Is cinnamon good for you? The sweet spice packs surprise benefits.

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Best known as a holiday scent or as the cause of that signature swirl of your favorite sticky bun, cinnamon is an ancient spice that's more than just a cooking staple. From its unique flavor profile to its impressive list of proven health benefits, cinnamon has been prized for centuries across both culinary and medicinal traditions. But before you start sprinkling it on everything you eat, you should know that consuming too much of it can bring about not-so-sweet consequences.

Here's what cinnamon is, how it can boost your health and when it’s time to ease up on how much you're eating. 

What is cinnamon?

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of evergreen trees in the genus Cinnamomum. After the bark of these trees is peeled, "it naturally curls into rolls as it dries, which is what we know as the cinnamon stick," explains Kate Donelan, a registered dietitian with Stanford Health Care. These curled sticks are called quills, and they can be chewed on or steeped in hot water to make cinnamon tea. More commonly though, cinnamon quills are ground into powder –becoming a spice that's commonly sprinkled over foods or used in baking.

"Cinnamon can be used in many dishes from savory to sweet," says Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian and author of "2-Day Diabetes Diet." You’ll find it in desserts and baked goods like cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies and pastries and also as a flavor enhancer atop or inside foods like oatmeal, rice pudding and French toast or beverages like apple cider, coffee, Mexican hot chocolate and mulled wines. Its flavoring is also used in a variety of candies and chewing gum. Along with enhancing taste, "adding cinnamon to a food can also extend its shelf life thanks to its natural preservative properties," says Palinski-Wade.

The two main types of cinnamon include Ceylon cinnamon (often called “true cinnamon”), and cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is the sweeter, more delicate and more expensive version of the spice, but cassia cinnamon is more popular. Cassia cinnamon is known for being stronger in flavor and darker in color and is the type of cinnamon you usually find in grocery stores.

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What is cinnamon good for? 

Besides making your lattes and baked goods taste delicious, cinnamon contains several key nutrients and packs some surprising health benefits. Some of its nutrients include carbohydrates for energy, fiber for digestion, protein for muscle growth and maintenance and a slew of vitamins and minerals that include calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A and K. 

The spice also has unique properties that make it "beneficial to blood sugar management by improving insulin sensitivity," says Palinski-Wade. Indeed, research shows that consuming just half a teaspoon of cinnamon daily can lead to dramatic improvements in blood sugar regulation, making it potentially helpful in preventing type 2 diabetes from developing in some people. This benefit is doubly helpful because cinnamon is also often used as a sugar substitute, meaning "it can provide sweetness and flavor without adding calories," says Donelan.

And cinnamon contains antioxidants such as polyphenols "that help protect the body from oxidative stress and free radicals," explains Jen Messer, a nutrition consultant and registered dietitian at Jen Messer Nutrition. "And some studies suggest that cinnamon may have anti-inflammatory properties as well, which can help reduce inflammation in the body," Messer adds. "Chronic inflammation is linked to various health issues, including heart disease and certain cancers."

In proper amounts, cinnamon can also lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, help alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort such as gas and bloating, "and there is preliminary evidence to suggest that compounds in cinnamon may also have a protective effect on the brain, potentially reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s," says Messer. 

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Can you eat cinnamon every day?

At the same time, Messer says that cinnamon has some purported benefits that are not proven. “Be wary of any exaggerated claims of cinnamon’s ability to reduce belly fat or promote significant weight loss," she says. And even when cinnamon is beneficial, more doesn't mean better.

“Like most things in life, excessive intake of cinnamon can have potential adverse effects,” says Messer. Possible issues associated with consuming too much of the spice include allergic reactions (that can range from mild irritation to serious symptoms), stomach pain and potential adverse interactions with medications such as blood thinners. 

And while the safe upper limit for cinnamon consumption is not well-established, for most people, “consuming a teaspoon or less of ground cinnamon per day as a seasoning or flavoring in food and beverages is unlikely to pose significant health risks," Messer says. Research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture backs this up, as it notes that consuming half a teaspoon of cinnamon daily, "is very safe and there should not be any side effects." 

It's also worth noting that the type of cinnamon you use matters. “Cassia cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin,” cautions Palinski-Wade. “And coumarin can damage the liver in high doses.”

So long as such considerations are kept in mind though, small doses of the spice bring about only upsides for most people. "It's only large doses or taking cinnamon as a supplement that should be discussed with a doctor before starting," Donelan says. And don't even think about the cinnamon challenge.