typical taste of most coffee additives. Instead, as Lifehacker reports, you’ll increase the drink’s sweetness without adding any sugary, diet-busting products. Whether you stir in a teaspoon or two of the spice or add a cinnamon stick to your cup, both methods will provide a sweet taste.
2. You’ll Increase Your Antioxidants
Antioxidants are usually associated with skincare and fruits, but cinnamon packs a surprising amount of these helpful molecules. According to a Penn State research study, cinnamon is a diet-friendly spice because of its high antioxidant content. One teaspoon of cinnamon, as Health.com reports, contains as many antioxidants as half a cup of blueberries, one of the most antioxidant-laden foods.
3. Cinnamon Puts Your Brain to Work
The caffeine in coffee may be how you get your brain up and running in the morning, but the addition of cinnamon in your mug will improve your brain’s cognitive processing, spur brain function altogether, and help you master your visual and motor responses.
According to research conducted at Wheeling Jesuit University, the simple act of smelling cinnamon helps to improve your processing capabilities—and ingesting the spice is even more beneficial. The study participants were better able to complete tasks when eating cinnamon, and improved their attention overall.
4. Cinnamon Protects Against High Blood Sugar
If you prefer something sweet in your coffee, cinnamon is a healthier choice over sugar. The spice not only avoids the calories and damaging effects of sugar, but also benefits your entire body by slowing blood sugar spikes after eating, improving the body’s insulin effectiveness, and preventing and soothing inflammation in tissues and joints, according to a University of Georgia research study.
5. Cinnamon Can Soothe Cold Symptoms
Hot drinks are a great way to soothe a sore throat, and cinnamon only enhances that pain-relieving quality. As Everyday Roots discusses, drinking cinnamon in a warm beverage such as coffee opens and clears the sinuses and reduces mucus production—two of the most annoying symptoms of the common cold. And being able to incorporate these qualities into your morning cuppa sounds like a win-win situation.
6. You’ll Get a Bigger Energy Boost
Cinnamon gives you an extra energy boost when combined with caffeinated coffee, according to the Huffington Post. While cinnamon works to keep blood sugar levels stable, it also helps to stabilize your energy levels, preventing the sugar spike and crash into fatigue that can happen thanks to meals and snacks. So, while coffee is working to perk you up, the cinnamon you add in will take charge of your food-related energy sources.
HOW MUCH CINNAMON IN COFFEE FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
The question of how much cinnamon in coffee for weight loss is a popular debate. The answer depends on your preferences, but studies show that adding cinnamon to your daily cup of joe may help you lose weight and keep it off. Adding cinnamon to your coffee or hot milk may help regulate your blood sugar levels and even reduce your risk of heart disease. Future studies will help us determine the exact amount of cinnamon that is healthy.
Ceylon cinnamon is higher in antioxidants
One of the most popular spices used in cooking is Ceylon cinnamon. Unlike other cinnamons, it is not as sweet as Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is higher in antioxidants and is known to have many additional health benefits. The main difference between Cassia and Ceylon cinnamon is the amount of coumarin, a substance that is harmful to your health if you consume high amounts. Besides its sweet flavor, Ceylon cinnamon contains higher amounts of coumarin, which acts as a blood-thinning agent. Those with liver damage may find this particularly important.
Both types of cinnamon have health benefits, but the one from Ceylon is considered superior. It is less expensive than cassia and contains less of coumarin, a compound that can be toxic to the liver. Besides this, ceylon cinnamon has a citrus-like flavor that is more common in cooking. However, while both types of cinnamon have health benefits, some researchers say Ceylon is better for weight loss.
Cinnamon in Coffee Health Benefits:
1.It Contains Vitamins and Minerals
Cinnamon isn’t just a flavoring perfect for making autumn-inspired spiced drinks! It actually contains a great number of beneficial vitamins and minerals.
According to this article from Medical News Today, cinnamon contains nutrients that are necessary for maintaining your health. This underrated spice is packed with fiber, manganese, vitamin K, iron, and calcium, so you can feel good about drinking one of the most delicious coffee drinks you’ve tried thus far!
2.It Helps You Lose Weight
Let’s get this straight — cinnamon coffee is delicious, and it can also help you lose weight? That’s right! The appetite suppressing abilities of both coffee and cinnamon combine to create a powerful recipe for weight loss.
First, this article from the Mayo Clinic explains that caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant. It naturally helps your body deter feelings of hunger, which is likely to lead you to eat fewer calories throughout the day. Second, according to this article from WebMD, cinnamon helps regulate your insulin levels naturally. Spikes in insulin in your bloodstream are a key factor in hunger pangs, so adding cinnamon to your coffee can actually help to prevent hunger and the urge to snack even more than regular coffee can.
3.It Offers a Ton of Antioxidants
You’ve probably seen the term, “antioxidants,” countless times because it has been making its way around health circles and the internet over the past decade or so. These compounds are little miracle workers when it comes to your health, and cinnamon coffee is full of them!
According to this article published by the Mayo Clinic, antioxidants from our diet help to rid of free radicals in our body, the small compounds that have been linked to numerous health problems such as cell damage, arthritis, and even cancer. Antioxidants help to rid our bodies of free radicals.
Coffee itself contains quite a lot of healthy antioxidants, but according to this research article from Penn State, cinnamon is even higher in antioxidants than coffee and can add huge health benefits to your morning cup!
4.It Increases Your Mental Ability
If you already drink coffee, you’re probably familiar with the heightened sense of focus and attention it provides. There are scientific reasons for this feeling, and what you may not know is that this effect is compounded when you add cinnamon to your coffee.
According to this research article published in the National Library of Medicine, caffeine increases the amount of epinephrine and norepinephrine in your bloodstream. Also known as adrenaline and noradrenaline, these hormones are responsible for your fight or flight mechanism and have a pretty dramatic and overwhelmingly positive effect on focus.
Cinnamon adds to this as well, as consuming this spice can increase your ability to process information and perform mentally engaging tasks, according to this study from Wheeling Jesuit University. Add cinnamon to your coffee, and you’ll be ready to tackle whatever tasks the day brings!
5.It Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease
Okay, now we must be making these health benefits up, right? Wrong! Research actually shows that both coffee and cinnamon can help reduce your risk of heart disease.
This research paper explains that ingesting caffeine on a regular basis helps keep heart disease at bay. Although the reason is unclear, those who consume caffeine on a regular basis are up to 15% less likely to be afflicted by heart disease.
Cinnamon has a similar effect on humans as well. According to this publication from Penn State, eating or drinking cinnamon reduces artery clogging by up to an astounding 30%. Add cinnamon to your coffee on a daily basis, and you’ve got yourself a science-backed tool for reducing your risk of heart disease.
6.It Fights Cold Symptoms
If you have a nasty cold and are looking to soothe your symptoms with a natural remedy, cinnamon coffee can be a great holistic — and delicious — medicine.
Are There Any Disadvantages To Use Cinnamon?
While adding cinnamon to your coffee is generally safe to do, it’s important to remember that anything can be bad for your health when it’s taken in excess. Ideally, you should add a moderate amount of cinnamon such as around a teaspoon in each cup of coffee. Too much cinnamon will create too much of a compound known as coumarin, which has been linked to several health issues including an increased risk of cancer and liver damage. To avoid these disadvantages of cinnamon powder, it’s important to make sure that you don’t overdo it when it comes to how much cinnamon you add.
Along with this, it’s important to bear in mind that too much cinnamon can lead to mouth sores. Cinnamaldehyde is a compound that is a common allergen for humans, and if you consume too much of it, this can lead to open, painful sores in the mouth that can become a nuisance in your everyday life. If you notice that this is happening after drinking cinnamon in coffee, it’s a good idea to stop putting cinnamon in your coffee and speak to your doctor about a potential allergy.
Ways to Add Cinnamon to Coffee
There are several different ways to add cinnamon to your coffee. The best option is to add ground cinnamon to your ground coffee beans and then just brew your mug of coffee as normal. It’s not a good idea to add your cinnamon to the coffee after the coffee has been brewed as this can cause clumping. It’s also important to be aware that cinnamon may also clump on filter paper, so if you use a drip brewer or make pour-over coffee, you might find a coffee reservoir.
If after brewing your coffee you have decided that you want to add some spices to it, the best way to do this is to first allow the cinnamon to disperse or dissolve in milk, before adding this to your coffee. Cinnamon will usually dissolve well in milk, so this can help to prevent clumping.
If you want to add cinnamon to cold brew, then it’s a good idea to add cinnamon sticks to your coffee to prevent the filter from getting clogged up. Break a couple of cinnamon sticks down into smaller pieces, place them with the coffee grounds and brew your cold brew coffee as you normally would.
Final Conclusion
The bottom line is that adding cinnamon to your coffee doesn’t just give it a lovely, warming aroma that smells amazing in your kitchen in the morning, it also tastes amazing too. And along with being delicious, it also has a lot of beneficial health properties that can help you become a healthier and better version of yourself. Both cinnamon and coffee are packed with antioxidants, great for your brain health, can help to protect your heart, and can help you feel better if you are suffering from a cold or flu. If you want to turn your coffee into a really powerful morning drink, adding cinnamon is a great idea.